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It is never best to “hate your job.” Client service is a demanding job, but many of us have found a way to make it work with our lifestyle. If that’s not you, more money is not going to make it better and you might be happier making less in a less stressful job. Public accounting can be a very rewarding (and lucrative) career, but it’s not worth it if it means waking up hating your life for decades.
It you don’t for sure know you want to be a partner, I would bounce (and I am a Big 4 partner (principal, whatever)). The path these days at Big 4 can be 7+ years to make it to partner after promotion to SM - and there is absolutely no guarantee you will ever make it - many people try their hardest and never make it. No matter how many times people may tell you that you are on the path to partner, you never know for sure. Business cases change, the economy changes, etc. I know many people that tried to stick it out to partner who really wanted to be a partner and just never made it.
Now don’t get me wrong, being partner can be great. The pay can be phenomenal (but it can also be meh, depending on city, service line, etc - though meh is relative, even my meh is phenomenal to many, many people). I’m making a lot more than I expected I would, but things could have been very different. I’ve been lucky to have two other Big 4 try to poach me - once as a SM and once as a partner - and that has helped my pay tremendously. I also really like my subject matter and the people I work with. But if I
was not happy with those and was making meh money, I could be feeling totally different, and that’s if I ever even made it to partner.
Besides all that, partner can be a lot of work and very stressful. While I like to think I’m never on an island, many important things are on my shoulders. My leaders never see it unless I tell them what I’m doing, someone else tells them what I’m doin, or I screw up. It can be a lot of hours compared to industry, or it can be not terrible.
I left as a manager and was a great decision. Easier to find a role at that level and still see a bump. Leaving as a SM usually means you need to take a cut unless you can show you can work at a director level in Industry with no industry experience.
Bounce, wish I had years ago
Every year you should be interviewing and seeing what the market can offer, and what you need to get good at to be an attractive candidate. Otherwise you’ll wait until you’re fed up and be at the mercy of whoever is hiring then.
Partner is a nonstop grind, that’s why they retire in their 50s. If you get good at playing the hop-around in industry, you’ll eventually land at a place with long-term incentives and a high enough position to push all the crap downhill. That works best when you are strategic about your career moves, rather than waiting until your next title arrives.
Work life balance the first few years as a partner does not get easier. If you hate it, start looking
You have to look at what's most important to you and decide from there. Me, I'd bounce and am trying to at the moment.
Just stick it out for Partner”. That is funny. Like you are automatic and doing Deloitte a favor.
You should definitely leave now. Save yourself some time
If you’re at Deloitte, I will talk to you about this. DM me
made a vertical move to industry best decision with a 25% pay increase