[tud20551]

Just like the title says.

BEC - Passed

FAR - Ninja in Training

AUD - Ninja in Training

REG - Ninja in Training

[Anonymous]

It's where all the smart and good looking accountants work.

[Missy]

Depends on your ultimate career goal. If you want to be senior level or management at a F500 company it's expected. At a smaller publicly traded company you may or may not do better with big 4. At a private company they'll care more about industry specific experience than public experience.

Old timer,  A71'er since 2010.

Finance manager/HR manager

 

 

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[TommyTheCat]

it kind of sucks but its great experience and looks fantastic on your resume. The long hours and office politics can wear on you, but the client experience and networking connections you received from Big 4 are well worth it. Just be prepared for the “up or out” mentality.

AUD - 85
BEC - 89
FAR - 91
REG - 97

[TommyTheCat]

@brickell – pay no attention to brickell, he/she has a habit of making silly comments on these forums

AUD - 85
BEC - 89
FAR - 91
REG - 97

[Anonymous]

@TommyTheCat

I would like for you to refute my claim with substantive evidence.

[Anonymous]

There is only one way to find out if it's a match, and that's to get a job there. They usually hire people who are (or look) age 30 or less and their ideal candidates are fresh out of school and have not done much of anything else yet in their lives, and pursuing the CPA. If you're like some of us on here who are 30-35+ who have had other job experience, they usually don't want you unless you have the CPA already and are applying for higher-up roles. True, a 40 year old is not going to be a good match for an audit team populated mostly with 25 year olds. I was never interested in working for B4. It just seems like a powerhouse – underpaid slave-driving type atmosphere. I wouldn't agree that the people who work there are all smart or good looking though. I've known people who were neither who did well enough in B4 not to get fired. Again though, it's all about your personality type and career goal, as others have said. Even if I was still 23 years old, I wouldn't go to B4, I'd stay in private. For obvious reasons, private is much better for rather non-competitive, easy-going-yet-still-hard-working people. The people who work in public tend to be more selfish and cut-throat and extremely driven, and for obvious reasons – they wanna be at the top of the ladder by the time they're 35. If that's what you want, go apply at B4!

[CPA CMA]

Those big4 firms tend to make people think they are better than everybody else (local, regional firms etc.), but they are actually not. CPA's at those smaller firms (especially the ones 10, 20+ years of experience) are much better than those big4 new hires or the ones only worked there for a few years. You won't become a better accountant by graduating with a high GPA (Big4's always looking for that) or pass the CPA exam, you will only get better with work experience. Also, I agree with crazyleon, you are pretty much a underpaid slave if you choose to work for big4, which is the reason that I never interested in them. I work for a local CPA firm and I love it, not only you have great work-life balance but also you can potentially get to exposed to more areas (audit, tax & consulting) as oppose to you specialize in one area (audit for instance) and stay with one or a few same client(s) at big firms.

CPA, CMA

Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA) 12/17/2014

BEC 76 (10/3/14)
FAR 75 (10/24/14)
REG 83 (4/6/15)
AUD 75 (4/20/15)
Anticipated Licensure: August 2016

CMA part 1 passed (6/15/15)
CMA part 2 Passed (9/4/15)
Anticipated Licensure: August 2017

[tud20551]

Ur career is limited stop hating on the big 4.

BEC - Passed

FAR - Ninja in Training

AUD - Ninja in Training

REG - Ninja in Training

[tud20551]

I feel like if I work for the BIG 4 I should be able to pass the CPA no????

BEC - Passed

FAR - Ninja in Training

AUD - Ninja in Training

REG - Ninja in Training

[Dman1]

@tud20551 – CPA is a book exam and only studying your butt off is going to make it easier to pass. That being said, Big 4 would pay for Becker and encourage you with a bonus. The work experience, on the other hand, might make REG or AUD seem easier relative to the other 3 parts, depending on which department you work for. It's relative, though.

FAR - 78       8/1/16
REG - 94      11/15/16
BEC - 90       1/30/17
AUD -          7/5/17

[Anonymous]

Work experience at B4 or any firm will likely not help you pass these exams unless you already have an exceptional command of the material, except maybe AUD (in which case work experience would help but even if you worked in private you'd get that). You absolutely have to study from a review course – Becker is arguably not the best one anymore although it seems most B4 firms have partnerships with Becker. Probably because they're too lazy to investigate the other review vendors and realize that others are better.

No, the CPA is what you make of it, and B4 is too. There are plenty of bad CPAs. Nobody's career is limited who doesn't work for B4. I don't think anyone is hating on the B4, that would be a waste of time and counterproductive. We need those firms, but as far as working for them, it's not for everyone.

[Goingallin]

I've never worked for BIG4 and never regretted. However I would have to give credit for those who did or is working at BIG4. It's like boot camp. Long hours of mindless job duties and crappy pay the first few years. Takes a lot of dedication and discipline. I think that's one of the reasons why companies like to hire BIG4 employees. On the other hand, I think the industry work better prepare you for technical actual accounting work. I've worked with people who just came out of BiG4 and have CPA and are dumb as a rock.

One is not smarter than the other. Its just a different path.

AUD - 87
BEC - 77
FAR - 75
REG - 82

donotgiveup!!

[C / X]

It's a job….You're either paid to do what other people don't want to do or can't do. There are prob worse places to work(believe me) and better places to work depending on your priorities. If you want prestige, and to be on the fast track BIG 4 is good in the fact that because it's such a big name smaller companies think it's a safer bet/gamble to hire people from there, and other stuff. My ambitions are more lowly but I would never consider belittling other's choices on what they value and what they are willing to work for. I just doubt it would be a fit for me, or many others.

I'll compare them to be like the SBUX of coffee. Are they the best for coffee? Probably not. But they are the most famous and despite everything have a great reputation (the fact that I and others are willing to spend so much money on overpriced coffee says something (although I guess the fact that I buy it, makes it kind of hypocritical for me to say it's overpriced. Considering what happened with AA though IDK if will always be filled with prestige.

I agree with CL. It is what you make of it. And as many “horror stories” I've heard, people are more likely to complain about stuff when it's bad, so I still take it with a grain of salt. Public accounting is not for everyone and neither is private. IF there were a universal job everyone wanted, I doubt I would be the one to get it anyway, lol.

AUD - 82
BEC - 85
FAR - NINJA in Training
REG - 80

Now or Never!

[Substantive Testing]

If you do not hate on audit work, 5 good busy seasons in the big 4 is all you need in order to succeed

AUD - 75
BEC - 75
FAR - 81
REG - 78

 

CPA ex-auditor

 

[tud20551]

I don't get it

Why have different career goals?

Why not work for the BEST (BIG 4) then go chill at corporate job making a lot of money

I guess people don't wanna be high up in the world or want money (less important)

Mediocre accounting jobs remind of quick book

BEC - Passed

FAR - Ninja in Training

AUD - Ninja in Training

REG - Ninja in Training

[Author]

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