Career advice for a young college student looking to get into Mega Corp or Big Tech

[Migrant]

Sophomore in college. His goal is to work at Mega Corp(s) / Big Tech with RSUs until he hits his FIRE number. Currently, majoring in Accounting and minoring in computer science. What steps can he take now to achieve his goal? Should he work for one of the Big 5 in accounting, then try to get a job working directly for the mega corps?

Or should he just focus on getting a degree in Computer Science? If so, what fields within Computer Science help him land a mega corp job?

Thanks.

[cochlearboy]

I mostly lurk on this forum but I just had to respond to this. You will not get rich working as an accountant for the big 4 accounting firms. They will work you to the bone while paying you a middling salary. The only ones who make it to "partnership" in one of the big 4 firms is when you have your own book of business with huge corporate clients who are happy to pay you sizable fees to handle their tax matters.

You didn't mention what college they are attending. Are they in an arts and sciences school, or are they in an engineering school?

The questions you are asking here should have been asked when they first entered college, not 2 years into college.

[CletusCaddy]

Kinda sad a college kid already wants to FIRE

Why not find a career that is fulfilling instead?

[simas]

Or should he just focus on getting a degree in Computer Science? If so, what fields within Computer Science help him land a mega corp job?

out of college?? none. find what he likes doing and go there. also understand the greed for big bucks also puts you into much, much tougher competition that regardless of what you did in college you are highly unlikely to win. set realistic goals

[privateer79]

Definitely look for internship opportunities at the end of Softmore/Junior year...

I don't think there's alot of competition/ big T-comp for accounting in big tech... or generally. I'd focus on Computer Science, and focus on current "hot" areas where there is a demand/supply missmatch ( AI, Security, etc)... not so much for longevity, but to enhance their hireability right out of college.

slightly longer term, interview every few years.... it's been my experience that its infinitely easier to increase salary by just hopping from company to company every 5 years, rather than playing the internal promotion game.

also, as others have said... he should pursue his areas of interest/passions within those disciplines... being interested/motivated in the topic goes a long way to making you a better professional.

[Beensabu]

Kinda sad a college kid already wants to FIRE

As the guy sitting next to me at jury duty once said, "When they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said Retired."

[Migrant]

I mostly lurk on this forum but I just had to respond to this. You will not get rich working as an accountant for the big 4 accounting firms. They will work you to the bone while paying you a middling salary. The only ones who make it to "partnership" in one of the big 4 firms is when you have your own book of business with huge corporate clients who are happy to pay you sizable fees to handle their tax matters.

You didn't mention what college they are attending. Are they in an arts and sciences school, or are they in an engineering school?

The questions you are asking here should have been asked when they first entered college, not 2 years into college.

I agree that his parents should have looked into this when he was in high school. They are not college educated, and he needs some advice / guidance now. He is attending a state University and is a brilliant boy (35/36 on the ACT, and straight As all through high school and now in college). He is learning coding as part of the minor and seems to be doing a good job at it. His parents "pushed" him into accounting, thinking it would help him get a good stable career (something they didn't have). Hence my questions here.

Is there a career path mingling accounting and Big Tech (I don't know much about tech either, so my knowledge is limited) or should just focus on getting into tech / cyber security?

Thanks.

[Running Bum]

It might be worth his while to try to get an internship. That very often leads to an offer once graduated.

[er999]

If it’s truly his goal, perhaps he should be the one doing the posting. I know when I was 19 and interested in medical school I was very motivated to find the info myself.

Also judging from all the posters on here in tech discussing how burned out they are and want to retire by 40 not sure that big tech is the promised land. It does pay well, though.

[Migrant]

Kinda sad a college kid already wants to FIRE

Why not find a career that is fulfilling instead?

While I agree that we should do what we like, it appears to me (and I may be very wrong) that the path to wealth seems to be running your own business or as a doctor / lawyer / software engineer. Given his family background, it is out of question for him to go to law or medical school. IT and the RSUs that seem to be making many people wealthy is achievable and I think he should be encouraged to go down that path - that he can be wealthy if he has the ability to succeed in IT.

