[redlegger]

I am trying to give my son some advice since I encouraged his accounting major. He was a 4.0 HS student and has worked his way throughout college at a law firm . He has a full tuition and some additional scholarships which will cover final two semesters his Sr. year. He was a very competitive HS Golfer and could have played in college. He is also in a national fraternity and has held some offices. I tell you all this to show he is a fairly well-rounded kid. What does he need to do to attract a Big 4 and when should that start ? The accounting program at his college is highly regarded but he attends a state university that has no national clout. His options are get his 150 hours and sit for his CPA in which case he might only need an extra semester or get in the graduate program and get a Masters in Accounting and get his extra hours that way at an additonal cost. Or graduate next spring debt free and go from there and get the CPA later.

[Not a Quitter]

Redlegger: If he aspires to be a CFO I would encourage him to get in a supervisory position as soon as possible as leadership and management experience will be required, regardless of the type of accounting experience.

Having a Master's plus CPA won't hurt, but I'm not sure it's necessary to have the Master's if you have the CPA license. Not sure how much added value there is. But if he just wants more schooling and to further beef his resume I say go for it. It will likely help with his CPA exam experience if he lines everything up right.

FAR- 85 I'm DONE!
BEC- 75
REG- 60,60,75
AUD- 74,74,83

CPAExcel used for BEC, AUD, REG
Exam Matrix used for FAR plus NINJA Blitz, cpareviewforfree and a little CPAExcel

[Not a Quitter]

Redlegger: If he aspires to be a CFO I would encourage him to get in a supervisory position as soon as possible as leadership and management experience will be required, regardless of the type of accounting experience.

Having a Master's plus CPA won't hurt, but I'm not sure it's necessary to have the Master's if you have the CPA license. Not sure how much added value there is. But if he just wants more schooling and to further beef his resume I say go for it. It will likely help with his CPA exam experience if he lines everything up right.

FAR- 85 I'm DONE!
BEC- 75
REG- 60,60,75
AUD- 74,74,83

CPAExcel used for BEC, AUD, REG
Exam Matrix used for FAR plus NINJA Blitz, cpareviewforfree and a little CPAExcel

[Anonymous]

@redlegger – Sorry I assumed you were the mom so WAY TO GO DAD!

[Anonymous]

@redlegger – Sorry I assumed you were the mom so WAY TO GO DAD!

[Mayo]

” just trying to figure out if a Masters really adds much and is it worth the extra expense”

It's all situational and there's no easy answer here. Maybe answer some questions here and that'd be a huge help:

-What's his GPA?

-You said his accounting program is “highly regarded”; Can you elaborate on what that means? At the end of the day it only matters if firms go to his school to recruit.

-“What does he need to do to attract a Big 4 and when should that start ?” I'm guessing this means he hasn't already started attending any kind of recruiting? If so, please confirm. And to answer your question, he should have started in Sophmore or Junior year. the earlier the better.

-“His options are get his 150 hours and sit for his CPA in which case he might only need an extra semester” Can you elaborate? From what I understand most undergrad programs give you 120 hours, give or take, and then you graduate. Not just being nosy, as it may matter if he has a specific blend of credits (i.e. double major, etc.).

“What is the best accounting experience if one aspires to be a future CFO.”

Some may disagree, but I think best route is Big 4 audit, make Senior or Manager, then leave to be a Controller or Assistant Controller in industry. That's a generic path, and it begins to change depending on various factors like:

-Industry

-Is it public or not?

-How strong is the accounting department? If it's strong, then a CFO with CPA or audit/accounting experience is needed less.

-Etc., etc., etc.

Just to give you an example of the diversity of options, consider these CFO backgrounds:

Google CFO – BA in Business, Master's in Philosophy,Politics, Economics; Partner for a consulting firm in the telecomm division, various executive roles in the telecomm industry, including CFO roles, etc.

This shows you that Google is needing that operational expertise as they're constantly considering and executing big moves in the sector.

SAS CFO – CPA, 5 years at Big 4, 4 years as Controller, CFO for a smaller company, Director of audit Services for SAS (sound slike Internal Audit?), and then VP and finally CFO.

