[mhueycpa]

I’ve read the “Kool- Aid” drinkers and the “haters”. But what I still can’t grasp is why are these firms glorified so much? I can understand wanting to have Goldman Sachs on your resume if your in M&A and IB. The metrics for performance in those fields are essentially ROR or AUM, etc. Whereas in public accounting is there a way to get a better ROR? There’s a RIGHT way to do tax returns, perform audits, etc. and there’s a Wrong Way.

THE 300 CLUB WILL DO JUST FINE!

[taxman89]

public accounting teaches you how to deal with multiple bosses, a higher concentration of ahole coworkers, and (sometimes) a wider range of work exposure. you can absolutely get this is other positions but it will be up to you to convince your new position that you have theses skills/experiences. when someone sees big 4 they can count on the fact that you have those without having to talk to you so having big 4 on your resume gets you more interviews than not having it.

just my thoughts. they are worth what you paid for them.

AUD - 75
BEC - 77
FAR - 78
REG - 82

AUD: 61-67-75 (Thanks ninja aud)
BEC: 77
FAR: 78
REG:69-73-70-82

Aud-75 3x I knew i never liked you
Bec-77 1x being in the bubble is stressful
Reg-82 4x its not me its you...and no we cant be friends
Far-78 1x easiest section

[Anonymous]

I agree with taxman – you have the brand but the skill set is necessary at any public accounting firm.
And it depends how long you stay.. bigger companies you have a tendency to get pigeon holed in one area (a/r,cash/fixed assets etc… so you may not get the full exposure that you would in a smaller mid size firm… but if you stay long enough you'll get that exposure.
I know a lot of people love working for the big four.. but a lot of my friends – those that actually stayed (which are very few), now in our 30's they're not impressed with the lack of work/life balance but feel stuck because of the money.
To me it's a personal choice.. the largest I worked in was a mid size regional firm.. I never applied to big 4 or had any interest.. it's never hindered me, but I can see where it can help depending what you're looking for in the future money wise and career wise.

[fuzyfro89]

There are two benefits:
1) Real – this is the experience you get on clients which will be different than other firms (by definition, every client only has one auditor…). Big 4 tend to audit larger companies and public ones, if that's something you want to have experience doing, though they are taking on more mid/small clients as well. This aspect completely depends on which clients you spend time on and what you do on those projects (think: ACTUAL skills developed)
2) Perceived – this is all about the “big 4 brand” (can be good or bad, and varies among different people outside the firm). Some people think big 4 stands for good training, high achieving, and hard working people, Others think it's a bunch of fratty and sorority people who only know how to test cash. The reality is obviously different for each person, but I digress… BRANDING is important, and I'll leave it there. If it wasn't we would all buy unbranded generics in everything we consume, and also in employees…

Whether it's worthwhile depends on YOU. What are your career goals? Will the (1) Real and (2) Perceived benefits help you advance your career in the way that you want? That is something only you can answer…

[Anonymous]

EXPOSURE!! This is priceless… last week I was at the same table with CFO and CAO of one of the biggest investment companies nationwide and I can ask any question I want…. And I'm only a new college graduate…. I don't know where you can find that elsewhere….

[OlintoJr]

I think its more branding than anything.. Odds are if you were able to last at a Big4 for a few years you have something going for you, whereas there are other places you can be completely worthless and never get fired.

As for exposure I'd have to disagree with Another85,I think there are plenty of opportunities (I'd dare to say more) for exposure outside B4. I started in private and was essentially an outsourced financial accountant for a handful of companies. These companies were subsidiaries of fortune 500 companies, and I had direct access to upper level management. Within 6 months out of undergrad I had communications, with controllers, CFO's etc, as well as sat in on the subsidiary board meetings… Granted these Subs were fairly irrelevant to the large companies, but I had access to people most 1st years in a B4 would not have.

Obviously experiences vary an enormous amount, but at the end of the day if your looking for an overarching rule Big4>non-Big4.

FAR - 11/30/14 -79
AUD - 2/19/15 -86
BEC - 4/09/15 -86
REG - 11/30/15 -87

I'M DONE! ITS OVER! WOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

[Skynet]

Increased Stress Level

AUD - 90
BEC - 78
FAR - 84
REG - 87

World Domination Plan

Phase I : Pass CPA Exams - Complete
Phase II : Megan Fox - In Progress
Phase III : Megan Fox & Scarlett Johansson Lingerie Pillow Fight
Phase IV : Form the new Charlie's Angels with Megan Fox, Scarlett Johansson, & Gal Gadot
Phase V : TBD

BEC : 78
REG : 87
FAR : 84
AUD : 90

World Domination Plan

Phase I : Pass CPA Exams - Complete
Phase II : Megan Fox - Initiated
Phase III : Bring back 8-Tracks
Phase IV : Megan Fox & Scarlett Johansson Lingerie Pillow Fight
Phase V : TBA

[the LAST Coffee]

Seeing people in the Denver office, you lose hair or you get grey-er hair anyways.

