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Why does bdo always try so hard?
Big 4 will impact your career...put in your time it’s worth it.
Clearly a new guy lol
Worked at a smaller down before... Work life balance will decrease going to big4
B4 will change your life- for the better!
Being at BDO I felt like I had more opportunities to set myself apart compared to my friends that worked at b4 and I was exposed to more in the earlier stages in my career. As a first year senior I was running the job of a publically traded client and I was able to work on projects that allowed me to interact with national level partners. Exit opportunities were about the same as b4 peers too so I don't think I missed out on much by not going b4
I worked for a startup before and it was the best time of my life
Hi! I made manager by the time my friends at pwc made senior. There’s a lot more room to be a rockstar, if you want it. Even with the early promotions, I tend to leave the office around four hours earlier and my partner consistently kicks my team out around two on Fridays, even in busy season.
The work is definitely messier and the tools are not as great. To me, that’s the fun part- I enjoy getting into the weeds and I get to be a lot more client facing. I also enjoy being a part of the standardization process, and feeling like I am adding value internally as well. That part is definitely not for everyone.
We have large public clients on our tax/consulting branches but they’re definitely going to be a lot rarer on audit, so there’s some missed experience in controls testing and more specific public regulations. You get more diverse clients and industries, and the chance to have more than one or two clients a year, but it’s definitely different.
BDO has had a lot more IPO readiness clients than the other midsize I worked for, and I love it, once again because of the messiness. Still, nor for everyone. I still get linkedin messages from recruiters every morning and having a different combination of alphabet soup hasn’t impacted me so far. However, I will never be apart of the Big 4 Alumni Brethren, which appears akin to army buddies who survived the war. Even if it wasn’t together, they’re going to look out for each other.
Completely agree with BDO4. I’m already way ahead of my friends at the b4 because BDO promotes faster and gives your more visibility to the top. Instead of “putting in your time” you’re promoted based on your work and I’ve been able to get even higher level job offers than my b4 peers (only been in the industry for 2 years!). I think in general a public accounting firm does set you apart, but the distinguishing factors between a Big 4 vs other don’t have much of an impact on your career growth or opportunities down the road. Just speak up when you want something and take advantage of having a variety of clients (public and private) if you can.
It may be good for your resume, but you’d never get as much value in big 4. Also most of the time, you are stuck with one client/industry, and one area of specialization (for example PP&E in audit or “like-kind exchanges “ in tax). If that’s what you want, go for it. I hated being limited in what I can work on.