This shows you that SAS values his operational and accounting knowledge that comes form being a CPA and auditor

Edward Jones – CPA, Big 4 Tax Senior Manager where EJ was his client, then went to work at EJ in the tax and international ops area (I'm guessing because oif his international tax experience? *shrug*), then Finance, then CFO.

Shows you the personal relationship was an important part of EJ hiring him, and then he proved his worth as he was needed. Moving form Tax to Finance is as rare as it can get IMO. Of course it helps that EJ is a personal finance advising kind of firm, which is not night and day from tax or tax consulting from my understanding.

TL;DR, There are multiple paths, but Big 4 is not a bad place to start. It's also not the only option to get there.

Mayo, BBA, Macc

[Mayo]

” just trying to figure out if a Masters really adds much and is it worth the extra expense”

It's all situational and there's no easy answer here. Maybe answer some questions here and that'd be a huge help:

-What's his GPA?

-You said his accounting program is “highly regarded”; Can you elaborate on what that means? At the end of the day it only matters if firms go to his school to recruit.

-“What does he need to do to attract a Big 4 and when should that start ?” I'm guessing this means he hasn't already started attending any kind of recruiting? If so, please confirm. And to answer your question, he should have started in Sophmore or Junior year. the earlier the better.

-“His options are get his 150 hours and sit for his CPA in which case he might only need an extra semester” Can you elaborate? From what I understand most undergrad programs give you 120 hours, give or take, and then you graduate. Not just being nosy, as it may matter if he has a specific blend of credits (i.e. double major, etc.).

“What is the best accounting experience if one aspires to be a future CFO.”

Some may disagree, but I think best route is Big 4 audit, make Senior or Manager, then leave to be a Controller or Assistant Controller in industry. That's a generic path, and it begins to change depending on various factors like:

-Industry

-Is it public or not?

-How strong is the accounting department? If it's strong, then a CFO with CPA or audit/accounting experience is needed less.

-Etc., etc., etc.

Just to give you an example of the diversity of options, consider these CFO backgrounds:

Google CFO – BA in Business, Master's in Philosophy,Politics, Economics; Partner for a consulting firm in the telecomm division, various executive roles in the telecomm industry, including CFO roles, etc.

This shows you that Google is needing that operational expertise as they're constantly considering and executing big moves in the sector.

SAS CFO – CPA, 5 years at Big 4, 4 years as Controller, CFO for a smaller company, Director of audit Services for SAS (sound slike Internal Audit?), and then VP and finally CFO.

This shows you that SAS values his operational and accounting knowledge that comes form being a CPA and auditor

Edward Jones – CPA, Big 4 Tax Senior Manager where EJ was his client, then went to work at EJ in the tax and international ops area (I'm guessing because oif his international tax experience? *shrug*), then Finance, then CFO.

Shows you the personal relationship was an important part of EJ hiring him, and then he proved his worth as he was needed. Moving form Tax to Finance is as rare as it can get IMO. Of course it helps that EJ is a personal finance advising kind of firm, which is not night and day from tax or tax consulting from my understanding.

TL;DR, There are multiple paths, but Big 4 is not a bad place to start. It's also not the only option to get there.

Mayo, BBA, Macc

[redlegger]

Thanks Mayo. He has additional hours already but only needs 19 hrs of accounting classes to graduate and 2 hrs of PE. He is finishing his 3rd year. He will have next year paid for through academic scholarships. So if he carries 30 hours next year, he will only have to go one additional semester to get his 150 hours, possibly a minor that helps. He currently has a 3.75 GPA. He was scheduling next Fall and realized he could graduate in 3 1/2 years next December if he took 3 hours this summer. He has worked at a law firm since 11th grade and has been tardy in lining up an internship because the law firm has been so helpful in scheduling him around his class schedule. We have a Carr Riggs & Ingram and BKD firms here in town. We are in Bowling Green , Ky. Western Kentucky University is the school and the accounting program is highly regarded in the state. He has just been plowing away at school not really looking too far ahead and called me for some input this weekend. He probably should have already been communicating with the head of the department and all that stuff but had not. He has followed behind a couple of kids who have been hired by Big 4 from his program. I was just trying to give him the benefit of some outside opinions. Thanks for taking the time to respond. Much appreciated.

