When should I make a move? What’s next for me? Read on if you’re a CPA working in public accounting and asking yourself similar questions to figure out what’s next in your career. At Clarity, our finance and accounting recruiters help CPAs transition to industry by finding them the best opportunities to launch their careers. Partner with us today!
Hear from Mehmet Shah, CPA, CA, the CFO at StackAdapt and 2015 CPA as he shares his experience and advice on transitioning from a Big 4 accounting firm to joining a high-growth start-up.
"A high-growth environment where there's plenty of opportunity to grow is going to be the best opportunity for you"
It’s less important to get a financial planning and analysis (FP&A) role than accounting as your first position out of the firm. The role that you want to get is not as important as the “where” you get it. High-growth start-ups have more opportunities to slot into different roles and into different places as the needs of the company are constantly changing and things are growing so fast.
You really need to make a decision on “when” right after you get your letters. If you don’t plan on staying in audit or transaction services in the long-run, for instance, then the best bet for you is to move away as soon as possible to get more experience in industry. As you move up the ranks, it’s not going to translate as much as you might think to the role you want to get in industry.
You won’t see as much structure in small, nascent start-ups as you will in larger, established corporations, especially as it relates to promotions and career progression. However, an unstructured high-growth environment will be more flexible and you may be able to take your career much farther in the same amount of time.
Let’s make better hiring and career decisions together