Definitely look for internship opportunities at the end of Softmore/Junior year...

I don't think there's alot of competition/ big T-comp for accounting in big tech... or generally. I'd focus on Computer Science, and focus on current "hot" areas where there is a demand/supply missmatch ( AI, Security, etc)... not so much for longevity, but to enhance their hireability right out of college.

slightly longer term, interview every few years.... it's been my experience that its infinitely easier to increase salary by just hopping from company to company every 5 years, rather than playing the internal promotion game.

also, as others have said... he should pursue his areas of interest/passions within those disciplines... being interested/motivated in the topic goes a long way to making you a better professional.

Thank you. Can you guide him where/how to find internships? He is applying on his university's handshake, but any other places he needs to be looking at? Thanks, again.

[Migrant]

It might be worth his while to try to get an internship. That very often leads to an offer once graduated.

Hi, where/how can he find the internship, aside from on Hand Shake? Thanks.

[Grt2bOutdoors]

There is no quick path to riches in either Accounting or Tech. As others have already stated, choose a fulfilling career, if the student has passion for it and with a little bit of luck, the opportunities will come. Don't go into a field of study or company thinking about hitting FIRE - if you want that, you are in the wrong field of study. That's Investment banking if you want to hit it big and those hours are brutal.

Here's just one path in Accounting - visit College Career Center now, don't wait for the spring or the summer as it will be too late. Most firms are gearing up for interviewing internship applicants come February/March/early April. Network - connect with as many alumni, people in industry in which college student is interested in, fellow classmates, etc., as the alumni and people in industry generally will be receptive to offering career advice (do not mention FIRE or the path to RSU's) to those passionate about their choice of career and one who intends to put their energy into it. The networking will let you get comfortable with speaking and conversing with others, not everyone will agree to connect and even those who connect may not offer tangible advice, it will only take a few people agreeing to offer good advice or a referral to someone else who might open a door for you elsewhere. Show a consistent pattern of high performance in your field of Accounting that usually starts with your GPA. Join your school's accounting club if they have one, speak with your accounting professors for insight into the field and for advice. Apply to those internships, if you don't get the internship in sophomore year, your goal is to get it in junior year because if you make a good enough impression you might be asked or receive a preference when interviewing for a full time position in senior year of college. If you don't get the internship, don't fret, there are plenty of firms looking for entry level accountants during the summer. Just work on getting some practical accounting experience over the next 2 years. Apply to the public accounting firms in your senior year. Work at a public accounting firm while you find the time when you can to study for the CPA exam - pass the exam and get the practical experience necessary in a public accounting firm setting to earn the necessary requirements to earn that CPA. Yes, they will work you to the bone, but the turnover is so high in the public accounting firms because most people don't stay after passing the exam and doing their time at the firm. Degree, CPA, then move to Mega Corp, then either controllers group or financial reporting, manager or other opportunities elsewhere. It can lead to chief financial officer and senior management if that's what you want and you have a little luck. You can go in many directions with an accounting degree or most other degrees.

Don't know much about Comp Science other than what friends of mine in the industry who had RSU's told me: heavy hours, burnout, the money accumulated while they were always working that they didn't have time to spend it. Bank the money because employment is not guaranteed in that industry, subject to huge booms/busts.

[CletusCaddy]

Kinda sad a college kid already wants to FIRE

Why not find a career that is fulfilling instead?

While I agree that we should do what we like, it appears to me (and I may be very wrong) that the path to wealth seems to be running your own business or as a doctor / lawyer / software engineer. Given his family background, it is out of question for him to go to law or medical school. IT and the RSUs that seem to be making many people wealthy is achievable and I think he should be encouraged to go down that path - that he can be wealthy if he has the ability to succeed in IT.

What does family background have to do with becoming a lawyer or doctor?

As a tech professional making $500k (with plenty of RSUs), I can speak with some confidence that while a smart individual can certainly get into lucrative fields, it takes some level of passion for it to sustain a full career.