[redlegger]

Thanks Mayo. He has additional hours already but only needs 19 hrs of accounting classes to graduate and 2 hrs of PE. He is finishing his 3rd year. He will have next year paid for through academic scholarships. So if he carries 30 hours next year, he will only have to go one additional semester to get his 150 hours, possibly a minor that helps. He currently has a 3.75 GPA. He was scheduling next Fall and realized he could graduate in 3 1/2 years next December if he took 3 hours this summer. He has worked at a law firm since 11th grade and has been tardy in lining up an internship because the law firm has been so helpful in scheduling him around his class schedule. We have a Carr Riggs & Ingram and BKD firms here in town. We are in Bowling Green , Ky. Western Kentucky University is the school and the accounting program is highly regarded in the state. He has just been plowing away at school not really looking too far ahead and called me for some input this weekend. He probably should have already been communicating with the head of the department and all that stuff but had not. He has followed behind a couple of kids who have been hired by Big 4 from his program. I was just trying to give him the benefit of some outside opinions. Thanks for taking the time to respond. Much appreciated.

[Mayo]

The school name was helpful. My advice is:

-Join Beta Alpha Psi as soon as he can. I'm assuming this semester is out of the question, but he should contact them and ask about membership next year. Even better is if he can be put on the email list, so he doesn't miss when the next semester events are. I know I know, he was already in a frat. Look it's good, but literally every BAP meeting, someone from Public Accounting, IRS, Industry, etc. will be there. If it's Big 4 or large regionals like BKD they often bring multiple people to network as a team. It's just more access. Plus, many recruiters are ex BAP.

-Contact the career center and schedule a sit down with one of their counselors. The purpose is to get all the info he can about career events (fairs, meet and greets, etc.) and also to get his name out there. Similar to my school, they have “invite only” events where the best students can come and network with firms. It's always best that they get to know him and that he's a good/top student. So he should go, tell them basically “Hey, I'm a bit behind the ball, but I want to make sure I take all the necessary steps to increase my chances in recruiting”. They'll give him advice, and hopefully remember his name.

-Seriously consider slowing down graduation by one semester. It's definitely a risky move, but the hard part is that firms normally hire interns a year ahead of time. Sometimes they make exceptions and give an internship and then offer FT employment after graduation. But it's probably a last ditch option to be used in case he's not getting any bites from recruiters.

-When he talks to the career center, have him ask if there is a mentor program where alumni have volunteered to be emailed or called by students. If he's lucky someone in public accounting has already done this. It might not be a recruiting venue, but it's worth asking questions and getting to know the person.

-If the firms he is interested in (e.g. Big 4) don't come to his school then he can try and find recruiters online via linkedin and send them a very well written email with his attached resume. Again, if they don't come to his school then he's got nothing to lose.

-Search for alumni on linkedin that work for the big 4. He can contact them and tell them he's very interested in working for public accounting and would like to ask some questions on the career. Obviously, they understand the difficulty when the firm doesn't come to the school, so at the very least they should be sympathetic. Again, this needs to be worded professionally, and with purpose, but not sound like a machine (easy right? haha). No text speak here.

-Do any frat alumni work for the big 4? If so, then contact them about asking questions on the career (see a pattern here? Networking is NOT about asking to get a job).

-If he already hasn't started, ask him to start talking to his professors. Go during office hours, ask them questions, general chat, etc. Again, network. Two of my profs were instrumental in getting me a Big 4 internship, and I never asked them to do that. Again, this all about name recognition. He's a good student. Prfs like good students. Trust me, I was a TA, and good students were always welcome in the Profs office. Besides, sometimes they can drop great info like upcoming job fairs, case study presentations, etc.

-He should attempt to go to every recruiting event that has accounting firms or positions there. Period.

That's literally everything I can think of haha. Some of this may not be applicable/helpful since he sounds like he has a great resume already. But I think it can't hurt. If none of that works, come back here and maybe someone here can float his resume to their firm. Good luck. I'd encourage him to be doing this research himself though.

