front office - career advice

Originally Posted by Unregistered

i really dun see the logic, what is so prestigious about going big4? I can understand IB or trading, but taking lousy pay that is not even executive level just to have a big4 name card sounds so lame. does it even help in the cv to say that 1 has worked in big4 as a non-exec for a few years?

It is about the difference in perception.

The ivies see anything less than prestigious firms like JPM, Credit Suisse, Barclays, MBB consultancies, big oil Shell, Exxon, FMCG leaders Unilever, P&G, Nestle etc. as failure in career.

The local u grads consider being able to get into those above as great success and mid tier firms like big 4 as necessary evil to build up cv. So big 4 to them is like doing grunt work to gain the exp and still keep their career competitive.

The pte u grads consider able to join big 4 as a fantastic and prestigious opportunity as most of them will end up in local sme or small glc.

[merlosewin]

Ignore these arrogant dix. Just start working in a bank for now, meanwhile get certifications and further education. While doing this, job-hop until you get where you wish to get to.

Pte U students find it harder at first, but with time and exp you will do just fine.

a pte u student who job hop a few times in banks can exceed a local u fch within 5 years.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

a pte u student who job hop a few times in banks can exceed a local u fch within 5 years.

example? put some linkedin profiles please

Originally Posted by Unregistered

example? put some linkedin profiles please

a lot of them, not going to spoonfeed u. anyway those who r really good wont bother to put up linkedin cauz headhunter calling them all the time.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Oh man you guys are going to get a reality check when you graduate from school. Not all local grads go to MAP or top jobs. It is still reserved for the best of the best. Most local grads still end up in average jobs.

And I really don't see how this is 'cool'. The only reason big 4 does this is because its turnover is so high they have to replace staff constantly. You can come show off when MBB or IB come do this at your school

Word.

Yeah i dont see how it is cool. So the 3 local unis are target schools for big 4. Big whoop. Not even real finance. Its not like they are the london schools (imperial, lse, ucl) that are target schools for the global banks and IB shops. In the US biz schools, the top tier firms also do on campus recruiting. The difference is that they are Goldman sachs and Lazard, not pwc.

Lastly, u overestimate the no of local uni biz students going to good MA or grad programmes. Id say about 20-30%? Majority also go to middling stat boards or GLCs.

Btw im not in finance, so this is an objective outsiders perspective.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Word.

Yeah i dont see how it is cool. So the 3 local unis are target schools for big 4. Big whoop. Not even real finance. Its not like they are the london schools (imperial, lse, ucl) that are target schools for the global banks and IB shops. In the US biz schools, the top tier firms also do on campus recruiting. The difference is that they are Goldman sachs and Lazard, not pwc.

Lastly, u overestimate the no of local uni biz students going to good MA or grad programmes. Id say about 20-30%? Majority also go to middling stat boards or GLCs.

Btw im not in finance, so this is an objective outsiders perspective.

I would say top 25% of local uni biz students going to good MA/grad programmes is about right. Btw, top firms like Goldman Sachs/JPM etc do actually make an effort to do campus visits/talks in local uni business schools. Most of it, you have to apply for .. but it's quite far from the truth that local unis aren't targeted at all.

That said, I do agree with your premise that the bulk of local uni biz students don't actually have stellar jobs awaiting them. Big 4, I believe, accounts for a sizeable bulk, especially for accountancy students.

The distinction btw the London schools and local uni grads has narrowed considerably in recent years. I understand that top-tier firms do conduct talks and recruitment exercise in local campuses. Me a non-local grad.

The truth is the London schools aren't that tough to get into.

I applied and got accepted to LSE and UCL but chose a local uni business school due to cost reasons. The London schools are mainly looking at grades in deciding admission and most students at local business schools (ESP NUS) are straight A students.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

The truth is the London schools aren't that tough to get into.

I applied and got accepted to LSE and UCL but chose a local uni business school due to cost reasons. The London schools are mainly looking at grades in deciding admission and most students at local business schools (ESP NUS) are straight A students.

Im #36. Yeah I agree, local uni business courses are generally quite good and on par with the London schools. A Level wise, entry standards are roughly about the same.

But gotta remember that UK unis are much more cosmopolitan than SG. They take in all sorts of brilliant people from everywhere. Your average SG student studying in London is prolly from one of the good JCs, and if he's not a scholar, then its parents' money, i.e. above-average or good caliber. But those from poorer countries who attend, they literally competed with and won thousands of other students from their countries to secure the 1 or 2 scholarship places to study at these schools. Without such scholarship they couldnt even dream of leaving their countries. So these students are top tier and brilliant.

So there's a wide spectrum of students in these schools, ranging from your run of the mill good results type (eg typical RJ student from SG on either parents' money or generic Ministry scholarship) to super brilliant type (eg Rhodes / Commonwealth Scholarship-type from India or South Africa).