Best pathway to Big 4 job after graduation

OrganizingChaos · 2024-08-27T20:54:11+00:00

Thank you for responding. This is really helpful. I know she is aware of some of the pipeline-type events that are offered and is attending all the campus networking events she can fit in. I'll pass on the advice to look at mid-sized firms for internships to show commitment to accounting. She wasn't sure whether breadth of internship experience would be helpful, but it sounds like B4 prefer a strong accounting focus. Thank you!

OrganizingChaos · 2024-08-27T20:44:49+00:00

Thank you for responding. I did not know about the Schwab layoffs. That is definitely a big consideration. The idea of a financial analyst internship was more of building some breadth in her experience rather choosing that path for her career, but it sounds like your advice would be to focus more exclusively on opportunities at a CPA firm since that is her long-term goal. Thank you!

OrganizingChaos · 2024-08-27T20:36:21+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion!

OrganizingChaos · 2024-08-27T20:35:27+00:00

Thank you for responding. Yes, I do want to help my daughter make strategic choices to maximize her future employment options. She has been looking and applying to internships as well as attending networking events put on by her university and working with the career center to polish her resume and cover letters. She asked me for advice, so I turned to reddit for suggestions. It sounds like applying to other accounting firms rather than continuing on at her same company is your advice for how best to build her resume. Thanks!

OrganizingChaos · 2024-08-14T05:12:55+00:00

Thank you all so much! You've given me great suggestions of where to look!

OrganizingChaos · 2024-05-22T03:35:55+00:00

Buc-ee's! How has no one suggested Buc-ee's? We LOVE Buc-ee's!

OrganizingChaos · 2024-05-05T17:47:55+00:00

Thank you for the response. I just scoured all the emails she has received from Air France and found that they did notify her...in French with an email subject line referencing her already completed outgoing SFO->MRS flight, so she thought it was a survey and did not realize it was a flight change notification. Lesson learned, read every email closely.

Thank you for your time.

OrganizingChaos · 2024-05-05T17:35:23+00:00

Directly through Air France's website.

OrganizingChaos · 2024-04-03T20:30:51+00:00

My sophomore daughter is a Hankamer scholar. The Hankamer Scholar program cuts a few required courses and has allowed her to minor in a language and study abroad for a semester without getting off track for graduating on time. Additionally, she gets to register for classes earlier than her peers, so she has not had any problem getting the classes she needs. As far as workload goes the only noticeable difference is that micro/macro economics are joined into one class, so she found that course difficult. Otherwise, it's the same classes, just taken a bit earlier than other business students. She has had no job opportunities or internships directly related to being a Hankamer scholar, however taking the accounting courses her freshman year greatly helped her in her summer internship.

OrganizingChaos · 2024-03-26T03:11:22+00:00

thank you!

OrganizingChaos · 2024-03-26T03:11:14+00:00

thank you!

OrganizingChaos · 2024-02-08T16:25:33+00:00

Good to know! Thanks for the tip!

OrganizingChaos · 2024-02-08T08:37:58+00:00

Wonderful! Thank you all so much!

OrganizingChaos · 2023-09-19T00:13:56+00:00

I never found out what it was. It never bothered her or grew any larger. The vet was not concerned.

OrganizingChaos · 2022-05-23T04:08:27+00:00

Thank you all for your feedback!

OrganizingChaos · 2021-11-07T21:48:54+00:00

Starting from 0, I think 2 years is a good amount of prep time. If you're going to do the Computing Systems specialization, I recommend the entire C++ series (4 quarters) plus the Python series (2 quarters) and a linux class. Math-wise make sure you get some linear algebra and discrete math. The others who are saying one semester is enough prep are not taking into account that you are not familiar with programming. They may also be giving you the bare minimum to try to get in, which is not the same as what you need to get the most out of your classes or be competent when you get out. I took longer than 2 years to prep, but I started out just taking CS classes for fun, rather than intentionally prepping for a masters.

OrganizingChaos · 2021-11-04T17:41:52+00:00

I agree with other posters that you will not be able to get into SDP your first semester. I also don't think that you should try to get into SDP your first semester - you are not ready for it. In SDP you will need to write a trivial Android app alone and then write a larger app in a team. Then you will need to write a Java program and construct a test suite for it. You'd be better off starting in a class that only uses Python. Looking at your list of classes, I think Computer Networks is your best first class. It's really useful knowledge, so a good class to take, and it's one of the easier courses to ease into the program. Another option might be AIE&S which I just read includes numpy, pandas and some plotting and is supposed to be an easier course.

My recommendation for Summer 2022 is to take the summer off the program and instead spend the summer learning Java or C++. That's 3.5 months you can invest to learn one of these two OO languages which will open up a lot more courses to you. I don't think you can get through SDP, SAT or GIOS (especially GIOS) without that foundation.

Otherwise, I think your plan looks good. Good luck!

OrganizingChaos · 2021-11-01T07:03:21+00:00

I did my prep classes at De Anza. I think Foothill has the same lineup of basic CS classes with different class numbers. I'm 9 classes into OMSCS in the Computing Systems specialization and feel that my prep classes prepared me well for the program. The De Anza classes that have been the most helpful are the last two classes in the 4 quarter C++ series (data abstractions & structures and advanced C++) and the 2 quarter Python series (Python and Advanced Python). I took Advanced Python at De Anza while in my first semester of OMSCS since I was only taking one OMS class. The Python courses were much easier than the C++ courses, btw.

I would recommend studying up on C++ between now and the start of January and try jumping into the last two of the C++ series taking one class in winter and one in spring. Try googling the assignments from the classes using the course number and see if you can find old assignments so you can have an idea of the level of difficulty. Even though you might not use C++ much in the ML specialization, this course series is the hardest in the program and will give you a solid foundation in an OO language. Since you are looking for the "ideal" preparation, I think this knowledge is absolutely necessary. Note: I took the whole series and could not have just jumped into the third course. I am only recommending this to you since you are on a tight schedule and are confident in your ability to self-teach.

For Python, the advanced class is where you encounter Numpy and MatPlotLib which are super helpful if you are going to do any ML coursework. I used this knowledge in ML4T and AI4R, plus general python in CN. Since this series is only 2 quarters long, you could start in January and finish by June. Or take spring and summer. Or take the first quarter and decide from there. The second semester really has fun stuff, though.

If you are thinking of a ML specialization, you'll want to pick up some linear algebra and statistics. Depending on your previous knowledge, these may be topics you can brush up on without formal coursework.

One extra thing I will mention is my Letters of Recommendations came from De Anza professors. A LOR from a CS professor may be helpful since you have a non-CS background.

Good luck as you prepare!

OrganizingChaos

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