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I never worked at big 4 but I interned at a top 10, didn’t get an offer, and ended up working in audit for 3 years at a smaller firm.
There’s defined pros and cons to both and I think I got lucky with my firm because smaller ones vary a lot with culture and people.
At the bigger firms I noticed people were generally more entitled and had grown up wealthy so they constantly complained about little things (servers being slow in restaurants, etc) which bothered me. People take pride in the hours they work and would joke about not seeing their children in days. There’s a lot more travel, bigger teams/clients, and more structured training.
At the smaller firm I was at, the people were all kind of awkward misfits (like me) and were grateful to be making good money for the first time in their life. Work life balance was more of a priority - one guy was really big into music and wanted to travel for a concert in the middle of busy season and our manager let him take a day or 2 of pto which I imagine wouldn’t fly at a bigger firm. Clients were small so i feel like I got less exposure in a sense, however I got to be hands on with every part of an audit very early on which helped me understand the entire scope and why we do things a certain way. Busy season hours averaged 50-55 though I had a few over 70.
Looking back I’m glad I went to a smaller firm. I think my marriage would have been under a lot more stress I’d I had stayed at a top 10 firm with the long hours, stress, travel, and all the happy hours and outings you feel obligated to go to. There’s definitely perks with both and sometimes I wish I had tried to go for big 4, but I think it depends on your priorities
Thank you so much for your insights!
I haven't done it, but, from talking with those that have, just make sure you really understand the firm you may be joining. My main point is this: some of these small firms will work you just as much as Big4, but some of these small firms will have you working MUCH less. Yes, people may say that your exits will be not as good at a small firm, but your work-life balance is very important to your health at the end of the day. Just do you due diligence on the decision, and you can always hop back at the end of the day haha. The firms will always need people, since turnover is very high within our industry.
Interested as well