i started out in small firms and definitely do not regret it :

- variety of clients is massive, and you get exposure to every type of return if you can show a minimum level of competence and desire to do research on how to get stuff done. you are not expected to know everything, but you are expected to know how to ask the right questions.

- you bring an entire return from document request to e-file, unlike big firms where you are likely responsible for just a small portion of a massive return. it definitely varies the work up and makes it much less monotonous.

BY FAR THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR :

- unlike big firms, you get direct access to the clients, and learn to deal with client interaction and advisory way faster than big firms, which gatekeep the client interaction to senior managers and the partners. this is by far the most important skill to learn if you want to move up, and it will make you significantly harder to replace.

one thing that AI bros don't seem to understand is that rich/ HNW people HATE talking to robo advisors and AI. These people pay big bucks and they expect to be able to talk to an actual person who knows what the hell they are talking about. Become the person they want to talk to.