Otherwise you end up like me, wanting to exit by 40.

[DonIce]

Sophomore in college. His goal is to work at Mega Corp(s) / Big Tech with RSUs until he hits his FIRE number.

He's a sophomore in college and his goal is to FIRE? Sorry but I wouldn't hire anyone whose motivation at such a young age is already to stop working. Best advice is to find something he is passionate about (besides not working).

[Grt2bOutdoors]

It might be worth his while to try to get an internship. That very often leads to an offer once graduated.

Hi, where/how can he find the internship, aside from on Hand Shake? Thanks.

Attending college teaches the student how to think. If said college student was preparing to write a paper on any particular subject, what is the first thing the student should do after the topic has been selected? This is not a trick question. The answer is to start researching. If they are able to use a computer, they should be able to start researching that internships can be obtained without the secret handshake. My advice is to change your mindset that obtaining opportunities is rigged, there are many ways to get there but they don't always start on a straight road to the main door.

[sailaway]

Is there a good name tech in state they could transfer to?

How are they doing in their accounting studies? Was it chosen out of interest?

Have they spoken with career services at their current school?

A good engineer is a good problem solver; what are they doing to find out information?

More and more, computer and software engineers are getting their master's and a good internship to get into Megacorp. Again, talk to professors and career services.

Also, there is no guarantee any single company's stock prices will pay off. My partner learned why one sells off RSUs at vest the hard way at their first job. And lay offs frequently lead to long term unemployment, throwing off any savings goals.

What kind of family background precludes law and medicine?

[Cletus Davenport]

I’m a computer engineer and personally hired over 100 comp sci/comp engineers grads over the years. I wasn’t mega tech though.

I wouldn’t even schedule an interview with somebody that minored in CS. Just not interested. The people that excel in this field, love it so much, it’s all they want to do. Most of them choose to do more of the same in their down time. They’re just relentless.

My advice to everybody interested in these fields is, do you love this? Like really love it? Because you are competing with people who do. And the technology stacks change all the time. So after graduation, you have to still be constantly learning even while delivering on whatever your normal job deliveries require.

If you don’t absolutely love this stuff, you’re going to have a miserable career.

[FEA]

Most important is that he fills his time in college with at least 2+ internships.

[Jim Baround]

If he's paying for college, join an ROTC program. Plan on four years active duty as an officer. Worst case, gets out after 4 years with GI bill and can go to grad school for free. Four years is an excellent resume builder straight out of college, loads of responsibility, with opportunities to do technical/engineering things if he wants to develop those skills. If he loves it, nothing more FIRE than doing 20 years and having a lifetime government pension at 42!

[Cletus Davenport]

If he's paying for college, join an ROTC program. Plan on four years active duty as an officer. Worst case, gets out after 4 years with GI bill and can go to grad school for free. Four years is an excellent resume builder straight out of college, loads of responsibility, with opportunities to do technical/engineering things if he wants to develop those skills. If he loves it, nothing more FIRE than doing 20 years and having a lifetime government pension at 42!

This is definitely a great suggestion, and well worth considering.

[Mckerchie]

Sophomore in college. His goal is to work at Mega Corp(s) / Big Tech with RSUs until he hits his FIRE number. Currently, majoring in Accounting and minoring in computer science. What steps can he take now to achieve his goal? Should he work for one of the Big 5 in accounting, then try to get a job working directly for the mega corps?

Or should he just focus on getting a degree in Computer Science? If so, what fields within Computer Science help him land a mega corp job?

Thanks.

My 0.02:

* Yes, switch to CS. This is not just to improve expertise in the subject matter, but to get more time with others who are in the field. The student would be in a better position to make friends with and learn from the smartest students in the major.

* Get involved with programming contests, like ACM. This is good for finding good problem solvers to hang out with, for learning algorithms more deeply, and for having a better shot in the coding interviews.

* Contribute to an open source project. This is practical software engineering and a way to show genuine interest in the profession.

