Hi everyone! I just graduated with a BSA degree and I’m looking at job opportunities. Two major accounting firms have given me offers, but neither position is in the traditional audit department. One company is offering me a role in IT audit while the other is for a consulting position.
I’m wondering if these roles would still be valuable for my career since they’re with well-known accounting firms, even though they’re not in the standard audit track. Would working in these alternative departments still give me good experience and career prospects? I want to make sure I’m making the right choice for my future.
Any advice from people who have worked in similar roles or know about the industry would be really helpful. Thanks in advance!
Started IT audit at Big 4 three years ago - best career move I’ve made. You get this rare mix of tech skills and business knowledge that’s crazy valuable. I’ve worked with healthcare, financial services, manufacturing clients and really understand how their systems work. Exit ops are insane - headhunters hit me up constantly for internal audit manager roles, compliance jobs, even fintech startups. My traditional audit friends are still doing the same boring testing while I’m evaluating AI rollouts and cloud migrations. If you’re remotely interested in tech, go IT audit. Yeah, the learning curve’s brutal at first, but it pays off big time.
Both roles will work out fine, but don’t buy into the “Big 4 magic” hype. Yeah, the name recognition helps, but you’ll still be doing grunt work for years regardless of which department you pick. IT audit gets mind-numbing fast if you’re not actually into tech. Consulting sounds fancy until you’re cranking out PowerPoints at 2am for clients who’ll ignore your recommendations anyway. Just pick whichever sounds less awful to you - the prestige thing is overrated.
Congrats on the multiple Big 4 offers! Both IT audit and consulting are actually better career moves than traditional financial audit in many ways. IT audit is huge right now - everyone’s obsessed with cybersecurity and digital transformation. You’ll learn risk assessment, controls testing, and tech frameworks that every industry wants. Consulting exposes you to way more variety - different business problems, strategic thinking, and client management skills that translate directly to leadership roles. Both paths usually mean faster promotions and better pay than regular audit. Plus, Big 4 on your resume opens doors no matter which department you’re in. Don’t think of these as ‘alternative’ paths - they’re often better than the traditional route. Pick whichever interests you more and fits your long-term goals. Either way, you’ll build solid networks and transferable skills that’ll help your entire career.
Wow, what a great spot to be in! Both opportunities sound incredible and will definitely boost your career. Big 4 experience is gold no matter what department - you’ll crush it!