FAR 84 (AUG '15)
BEC 83 (AUG '15)
AUD 79 (OCT '15)
REG 71, 78! (NOV '15, FEB '16)

[mhueycpa]

I would say that exposure varies as well. When I was in public the firm's client were Commodity Traders, Hedge Fund Managers, Wall Street types, whom I dealt with personally. The firm audits several non-profit who have fortune 500 people on their BOD, some whom I've met at various galas, etc. I'm in semipublic now (not a CPA firm) but still doing taxes, and I've had the chance to meet and work with some of the greatest musicians and actors of the past 30-40years. So other then a name of a resume I don't see what I can ONLY experience at one of them and no where else. There seems to be no unique experience that they offer and they only hold the value they do because we give them that value. Meanwhile, most people with an accounting degree hold them up on heavenly pedestals. I guess its a YMMV situation.

THE 300 CLUB WILL DO JUST FINE!

[taxsage]

The main thing in my opinion is that Big 4 and national firm clients are different than most other firm clients. Employers are looking for the person that has experience and knowledge realative to the position they are trying to fill. Big 4 employees not only get exposure to the accounting programs, excel sheets, and corporate structure of these companies but also quite often the Big 4 employee may have specialized in the industry relative to the position.

The truth is that Big 4 employees are often the best candidates for the position they are trying to fill from an experience perspective when it is a job with a company that utilizes Big 4 services. If you are the CFO of Twitter do you want to hire an auditor who has experience working with various companies or the guy who audited your financials and Uber and Facebooks financials. Similarly an accountant who audited mainly small companies is probably not as knowledgable about the challenges and processes of large companies. By year 2 most people at Big 4 have choosen an industry to specialize in and as a result they will become the best people to service these industries when they leave public accounting.

Name brand is often dropped as the main reason for going Big 4, but the hard truth for those who want to work at big Tech companies, massive hedge funds, or fortune 500 compsnies is that there will always be a Big 4 employee who is better prepared to address the challenges of these companies. That being said people at small firms may be better prepared for accounting positions with small cap or mid cap companies.

This is not an elitest perspective. I am fairly certain that most small firm tax accountants have more diversified and broad experience than me year for year. That being siad I will have more experience year for year servicing private equity clients. When a tax accountant position job opens up at a private equity firm I will likely be the more qualified candidate.

So to answer the Ops question:

Big 4 firms will train you often in one industry to become the best at what you do in that industry and you will become a very marketable person to employers within that Industry.

[warningbarrel20]

Agree with the majority of what you said, taxsage. However, I do feel the Big 4, and similar opinions to the last which you wrote embody an attitude that you'll get your pick of the litter when you decide to move into industry. I'm an example of someone without Big 4 experience out-gunning a Big 4 manager for my current position as Controller in a PE firm. So, perhaps attitude also plays a role. But by and large, I don't disagree with the fact Big 4 will typically get preference (read: an interview). My boss, our CFO, chose me over the former–and my boss hailed from EY.

FAR: 78 (1/31/15)
BEC: 81 (8/30/15)
REG: 77* (10/10/15)
AUD: 76 (11/28/15)

ETHICS - 97

*Failed 2x - 72, 68

IL Candidate

[Valleygrl68]

I've only been with KPMG and Deloitte, shoot Deloitte has their own “University” and they spend countless hours and dollars training and exposing you to this model of excellence in client delivery, industry expertise and aid you in developing strong interpersonal skills, mentorship, etc. that can take you from a novice to a well respected leader in your field if you take advantage of all they have to offer.

When you have these firms on your resume it's assumed you are the cream of the crop, period.

[Anonymous]

I agree with what most of taxsage says as well. It depends what industry you want to be in.. type, size, area etc. Each firm will give you different experience contingent on what you're looking for. If you're looking for a fortune 500, hedge fund, etc., chances are the EY's of the world are going to give you better access to that. But like warningbarrel said, just because you don't work specifically for them doesn't mean you still can't land that and that no other firm gives you that experience. However if you can position yourself there it may potentially be the path of least resistance. You can achieve whatever you want as long as you work hard enough and have a little bit of luck.
And I disagree with valleygrl, I don't believe the assumption is there that just because you work for a big four means you're the cream of the crop. Not all of us who are exceptional at our jobs are interested in big four. Just like in every company you have excellent people and then not so stellar people – and the older I get and longer I've been doing this I've discovered that if you base someone's perceived ability strictly on their GPA, school or past employer's name you will be sorely disappointed.

[Author]

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