My first job out of college was big4. This thread is spot on.
My office was 2nd only to NYC in terms of hours. It was soul- draining work. 70+ hours per week. No days off. I still remember my first busy season...
I was young and full of excitement for life. I walk into a room to meet the rest of my team and here are these three fat cows sitting there! I remember thinking oh boy this is going to be a long busy season. They sat at their computers auditing away, and always had one hand in a bag of chips. One of the women- my direct supervisor- was mentally unstable. She was always mean for no reason. She had a real personality disorder. She would show you how she wanted something done, and when you followed her instructions, she would bring down the hammer and publicly reprimand you for doing something wrong. She played all the games, and the firm rewarded her. Last I heard she was still there, as a senior manager (one step below partner). I got away from her after that, but the hours still sucked. It does take a heavy toll on your body though. You age 20 years in 2. People with black hair start getting grey hair. You don't sleep and it wrecks your small intestine. Everyone you work with puts on a few pounds.
If you cut your teeth in big4, you can handle anything else that life throws at you. It's the most intense bean counter boot camp you will ever go through. It will open doors and will always set you above someone who doesn't have big4. That being said, the lifestyle sucks and I wouldn't do it if I was older or considering a career change into big4. The older kids (26yr old+) who were new never lasted very long.
When I was at my second gig I realized I didn't like being in accounting at all. The pay was really good, but technical accounting alienates you from reality. My coworkers were all miserable- they provide for their wife and kids, don't really like their job, but keep going day in and day out because they have bills to pay, mortgage, and college tuition coming up around the corner. I'll never forget the look of death in a living man's eyes. It inspired me to seek out something different in life.
My office was 2nd only to NYC in terms of hours. It was soul- draining work. 70+ hours per week. No days off. I still remember my first busy season...
I was young and full of excitement for life. I walk into a room to meet the rest of my team and here are these three fat cows sitting there! I remember thinking oh boy this is going to be a long busy season. They sat at their computers auditing away, and always had one hand in a bag of chips. One of the women- my direct supervisor- was mentally unstable. She was always mean for no reason. She had a real personality disorder. She would show you how she wanted something done, and when you followed her instructions, she would bring down the hammer and publicly reprimand you for doing something wrong. She played all the games, and the firm rewarded her. Last I heard she was still there, as a senior manager (one step below partner). I got away from her after that, but the hours still sucked. It does take a heavy toll on your body though. You age 20 years in 2. People with black hair start getting grey hair. You don't sleep and it wrecks your small intestine. Everyone you work with puts on a few pounds.
If you cut your teeth in big4, you can handle anything else that life throws at you. It's the most intense bean counter boot camp you will ever go through. It will open doors and will always set you above someone who doesn't have big4. That being said, the lifestyle sucks and I wouldn't do it if I was older or considering a career change into big4. The older kids (26yr old+) who were new never lasted very long.
When I was at my second gig I realized I didn't like being in accounting at all. The pay was really good, but technical accounting alienates you from reality. My coworkers were all miserable- they provide for their wife and kids, don't really like their job, but keep going day in and day out because they have bills to pay, mortgage, and college tuition coming up around the corner. I'll never forget the look of death in a living man's eyes. It inspired me to seek out something different in life.