[JohnSmith123]

Get him out of accounting not going to be rich there. Take on a profession like computer science or other doctor dentist etc if he is so smart.
I expect that in 5 years 50% of accountants will be unemployed due to AI. Regardless there is very little money in that field.

[tibbitts]

Sophomore in college. His goal is to work at Mega Corp(s) / Big Tech with RSUs until he hits his FIRE number. Currently, majoring in Accounting and minoring in computer science. What steps can he take now to achieve his goal? Should he work for one of the Big 5 in accounting, then try to get a job working directly for the mega corps?

Or should he just focus on getting a degree in Computer Science? If so, what fields within Computer Science help him land a mega corp job?

Thanks.

My experience is that people who are successful, at least in tech but I think in most fields, have a desire to do a certain kind of work. At age 20 they don't really care who they do it for or whether they can FIRE or even whether they get RSUs. It's the passion to do the specific work itself that eventually makes them successful and may (or may not) lead to some of those other things.

Of course other 20-year-olds haven't found that passion yet and maybe never will, but hitting a FIRE number and getting RSUs by themselves aren't things I'd concentrate on at 20.

[CascadiaSoonish]

I guess my employer would count as big tech, Bay area firm where the bulk of our comp is in RSUs. A few thoughts:

• As others have mentioned, competition is fierce for these jobs. The last IC job I posted had something like 400 applications within a week. The top 20% or so of applicants were all really impressive.

• Also mentioned by others already, getting an internship is a good way to get experience and get a foot in the door. But be aware that those internship opportunities are just as competitive as the job postings.

• Make sure they understand that keeping these jobs is also a lot of work. The performance expectations are relentless.

• And there's a lot of luck involved with industry cycle timing and what firms might be looking for and whether the student picked the right future in-demand skill to develop.

• Don't do it solely for the money. That's not enough to get in. These companies look for people who are demonstrating engagement beyond what a 9 to 5 clock puncher candidate would typically display.

But there are definitely some ways to stand out. A polished LinkedIn profile, resume, and personal site. Developing soft skills like communication and collaboration. For engineering-minded candidates, a strong Github profile demonstrating coding proficiency. Developing a specialty or at least an orientation; if they don't mind the accounting work, then maybe fintechs would be a good target.

[Minderbinder]

I am going to go against the grain here but I think that is a wonderful combination. I'd skip trying to move into big tech personally.

I have a computer science background and have had to learn basics of accounting throughout my career, I regret I did not have that background.

The student (esp if has an act score of 35 or 36) could consider trying to move into commodities trading. Both backgrounds will serve him very well.

My advice, move to Houston for awhile, spend a few years at an energy company and try to move as close as possible to their trading side. Risk or trading accounting are great places to start.

Second advice, have him get a cfa. Low cost, way better roi than an MBA, and have the student move into some kind of banking job.

The possibility for massive compensation is there for a very smart student with those two disciplines.

[gotoparks]

If he/she can find internships through the college it would help. I worked low-paying jobs in college to pay the bills after I got out of the military, and I have always felt it hurt me in the job market. My first job out of college was hanging drywall.

I have a relative who didn't go to college but found some kind of schooling and training opportunity that lasted a year, probably searching the internet. She learned skills that companies want and pay good money for. She now works for a Fortune 500 corporation.

[psteinx]

I agree that his parents should have looked into this when he was in high school. They are not college educated, and he needs some advice / guidance now. He is attending a state University and is a brilliant boy (35/36 on the ACT, and straight As all through high school and now in college). He is learning coding as part of the minor and seems to be doing a good job at it. His parents "pushed" him into accounting, thinking it would help him get a good stable career (something they didn't have). Hence my questions here.

Is there a career path mingling accounting and Big Tech (I don't know much about tech either, so my knowledge is limited) or should just focus on getting into tech / cyber security?

Thanks.

If he's that smart, and assuming he *likes* coding/CS to the extent he's tried it, then I'd say just bite the bullet and switch straight up to CS.

Yes, it would have been better to know that going into college, but not every kid figures this stuff out at 18 (or at 22, or ...)

