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This has been such a helpful thread, I am also on my way to becoming an accountant, about to get my Associates in about a year from a CC in Florida.
I was wondering if there are any schools in the state which would put me in a good position to intern and eventually work for any of the big 4 firms? Or is it wiser to attempt on getting admitted to Texas, Penn etc.?
And if I should try to obtain my Bachelors and Masters from the same elite institution, or can I get my Bachelors from, say FAU, and a Masters from an elite University? What is smarter?
This has been such a helpful thread, I am also on my way to becoming an accountant, about to get my Associates in about a year from a CC in Florida.
I was wondering if there are any schools in the state which would put me in a good position to intern and eventually work for any of the big 4 firms? Or is it wiser to attempt on getting admitted to Texas, Penn etc.?
And if I should try to obtain my Bachelors and Masters from the same elite institution, or can I get my Bachelors from, say FAU, and a Masters from an elite University? What is smarter?
Thanks a lot for the advice!
Well you're already in Florida and the University of Florida has a fairly good academic rep so I'd say that would be a good option. I wouldn't pay out of state tuition for an accounting degree if I could avoid it so I'd try the Florida schools that have the best reputation and go from there.
As to whether you should try to get your Bachelors or Masters from an elite school. I would say it depends on what you want to do with the Big 4. If you want to do Audit or Tax I would recommend you get into the best undergrad school you can and then see what type of Masters program you can handle with the Big 4 workload. You wouldn't necessarily need a high level Masters degree in Audit or Tax, you'd really just need to get enough credits to sit for the CPA exam. Now if you want to get into the consulting side of the house an MBA from an elite(ish) University would be much more helpful.
Quite honestly, I would consider getting in contact with the person in charge of recruiting at the office location you want to work at. Ask what universitites they recruit out of most. I went to school in St Louis, was thinking about getting a Master's degree and moving to Chicago, and a St Louis recruiter put me in touch with a Chicago recruiter, who told me what schools they recruit heavily from.
I worked with some Tampa office people who were graduates of UF, Florida State, and UMiami.
Quite honestly, I would consider getting in contact with the person in charge of recruiting at the office location you want to work at. Ask what universitites they recruit out of most. I went to school in St Louis, was thinking about getting a Master's degree and moving to Chicago, and a St Louis recruiter put me in touch with a Chicago recruiter, who told me what schools they recruit heavily from.
I worked with some Tampa office people who were graduates of UF, Florida State, and UMiami.
What he said The Big 4 do not recruit from all schools.
Thanks a lot, I will attempt to contact a few recruiters. If I can graduate out of UF and find a good firm to work from I will definitely take that route.
I am interested in taking the internal auditing path, will a Masters put me in a better position or will passing the CPA with a good score suffice?
Thanks a lot, I will attempt to contact a few recruiters. If I can graduate out of UF and find a good firm to work from I will definitely take that route.
I am interested in taking the internal auditing path, will a Masters put me in a better position or will passing the CPA with a good score suffice?
Thank you!
Start by getting into a Big 4 and learning your profession there. Once you make manager at a Big 4 (approx 6-7 years), you can usually find a good job at a management level in an internal audit department at a large cap corporation.
The other alternative is to go into the internal audit services group at a Big 4. All of them offer outsourced internal audit services to corps. who do not want to build their own dept.
A "good score" on the CPA = passing. Nobody will know or care about whether you got a 75 on every section, or a 90.
In my experience, getting a job for the Big 4 in the internal audit service area is significantly easier than the standard audit/tax--at least in my region.
A "good score" on the CPA = passing. Nobody will know or care about whether you got a 75 on every section, or a 90.
In my experience, getting a job for the Big 4 in the internal audit service area is significantly easier than the standard audit/tax--at least in my region.
In which case, why not study Internal Audit. I believe Lousiana State has a very good program and that the Big 4 recruit there.
I am intending on following the Internal Auditing path, I really like it. I am still in the process of contacting recruiters to see where they constantly recruit out of in Florida, if anywhere. Otherwise I will go out of state.
I was also thinking to try my best to get into any of the top ten accounting schools in the nation, since I want to give myself the best chances.
Thanks again for all your help and insight!
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The Big 4 do not recruit from all schools.
