I’m currently in my third year of studies and have chosen accounting as my major. There are tons of different paths I could take after graduation and I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed by all the options.
I’ve been thinking about going into corporate finance or maybe working my way up to executive roles like controller or CFO eventually. Advisory work also sounds interesting to me. At the same time, I really want to make sure whatever I choose fits with what matters most to me in life - having time for family, maintaining good work-life balance, and doing meaningful work.
I’m curious about how other people in this field figured out which direction was the best fit for them. Did you realize it during summer internships? Maybe after working at a major firm for a while? Or was there some other experience that made it click for you?
Any advice would be really helpful as I try to navigate these career decisions.
I began in tax but shifted to corporate finance upon discovering my passion for strategic planning over compliance. Explore what truly excites you—corporate finance often provides a better work-life balance than audit or advisory!
You’re overthinking this. Most people just take whatever’s available after graduation. I ended up in corporate finance because it was my only offer that wasn’t Big4 hell. Turns out it’s not glamorous - just spreadsheets and budget meetings all day. Work-life balance? That’s about your company and boss, not what you specialize in. My advice: take the best paying job first, then figure out what you like. “Meaningful work” sounds nice, but you’ve got bills to pay.
Mine was totally a happy accident. I picked audit because everyone said it was the “safe” choice, but after two years I was miserable - constant travel and insane busy seasons killed me. What changed everything was a rotation where I worked with the tax team on a complex merger. The puzzle-solving side of tax planning completely hooked me. There’s something really satisfying about finding creative solutions within all the regulations. Plus tax has way better work-life balance than audit, especially once you’re past entry-level. My advice? Don’t overthink it right now. Most specializations overlap more than you think, and switching between them early on is totally normal. Focus on finding a firm with solid training and rotation opportunities first.
started in audit right after college - seemed like the default path. hted it tho. endless hours and deadlines killed me. best thing i did was reach out to alumni in different areas. they gave me a real breakdown of each job day-to-day. switched to tax once i realized i liked technical work more than client stuff.
Honestly, I stumbled into advisory after starting in corporate finance at a mid-size company. Did regular financial reporting for about 18 months when our CFO brought in consultants for a system implementation. Got pulled into that project and realized I loved the variety - one week you’re analyzing processes, next you’re helping with M&A due diligence. What sold me was seeing how advisory lets you impact different businesses instead of just one company’s books. Travel can be rough, but project-based work keeps things fresh.
Try to get exposure through internships or informational interviews. Each path has its own culture and demands you won’t fully understand until you’re doing the work.
I figured it out when I was juggling multiple job offers and felt completely overwhelmed. Instead of just going with what everyone else said I should do, I made my own framework focusing on where I wanted to be long-term and what kind of life I actually wanted.
I ended up picking corporate finance, but only after talking to tons of people at different career stages. I didn’t just chat with recent grads—I specifically sought out people who’d been doing this for 10+ years. They could tell me how the job actually changes as you move up.
What really clicked for me was hearing how corporate finance folks directly influence big business decisions. That felt meaningful to me. The real deciding factor wasn’t about immediate perks or salary—it was realizing this path had the clearest shot at getting me to those executive roles you mentioned, like controller or CFO.
Here’s what I’d recommend: shadow people for full days, not just quick coffee chats. You’ll see stuff that never shows up in job descriptions or casual conversations. Those little details matter way more than you’d think when you’re trying to pick something that fits your values.
