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September 30, 2023

What comes after public accounting?

I have the opportunity to intern at a Big 4. Let’s say I get an audit associate job there. I know most people leave after ~2 years but what do they end up doing? What do you recommend I do?

Some background: I don’t like accounting but I have good grades and I am willing to struggle through it for a pretty paycheck (Hell, maybe I’ll end up liking it). I am scared, though, that my grades aren’t reflective of my actual knowledge (studying for the test and not remembering anything after). With that in mind, I’m worried about roles like senior accountant or financial analyst or even the entry level audit job because what if I don’t know anything compared to my colleagues. I also saw people bashing on senior accountant roles saying beware of recruiters trying to push you to them but that kind of role is what I thought I would end up doing after auditing, so I don’t know what to do!! Any advice?

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