<p>i am majoring in accounting but am able to graduate a semester early. i will enroll early into the business school in order to get my macc and pass the cpa exam. i will go big 4 and work for 4-5 years then get an mba at a top 15 school ( maybe even top 20). then i want to make the switch to become a financial analyst at a mutual fund company such as fidelity, t rowe price, pimco, or tcw, or vanguard.
does this sound possible? i like finance and money managing a lot. i read the intelligent investor and other business related books quite frequently. also read the wall street journal everyday.im a value investor</p>
<p>“The best laid schemes of mice and men / Go often askew”</p>
<p>sounds great, but why be so specific? sometimes ***** happens, i think all the planning you can really do is your major and immediate post grad “hopeful” plans… who knows what will happen after that</p>
<p>Why do you want to pursue a CPA, if you want to become a portfolio manager??? You should check out the CFA designation instead! Obtaining a CFA is the best way to become a portfolio manager. You can, however, get an undegraduate degree in accounting, but you do NOT need to complete a Macc, for it won’t give you any benefits in terms of this career, unlike a MBA in Finance.</p>
<p>[CFA</a> Program](<a href=“http://www.cfainstitute.org/cfaprogram/Pages/index.aspx]CFA”>http://www.cfainstitute.org/cfaprogram/Pages/index.aspx)</p>
<p>i suppose but i mean i only have one year and a semester left. if i dont plan for the future or at least set some sort of guidelines to follow that i truely like ( finance) then ill be like a chicken with its head cut off.</p>
<p>i want to get the cpa just incase i do end up changing my mind. but right now ( almost done with undergrad) i want to eventually move into portfolio management. i can get both but the cpa is insurance just in case i do not obtain my goals</p>
<p>i suppose its better to have a game plan than not, just dont be disappointed if it doesn’t turn out exactly that way… life tends to screw you over like that lol</p>
<p>should i get the cpa and then get cfa after mba?</p>
<p>^You can, if you can, but you do not need to. You can go with either one. I would say, if you can get to a top MBA program, then go with MBA; otherwise, CFA is better than MBA or CPA for finance positions, especially for portfolio management. IMO, the MAcc program will be a waste of time for you.</p>
<p>its just for insurance in case i do not end up going the portfolio management route and instead take an exit op from the big 4 and head to a public corp. and decide to do the cfo route</p>
<p>not to rain on your parade again, but you know that you just can choose to be a CFO right? it’s kinda sorta really hard to become one lol</p>
<p>One semester in your ensuing 50 years of professional life is not much time. You can start your Macc early, but that does not add much to your learning process. You are good to take the CPA exam and work for Big 4 if you can find a job like that. Once you have some experiences, you can come back and go to a top MBA program to become what you wanted to be. But you should do it one step at a time. Right now facing you is to find a Big 4 job and study for CPA, or you can throw some money away and stay with the acadamics.</p>
<p>I think he means he is getting his Masters in Accounting in order to reach 150 hours to qualify for the CPA exam. Not sure what is wrong with that? It is definitely a good idea to get the schooling done BEFORE going to work for the Big4. I agree as well that he has planned things out too specifically. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with planning long-term overall and pursuing ambitious goals.</p>
<p>You will probably have bigger success if you gain experience as a research analyst for an asset management firm than become a financial analyst.</p>
<p>serious 101 i agree, tthats why i said its good to plan for immediate post grad, but anythign past that you should just sort of let happen because most of the time you cant control it anyway</p>
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<p>I was talking to a campus recruiter yesterday for the company I am going to work for this winter. He said he has to hold back the laughs when he hears this because so many college students come in and say this like it makes them unique. You can read…nobody cares and it doesn’t give you any edge. Please don’t tell an interviewer this. </p>
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<p>Made me laugh. </p>
<p>“Well If I don’t get my top 15 mba degree, after working for a big 4 (which is hard to break in to), then I’ll just be a CFO…”</p>
<p>1) It’s hard to get a job with the Big 4 nowadays. They’re shipping a lot of stuff overseas and hiring a lot less grads (even as hiring is picking up).</p>
<p>2) I don’t understand why people on this forum think Big 4 is an automatic ticket to t-15 mba. I have a friend at Booth and one at Ross. Neither of them knows a single CPA in their class.</p>
<p>3) How many CFOs do you know? I’m guessing a ton since your “back-up” is to be a CFO…must be nice in that world you live in.</p>
<p>You’re main problem is not the goals. It’s that you have an attitude that all of this is guaranteed. Good luck, it’s going to be much harder than you obviously realize. </p>
<p>Sorry, I realize I can be harsh but this is just ridiculous. If the point of these boards is to give advice, than advice given. If the point of these boards is to make people think they can do whatever (i.e. the guy with the back up plan to work for ESPN and now this guy whose backup is a CFO title) than I am at the wrong place.</p>
<p>domrom is right. You need to focus on ONE thing right now, getting a post-grad job, not worrying about your MBA. If you wanted to do portfolio management you should have interned with investment firms. Right now, you’re an accountant. Come back in 5 years after having graduated and gotten work experience and post in the MBA forum. This whole notion of “Well my cpa and accounting degree is insurance, it’s the degree I won’t have for 5-9 years that will matter”. Yes, good luck paying the bills and finding steady employment with that attitude.</p>
<p>So much rage.</p>
<p>FYI…you’re not 12 anymore. The goals are not the problem, the problem is your plan of “work for Big 4, t-15 MBA, portfolio management. If not that than CFO”. You think your path is paved with gold for whatever reason.</p>
<p>And I love the “WELL I WILL SETTLE FOR BEING A CONTROLLER!!!1111” Yes, since that is also so easy</p>
<p>one thing my father taught me when he got off the boat as an immigrant and then worked his way up to become a cardiologist was to never give up and to continually work hard. you can give me your advice but if it is not going to be constructive and bias from your own past failures then do not bother. you should fix your tone and continue working your beancounting job</p>
<p>You sound like you’re 12.</p>
<p>“My daddy said never give up! I can do anything I put my mind to!”</p>
<p>liore what plscatamacchia is saying is that is great to have a goal but you have to think realistically and take opportunities as they come. Its hard to get a job PERIOD in the present day, let alone go to a top MBA program, work for the Big 4, become a CFO, or whatever else you want to achieve. I’m not saying don’t shoot for the stars, i’m just saying don’t expect to become a CFO. Its not too far off from a CEO, a ridiculously hard position to achieve, and like plscatamacchia said, how many of those guys do you know?</p>
<p>Focus now on your career as an accountant. Once you get experience, earn your CPA and apply for a few higher level jobs. You may get them, you may not. if not, you still have a CPA job, making more than most people, and most importantly actually having a job!</p>
<p>This is such a hilarious thread. Yeah, your going to get into the Big 4, get into a top 15 MBA, AND become a protfolio manager. if your going to dream, why not dream big? Maybe your also going to become Treasury Secretary or CEO of Goldman Sachs?</p>
<p>Although becoming a CFO is not that hard to do. You can start your own business and give yourself the title of CFO… But I assume that’s not what your talking about…</p>