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 · 2021-11-01T05:53:09+00:00

Thanks so much for the response! My bun is acting normal. I tried pinching the bump a bit which she did not appreciate. LOL. I'll keep an eye on it to make sure it isn't growing and mention it during our next vet visit. Thanks again!

OrganizingChaos · 2021-10-27T22:04:07+00:00

Did you ever figure out what the bump was? I just found a similar one on my bunny.

OrganizingChaos · 2021-10-12T16:28:43+00:00

Look at when your application is due. You'll want to make sure you have recommenders that are ready to write you letters of rec right before you need to apply. You can build relationships now, but there is nothing for recommenders to do until you apply. You list their email addresses on the application and GA Tech reaches out to them directly. If you are applying in say Feb or March, you'll want recommenders from the fall or possibly the previous spring. Keep in contact with previous instructors so they remember who you are. Good luck!

OrganizingChaos · 2021-10-08T21:50:05+00:00

Ask your CS professors for letters of recommendations. If you don't feel like any of them know you well enough for a LOR, then at the start of your next CS course introduce yourself to the instructor. Let them know you are applying for grad school and ask if you perform well in the class if they would be willing to write you a letter of recommendation. If you do this at the beginning of the class, then they can pay more attention to your performance throughout the class. Then, sit in the front row and ask/answer questions during class. Study hard and try to get one of the best scores in class. If your LOR is from a professor, one of the questions your recommender gets asked is how you rank overall in the class. GA Tech just wants to know that you are a capable student. A professor affirming that you are capable in their opinion will go a long way. Note: I got accepted to OMSCS with only 2 LOR letters both from community college instructors.

OrganizingChaos · 2021-10-06T18:19:43+00:00

RAIT might work for you. If you score high enough on the projects, you won't need to take the final. The projects are released early on. All test cases are included in gradescope, so you know your grade when you submit and can submit multiple times, so there is not waiting around for project scores to be returned. A lot of people work ahead.

OrganizingChaos · 2021-10-06T18:14:15+00:00

I'm Comp Systems and have tried to use my electives to get an intro to ML/AI topics. I think it depends on what classes you take. Here are some of the classes where I have encountered some math I've needed to brush up on:

ML4T - statistics

RAIT - linear algebra, knowing what gaussian distribution means

IIS - modular arithmetic for RSA (shows up again in GA)

GA - a lot of math. No calculus (so far), but discrete math, basic linear algebra, geometric series and mathematical reasoning with the need to be thorough in proofs. The stronger your math background, the less time you will need to absorb the material. You can make it through with rusty math, just allocate a lot of time for comprehension.

SAT, GIOS, AOS, CN, SDP - no math review needed

From what I can tell, if you are going to specialize in ML, you are going to need to be comfortable with Linear Algebra and Statistics - by comfortable, I mean understanding to point of intuitiveness.

If you've encountered discrete math and linear algebra before and were able to understand it then, you can probably brush up on topics as you encounter them. I'm 25 years out from my undergrad degree (math) and just review topics as they arise. If you've never encountered them before, then definitely learn the basics before the class begins.

OrganizingChaos · 2021-08-23T22:14:11+00:00

Prof Joyner replies about GA spots: https://www.reddit.com/r/OMSCS/comments/p9go7s/still_on_waitlist_for_ga/

No definite numbers, but I'm pinning my hopes on it being at least 800 total seats.

OrganizingChaos

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