As a reference, my oldest daughter had essentially no programming experience, took her first programming class spring semester of freshman year, *loved it*, switched her major (she was sorta undecided anyways, before that) fall of sophomore year, graduated with CS degree in 4 years, got a job in Big Tech in the Bay Area, and is doing well (2.5 years out of college now). So, it can be done.

If this kid is already working on the CS minor, then he probably has a couple of classes under his belt already, and hopefully his university is flexible enough that he can load up a bit with CS courses this spring and do fine.

My D had a (relatively low-paying) programming internship after her sophomore year, a much higher paying one after her junior year, a return offer (for full time) from that company that she initially accepted then bailed on when that company had a big business change/downsizing with lots of layoffs and uncertainty, and scrambled (successfully) to find the Big Tech job she's in now around December of her senior year.

Comp Sci/programming has a lot more promise, especially for a kid as smart as you describe, than accounting.

[the_wiki]

Everyone wants to get a high paying job and retire early. Kind of like saying your goal is to play in the NBA.

Might want to prepare them for a more average life.

[Valuethinker]

There is no quick path to riches in either Accounting or Tech. As others have already stated, choose a fulfilling career, if the student has passion for it and with a little bit of luck, the opportunities will come. Don't go into a field of study or company thinking about hitting FIRE - if you want that, you are in the wrong field of study. That's Investment banking if you want to hit it big and those hours are brutal.

Here's just one path in Accounting - visit College Career Center now, don't wait for the spring or the summer as it will be too late. Most firms are gearing up for interviewing internship applicants come February/March/early April. Network - connect with as many alumni, people in industry in which college student is interested in, fellow classmates, etc., as the alumni and people in industry generally will be receptive to offering career advice (do not mention FIRE or the path to RSU's) to those passionate about their choice of career and one who intends to put their energy into it. The networking will let you get comfortable with speaking and conversing with others, not everyone will agree to connect and even those who connect may not offer tangible advice, it will only take a few people agreeing to offer good advice or a referral to someone else who might open a door for you elsewhere. Show a consistent pattern of high performance in your field of Accounting that usually starts with your GPA. Join your school's accounting club if they have one, speak with your accounting professors for insight into the field and for advice. Apply to those internships, if you don't get the internship in sophomore year, your goal is to get it in junior year because if you make a good enough impression you might be asked or receive a preference when interviewing for a full time position in senior year of college. If you don't get the internship, don't fret, there are plenty of firms looking for entry level accountants during the summer. Just work on getting some practical accounting experience over the next 2 years. Apply to the public accounting firms in your senior year. Work at a public accounting firm while you find the time when you can to study for the CPA exam - pass the exam and get the practical experience necessary in a public accounting firm setting to earn the necessary requirements to earn that CPA. Yes, they will work you to the bone, but the turnover is so high in the public accounting firms because most people don't stay after passing the exam and doing their time at the firm. Degree, CPA, then move to Mega Corp, then either controllers group or financial reporting, manager or other opportunities elsewhere. It can lead to chief financial officer and senior management if that's what you want and you have a little luck. You can go in many directions with an accounting degree or most other degrees.

Don't know much about Comp Science other than what friends of mine in the industry who had RSU's told me: heavy hours, burnout, the money accumulated while they were always working that they didn't have time to spend it. Bank the money because employment is not guaranteed in that industry, subject to huge booms/busts.

All excellent advice (as per usual!).

It's worth knowing that all those young investment bankers working 20 hour days (literally) want to get out of IB either into something entrepreneurial or (more likely) to get into Private Equity/ LBO. Where the hours for juniors are just as intense. And then you will only make the big money if you go and found your own PE fund. I would say for every 10 IB types slaving away, maybe 1 gets a shot at PE (maybe 1 in 20 or 30?).

Being a qualified CPA is valuable, and can lead to roles heading towards CFO in any number of industries (practically all).

Computer Science. If you are a top 1% programmer then your career is made. Make $250k pa before your 28th birthday (I gather).

