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-   -   Full-time vs internship (https://forums.salary.sg/income-jobs/2291-full-time-vs-internship.html)

Unregistered 26-11-2012 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaden1 (Post 30900)
Thank you very much for spending the time to address my concerns.

I have always understood ACCA to be sub-par to any business-related degrees but my research indicated that it is the most optimal choice of course to take when serving NS.

A cursory review of the the NUS Law syllabus also suggests that reading law, except for certain small modules, are hardly contributive to my goal of being a management consultant. While NUS provides us with the option of undertaking a Biz/Law DDP, I don't find the value in spending an extra year doing business, while crippling myself of the number of law electives I can take, when I can use that extra year to complete an MBA. This is also the reason why I refuse to spend 3 years to complete a BBA, even though it can be claimed that it is more relevant to my eventual goal.

My tentative plan is therefore as such: leverage on my ACCA accreditation to land a strategy or transactions (E&Y) role in one of the top 4 as an intern for 6 months before the school term commences, finish my law course and pupilage, take up an MBA at a reputable university then transit into management consultancy.

BCG and McKinsey's websites both revealed that they are seeking graduates with law degrees for their business consultancy work. This has led me to believe that completing ACCA, LLM and MBA will serve me well towards my goal of being a management consultant, while also giving me the financial security a law degree confers.

Understand where you are coming from as you have no work experience, but the labor market does not work this way.

Firstly, an internship in a big4 will not enable you to “leverage” in any meaningful way. The big4 boys recruit fresh grads as associates by the dozens like packing sheep on trucks every year. A permanent role in a big4 for 1 year doesn’t even register in most CVs, much less a 6 month internship. An intern will not do any strategy role in E&Y, such work is reserved for partner level. Many associates are in big4 for 5-7 years until managerial/AD level and do not even smell anything that resembles “strategy” - It’s mostly process and reporting.

You cannot take up a MBA program in a prestigious university with just a pupilage. A pupilage prepares one to take the bar exams with the ultimate aim of getting called to the bar as a practicing lawyer. These world class MBA programs do not accept people with only short junior level experiences, you need to either be a principal in a practice or a well-experienced legal counsel in a big company. I don’t think even garbage MBA programs from NUS/NTU will accept a law grad who just completes his pupilage.

You are not giving due credit to the legal fraternity. A top practicing lawyer or General Counsel/Company Secretary of a MNC is in no way lower paid than a management consultant from McK/BCK/Bain.

QXP 26-11-2012 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaden1 (Post 30900)
Thank you very much for spending the time to address my concerns.

I have always understood ACCA to be sub-par to any business-related degrees but my research indicated that it is the most optimal choice of course to take when serving NS.

A cursory review of the the NUS Law syllabus also suggests that reading law, except for certain small modules, are hardly contributive to my goal of being a management consultant. While NUS provides us with the option of undertaking a Biz/Law DDP, I don't find the value in spending an extra year doing business, while crippling myself of the number of law electives I can take, when I can use that extra year to complete an MBA. This is also the reason why I refuse to spend 3 years to complete a BBA, even though it can be claimed that it is more relevant to my eventual goal.

My tentative plan is therefore as such: leverage on my ACCA accreditation to land a strategy or transactions (E&Y) role in one of the top 4 as an intern for 6 months before the school term commences, finish my law course and pupilage, take up an MBA at a reputable university then transit into management consultancy.

.BCG and McKinsey's websites both revealed that they are seeking graduates with law degrees for their business consultancy work. This has led me to believe that completing ACCA, LLM and MBA will serve me well towards my goal of being a management consultant, while also giving me the financial security a law degree confers.

Understand where you are coming from as you have no work experience, but the labor market does not work this way.

Firstly, an internship in a big4 will not enable you to “leverage” in any meaningful way. The big4 boys recruit fresh grads as associates by the dozens like packing sheep on trucks every year. A permanent role in a big4 for 1 year doesn’t even register in most CVs, much less a 6 month internship. An intern will not do any strategy role in E&Y, such work is reserved for partner level. Many associates are in big4 for 5-7 years until managerial/AD level and do not even smell anything that resembles “strategy” - It’s mostly process and reporting.

You cannot take up a MBA program in a prestigious university with just a pupilage. A pupilage prepares one to take the bar exams with the ultimate aim of getting called to the bar as a practicing lawyer. These world class MBA programs do not accept people with only short junior level experiences, you need to either be a principal in a practice or a well-experienced legal counsel in a big company. I don’t think even garbage MBA programs from NUS/NTU will accept a law grad who just completes his pupilage.

