Hi, I am currently a staff auditor at a mid-size firm that specializes in HF PEF audits. I have my masters in accounting, a yr under my belt in my current role plus a seasonal at big-4 (tax) and my CPA. I am contemplating my next move and would love to hear some input. I am by nature very analytical and by no-means a mechanical drone that I see in the industry . I literally wake up in a cold sweat at night dreading the thought of being one of those guys that I meet in an interview, " I have been here for 7 years and I am now a manager of the audit team.."- SHOOT ME NOW! i was even on an interview at a well known firm and was told 'they need mechanical not critical thinking'! Same for going private and being stuck with journal entry accounting etc. That being said, I know already not to look at any of the fund accountant or third party admin work that is being fed to me by recruiters on a daily basis. I think I am open to many different directions as long as the work is stimulating and there is a strong growth opportunity. I would like to either go for a CFA or MBA down the road, but think I first should figure out which direction I am going instead of the other way around.. The roles I am exploring are as follows: FP&A Analyst at a publicly traded media company. This seems exciting giving the analytical aspect to the work as well as the fact that there is a M&A activity that the role would be exposed to (they are in talks for a possible buy out). Assuming I could land this role what would be some of the potential career paths this could lead to? Is IB down the road a possibility? Would I be closing any doors by leaving public so early in the game? A boutique firm that specializes in pre-IPO and FP&A work. This role seems to offer the analytical side to accounting that I crave and would build on my pubic experience. Dual accounting/analyst roles at PE/HE Funds. These roles are rare, but out there. working on a few but they seem like a long shot till I have more amo in my resume. Staying in industry and moving to a top accounting firm would make these roles more attainable but would mean sweating out another 2/3 years of doing s/t that I really disdain. Operations/finance role at a RE Development company. This would be a dual role and more focused on the financing of the projects and getting them off the ground-not really accounting based at all. Seems like there is a lot of growth potential since they are relatively small but have a lot of capital backing them and growing fast.The concern is if leaving the accounting world so early in the game will make my accounting background too limited to be of value if down the road. Thank you and sorry if I was too lengthy Marc
My Next Move
Answers
There are many roads you can take, and honestly, all of them have pretty good destinations. My best advice is to start applying and see what company you catch someone's eyes. Also, once you get into the interview process, you can really drill down and figure out what the positions are about and what they take. Also, you can try to make some connections at different firms and companies, and try seeing if they will let you interview them. I would say try for a job shadow, but given the confidentiality of accounting I don't think that would work.
Marc
1. Look for what is a good intersection of your Interests and your Skills.
2. It takes 5 years to get 5 years experience, you can't do it in 2. So the question is where/how do you want to spend the next 5 years gaining more experience? The next 10 years? All experience is good experience, if you decide to learn from what you experience.
3. How do you spell public? Check your post:)
4. Find a mentor, share your dreams, ask for and listen to advice.
Good luck!