But that leaves the other 99%. Or at least 90%. Lots of disruption in that world due to Large Language Models aka "AI". Always a danger your job will get offshored to some place with lower wages (US IT people are paid an incredible premium over IT people in any other country - the figures are quite stunning).

So if there's an innate love of Computer Software, already writing stuff for Github, etc, can crack the interviews at the big Internet cos, then that's a valid path.

Knowing how to write an algorithm in a decent computer language like Python, and how to code & debug it, is valuable for almost anyone. Without wanting to be a computer programmer.

Accounting will no doubt also be disrupted by LLM/ AI. Everything white collar will. But I've never known an unemployed accountant (who didn't have other issues). And every company has a finance function.

If there's something the kid has a natural affinity for, then they should pursue it (assuming it leads to some kind of remunerative job).

FIRE is an artefact of very strong equity markets, particularly since 2010. We won't be hearing so much about it in the future. The economy can't work if we all expect to spend more years retired than working-- we can't all live off the work of others (unless you presume continually expanding population of young workers). You might as well plan for a 40 year career (45) because that's what professionals will do. Maybe you get lucky and retire at 55, but life has a way of pushing that out - needs of children, involvement with career etc.

In any case, jobs are changing so fast now with technology that it's likely the kid will have to repurpose/ retrain/ redirect their career more than once. Maybe several times.

I would add that it is kind of blinding how fast those 45 years go. Make the best friends you can in undergrad, because those are the friends who are most likely to stick with you through life.

[ScubaHogg]

“Just find something you are passionate about!”

How is this actionable? Y’all know the vast vast majority of people aren’t passionate about their jobs? And since you can’t know if you’ll truly like a career until you do it, path dependency makes this basically impossible. It’s more or less luck. Eliminating paths you think you’ll hate is probably more realistic advice

Are we really criticizing a kid for saying they want to be FI?

To the OP, I would think tech firms need accountants. No idea as to their compensation level.

Idea 2. Have him build a really intuitive, beautiful, truly double entry accounting alternative to things like YNAB, GNUcash, etc. “Not working for other people” seems the best route to FI

[StartedAt22]

“Just find something you are passionate about!”

How is this actionable? Y’all know the vast vast majority of people aren’t passionate about their jobs? And since you can’t know if you’ll truly like a career until you do it, path dependency makes this basically impossible. It’s more or less luck. Eliminating paths you think you’ll hate is probably more realistic advice

Are we really criticizing a kid for saying they want to be FI?

To the OP, I would think tech firms need accountants. No idea as to their compensation level.

Idea 2. Have him build a really intuitive, beautiful, truly double entry accounting alternative to things like YNAB, GNUcash, etc. “Not working for other people” seems the best route to FI

Agree with all the above as a 29 year old who has been excited about the prospect of retiring about 3 months into my career post-academia

I think the boomers on this board are a little out of touch

Who the heck actually wants to work? It's just a means to an end.

[ScubaHogg]

Agree with all the above as a 29 year old who has been excited about the prospect of retiring about 3 months into my career post-academia

I know a doctor who quit being a doctor the day after he finished his residency because he hated it so much

Good news is he started and sold several websites and did very well

[user9532]

.... Work at a public accounting firm while you find the time when you can to study for the CPA exam - pass the exam and get the practical experience necessary in a public accounting firm setting to earn the necessary requirements to earn that CPA. Yes, they will work you to the bone, but the turnover is so high in the public accounting firms because most people don't stay after passing the exam and doing their time at the firm. Degree, CPA, then move to Mega Corp, then either controllers group or financial reporting, manager or other opportunities elsewhere. It can lead to chief financial officer and senior management if that's what you want and you have a little luck. You can go in many directions with an accounting degree or most other degrees.
....

+1
Start with public accounting and use that opportunity to sharpen your skills - become an expert in complex accounting standards, cororate financial reporting etc.

Develop managerial skills, leadership skills and good business acumen. Then move on to the mega corp world.

