Student Question: I want to ask — what is career development actually about? Is it a higher salary, or a higher title?
Everyone says the audit industry has poor long-term prospects: the promotion path is narrow, and transitioning to an in-house role later becomes difficult. But the pay is high.
In-house companies might offer a better title or more diverse career paths, but salary growth is slow and the ceiling isn’t that high either. After all, CFOs who actually make it at in-house companies are rare — and many of them earn about the same as a senior manager at an audit firm. Looking at it that way, doesn’t audit offer more certainty and higher returns? So why does everyone still recommend going in-house?
On top of that, I’ve been job hunting for nearly four months now. I’m being cautious because my first two jobs were fairly short stints. I’ve consulted with a few headhunters, and they all say to find a good platform in a good industry. I understand that for my specialty, joining a larger company would serve my long-term development better — but good jobs are genuinely hard to find right now. Should I keep waiting for a big company, or accept a mid-sized one and start fresh? I feel like if I wait much longer, the employment gap will get too long. But settling for a company that doesn’t feel right is hard to swallow.
Master Chi’s Response: The real question you’re facing is: how many choices do you actually have?
How many offers can you realistically put your hands on?
With your background, can you even get into a big company?
If you don’t have any good opportunities to choose from — what’s the point of thinking through all of this?
