Like I have said before, big 4 is the lousiest students. All the best accounting students have already found their exits already...

I would never join big 4 as well. **** pay, **** hours, nothing good.

Tax career
 

Some are bashing big4, some are promoting big 4.
I have noticed, the talks are all on audit or advisory.

How about tax? Tax for a long term career.
What is the progression for tax in big 4, and outside of big 4?
Using big 4 as a stepping stone for tax career, and moving out at a later part, advisable?

Ultimately, looking at work-life balance with stable pay to support in the future.

The funny thing about people interested in big 4 is they keep harboring unrealistic expectation that their chosen field will be better than the rest.

Honestly in terms of pay & progression at least for the first 5 years, there really is very little difference between lines regardless of tax, advisory, tax, international mobility etc.

Let's put it this way. Big 4 is like BMT. If you get through the first few years in a Big 4, congrats to you. You passed BASIC military training (with recruit pay).

The top notch go to OCS. others go to sispec. many become men

That's how the big 4 would like you to think, that they are BMT and compulsory so please accept lousy pay, suck it up & work like a cow so that in the future you can go OCS/Sispec.

Reality is there are so many other better paying and relax courses you can go and still end up in OCS/Sispec. There is no need to torture yourself in BMT.

Understood about the first 5 years, and sort of knew about it.
What about the long term pathway? In terms of progression into commercial area or to stick in big 4.

That's not very useful since your career path is different. For example, a tax career might pay more than an advisory career.

Inside Big 4, the difference between LoS is marginal for the grunt staff (anything below SM/AD).

Honestly we dont even know what will happen 3 years down the road, it is waste of time to think long term. Things change all the time, who can say for sure whether a tax guy will make more than a audit guy 10 years down the road???

Concentrate more on doing your job properly and learn how to play your politics NOW then waste time thinking of 'long term'

Relax man. Why so angst. It's just a hypothetical question. You don't have to reply if you don't want to.
Ain't even comparing about the different lines.

Knowing more doesn't hurts.

Have to disagree on this. Knowing a little is actually more dangerous than knowing nothing. It cause you to chase after the latest fad.

I never believe in casual claims like doing XXX has a better future than YYY. So many unknowns and changes, we should not be making decisions base on predicting something that is unpredictable. Learnt it the hard way.