A lot of my friends have been applying for big 4 vaccies, but I was wondering if its really as good as the hype makes it out to be?
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My friends did a big 4 vaccie and they said they learnt absolutely nothing the entire time
I completed a big 4 summer internship last year and these are my objective thoughts:
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You are definitely there more for the brand name than the actual learning opportunities. Big 4 is globally recognised, and it is actually quite prestigious in markets outside of Australia. When an employer is looking at your resume, having a recognisable brand name such as a big 4 is a lot more desirable than a smaller boutique firm that is lesser known.
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The actual work/learning opportunities are mediocre. As an entry level role that recruits students with no prior experience, it is a really good entry point to corporate life. However, you do stand to learn more if you manage to get a role at a startup or boutique firm.
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The people and culture is actually quite good. You have your own cohort of students in a similar position to you, and it makes the whole experience a lot more fun being able to spend time with others.
Overall, big 4 is definitely not worth the hype it gets, but objectively is a really good starting point for your career.
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Good exposure early in your career for learning, but you might not stay around for long!
Depends on what you mean by “good”
If you’re looking for a way to get into the Big 4, internships are a pretty good way to do that.
- For firms, they are a big part of how they source full-time hires and they’ll hire most interns back as full-time employees.
- You can read about this here: How to break into Big 4 consulting as a student
If you’re looking to learn a lot from the internship, then it may not be “good”.
- For many high-intensity career paths, employers try not to show you the realistic/“high-intensity” side of things because they want you to join them and don’t want to scare you away. * This isn’t just the Big 4 but even in fields like medicine for instance where hospitals will wine and dine new doctors to get them to sign
- You can read more about this here: What's true & what's not about the Big 4: a guide for students
If you are considering starting a career at the Big 4, an internship is “good” in the sense that you’ll get a sense of the firm as you can network with current employees to get a feel for what they’re like, and see which one is the best culture fit.