Here's some effective information, if somewhat crude:

https://www.narrowingthegaap.com/recruiting/how-to-get-hired-by-the-big-4-the-hiring-process-part-1/comment-page-2/#comment-335

Mayo, BBA, Macc

[Mayo]

The school name was helpful. My advice is:

-Join Beta Alpha Psi as soon as he can. I'm assuming this semester is out of the question, but he should contact them and ask about membership next year. Even better is if he can be put on the email list, so he doesn't miss when the next semester events are. I know I know, he was already in a frat. Look it's good, but literally every BAP meeting, someone from Public Accounting, IRS, Industry, etc. will be there. If it's Big 4 or large regionals like BKD they often bring multiple people to network as a team. It's just more access. Plus, many recruiters are ex BAP.

-Contact the career center and schedule a sit down with one of their counselors. The purpose is to get all the info he can about career events (fairs, meet and greets, etc.) and also to get his name out there. Similar to my school, they have “invite only” events where the best students can come and network with firms. It's always best that they get to know him and that he's a good/top student. So he should go, tell them basically “Hey, I'm a bit behind the ball, but I want to make sure I take all the necessary steps to increase my chances in recruiting”. They'll give him advice, and hopefully remember his name.

-Seriously consider slowing down graduation by one semester. It's definitely a risky move, but the hard part is that firms normally hire interns a year ahead of time. Sometimes they make exceptions and give an internship and then offer FT employment after graduation. But it's probably a last ditch option to be used in case he's not getting any bites from recruiters.

-When he talks to the career center, have him ask if there is a mentor program where alumni have volunteered to be emailed or called by students. If he's lucky someone in public accounting has already done this. It might not be a recruiting venue, but it's worth asking questions and getting to know the person.

-If the firms he is interested in (e.g. Big 4) don't come to his school then he can try and find recruiters online via linkedin and send them a very well written email with his attached resume. Again, if they don't come to his school then he's got nothing to lose.

-Search for alumni on linkedin that work for the big 4. He can contact them and tell them he's very interested in working for public accounting and would like to ask some questions on the career. Obviously, they understand the difficulty when the firm doesn't come to the school, so at the very least they should be sympathetic. Again, this needs to be worded professionally, and with purpose, but not sound like a machine (easy right? haha). No text speak here.

-Do any frat alumni work for the big 4? If so, then contact them about asking questions on the career (see a pattern here? Networking is NOT about asking to get a job).

-If he already hasn't started, ask him to start talking to his professors. Go during office hours, ask them questions, general chat, etc. Again, network. Two of my profs were instrumental in getting me a Big 4 internship, and I never asked them to do that. Again, this all about name recognition. He's a good student. Prfs like good students. Trust me, I was a TA, and good students were always welcome in the Profs office. Besides, sometimes they can drop great info like upcoming job fairs, case study presentations, etc.

-He should attempt to go to every recruiting event that has accounting firms or positions there. Period.

That's literally everything I can think of haha. Some of this may not be applicable/helpful since he sounds like he has a great resume already. But I think it can't hurt. If none of that works, come back here and maybe someone here can float his resume to their firm. Good luck. I'd encourage him to be doing this research himself though.

Here's some effective information, if somewhat crude:

https://www.narrowingthegaap.com/recruiting/how-to-get-hired-by-the-big-4-the-hiring-process-part-1/comment-page-2/#comment-335

Mayo, BBA, Macc

[Anonymous]

@redlegger Just wanted to say “hi” to a fellow KY person. 🙂 I'm down almost to the TN border off 75, so no where near Bowling Green, but am familiar with Western. Best of luck to your son!

[Anonymous]

@redlegger Just wanted to say “hi” to a fellow KY person. 🙂 I'm down almost to the TN border off 75, so no where near Bowling Green, but am familiar with Western. Best of luck to your son!

[Anonymous]

He should stay for the Master then immediately sit for the CPA exam. After college is a perfect time to get it done.

[Anonymous]

He should stay for the Master then immediately sit for the CPA exam. After college is a perfect time to get it done.

[mla1169]

regarding the CFO question, it depends on where he would want to be a CFO. Best advice is to become an expert in an industry on top of having the accounting credentials. For example I have tons of experience working for defense manufacturers. Makes me uniquely more qualified for a CFO position in that industry than someone with 20 years public experience who doesn't know how to read and interpret federal acquisition regulations. If getting that niche experience means starting out as a staff accountant in an industry that excites him, he will rise through the ranks quickly with his other credentials.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Author]

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