You are not giving due credit to the legal fraternity. A top practicing lawyer or General Counsel/Company Secretary of a MNC is in no way lower paid than a management consultant from McK/BCK/Bain.

Unregistered 26-11-2012 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaden1 (Post 30904)
It would be greatly appreciated if someone would be kind enough to spend some time to address these questions aforementioned:

1. Does interning provide me the same training opportunities as assuming a full-time appointment?
2. Is it unethical to resign after 6 months, and will it carry ramifications to my employability in the future? I plan to work as a lawyer then hop to management consultancy.

1. E&Y has no training opportunities. They operate like sweat shop of cheap labour. Just serve and fcuk off like NS.

2. They won't even bother about you resigning. Lost of people join and resign all the time in E&Y.

E&Y intern hop to lawyer hop to management consultant... ROFL good luck with that dream dude, more like your CV will end up in dustbin.

warning 26-11-2012 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaden1 (Post 30887)
Ohh my apologies for the confusion: My mid-term aim is to be a lawyer as the job scope is more interesting and is better paid as compared to an accountant.

In the long-term, however, I will use my lawyering and slight accounting experience to transit into management consultancy. My motivation in doing so lies solely in trying to break the pay cap faced by many lawyers and hopefully understand more about businesses to eventually hold multiple directorships.

Typical Singaporean. Plan like siao :rolleyes:

kaden1 26-11-2012 05:38 PM

The main take-away I hope to get from this thread is the clarification of whether there exists any implications for quitting a full-time job after 6 months.

I know that there are limited training opportunities interns receive and the sweatshop working conditions they are made to go through, but if it is not practical for me to work full-time, this is the best way forward.

Harvard and Stanford MBA admission websites both indicate that one need not necessary have working experience to enroll in their MBA programmes. Even if both policies are not representative of admission requirements, it is heartening to know that there are some branded universities that would accommodate my plans.

The basis for comparison between a management consultant and corporate secretary in a MNC is dubious. It would perhaps be more appropriate to compare like with like: CEO vs corporate secretary of an MNC.

I am also guilty of failing to see how lawyering and working as a management consultant would destroy my CV.

I know what I type may sound over-bearing for a 20 year old, with no full-time work experience and have yet to complete NS, but my wish is to only clarify issues raised and to promote constructive discussion.

Unregistered 26-11-2012 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaden1 (Post 30915)
The main take-away I hope to get from this thread is the clarification of whether there exists any implications for quitting a full-time job after 6 months.

No, there are no implications for quitting a full-time job after 6 months especially if you are talking about big4 because as mentioned earlier, there are many, many others who have done that.

That said, I don't think 6 months at a big four as a full-timer is useful experience. It is too short to include it in your resume and I'm doubtful you'll get any references/testimonial. You're better off interning at a law firm or getting some other non-accounting/audit experience.

Unregistered 26-11-2012 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaden1 (Post 30915)
Harvard and Stanford MBA admission websites both indicate that one need not necessary have working experience to enroll in their MBA programmes. Even if both policies are not representative of admission requirements, it is heartening to know that there are some branded universities that would accommodate my plans.

Are you nuts? You really think you can just walk into a Harvard MBA with a 6 months internship in E&Y? Sorry to sound harsh, but you are seriously deluded.

Let me give you a practical suggestion, go down to Dhoby Ghaut MRT, the Chicago Business School (another top notch MBA) admission office beside Park Mall. Tell them you just graduate with a law degree and 6 months E&Y internship experience and want to sign up for their MBA program and then you observe their reaction.

I predict they will roll their eyes and gently but firmly tell you to go & get a real job, work yourself to at least a mid high managerial level in a global MNC then come back and they will consider.

Unregistered 26-11-2012 06:45 PM

Most MBA schools would publish their students' profiles and how much work experience they have. eg Class Profile | The Wharton MBA Program

Unregistered 26-11-2012 06:54 PM

u should use ur lawyer brains to think if so easy why anyone want to work for big4. might as well all wayang for 6 mths as intern then go study mba and be a top paying mgt consultant

Unregistered 26-11-2012 10:24 PM

Most gundu plan ever. Take ACCA to get into law and take law to get into management consultant. SMLJ plan is that?


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