[HighLonesome]

As much as you can, investigate the politics at your company and/or in the department you are reviewing for. I worked for a utility and management was all over the place.

There was an employee in my department engineering duties. Because he as a Tech degree and not full Engineering degree, the department refused to promote him to Engineer. They blamed it on HR. This guy earned his Professional Engineers license but still no promotion. Again it was HR.
A few years later the company split up the department and this guy went to work under a different manager. Within 2 years he was promoted to Engineer, then Sr Engineer and then Lead Engineer. All the while performing the exact job duties. He was not the only incidence of this type of management. Obviously it was not HR.

Know who you will be working for and the department's reputation.

[Valuethinker]

“Just find something you are passionate about!”

How is this actionable? Y’all know the vast vast majority of people aren’t passionate about their jobs? And since you can’t know if you’ll truly like a career until you do it, path dependency makes this basically impossible. It’s more or less luck. Eliminating paths you think you’ll hate is probably more realistic advice

Are we really criticizing a kid for saying they want to be FI?

To the OP, I would think tech firms need accountants. No idea as to their compensation level.

Idea 2. Have him build a really intuitive, beautiful, truly double entry accounting alternative to things like YNAB, GNUcash, etc. “Not working for other people” seems the best route to FI

Computer software is one of those things that one has a "calling" for, I think.

The top 1% of programmers are at least 10x more productive than the median programmer (maybe 100x - not sure).

I have friends from undergrad who just loved software & solving problems algorithmically. Eventually most of them found their way to leading firms, and have done very well. These days, apparently the likes of JP Morgan pay competitively for software people to the big Internet cos.

Accounting? I wouldn't say many people have a "calling" for it. I've known some.

I would say those who pursued accounting in undergrad - a tough slog - tended to do well in their careers, even if they shifted away from accounting. It was a good early career move to qualify as a CA (CPA in America). In America, I think law was also a valid career route - in Canada and UK that seems more siloed.

I wouldn't encourage someone to undergo the extreme financial stress of American law school unless they really felt they had a calling for it and a reasonable chance of a career in private practice (even if eventually you move out into a corporate or government job). Law was far too much the default choice of the liberal arts undergraduate who needed a marketable degree.

[Lonewolf123]

Currently I would not recommend going to school for Computer Science for a number of reasons.
AI will replace some of that work
Moving work to India
UW Madison in 2018 had 500 CS students, Today 2,200 students
This will also lead to a decrease in pay as the market for jobs gets more saturated. It is getting harder for computer science majors to find jobs unlike 5-10 years ago.

The company I work for cant find enough engineers. I believe we need to hire +1,000 engineers (mechanical, electrical, Instrumentation) in the next 5 years.

[GT99]

I work in Software - Analytics/Data Engineering side, which is similar to more general software development, and I've worked with many software developers. DW is a CPA who spent about half of her career with Big 4, and is now a partner with a large firm but not big 4.

Someone said you're not going to get rich working for Big 4 - that couldn't be further from the truth (although I guess it depends on definition of Rich). It's much easier to get rich that route than in Software Development. I work for a Mega Corp with a ~1000 person Technology org. There are no more than 7 people in the entire Technology org that make more than DW, who is a 3rd year partner. Her firm has well over 1000 partners. Most folks make partner by the time they're 40. I expect DW to be making 7 figures by the time she's 48, and she's a few years behind schedule because of time away when we first had kids. Sure, you have to make partner to make the big bucks, but she has an older Director underneath her who's not going to make Partner and he makes $280k per year living in a low to medium cost of living location. She has 2 at least 2 other members of her team that I know of making >$200k living in medium cost of living areas (all of her team is in the Southeast US where there are no high cost of living areas outside of Miami). Again, this is not Big 4, which pays more.

But, the early years of that career are a total grind, and there is a lot of variance between groups (Tax, Audit, Transaction Advisory, etc), and it's certainly not for everyone and many folks would be bored with certain aspects/paths. But I think getting Big 4 experience, then moving to a smaller firm that doesn't grind people as much is a great path. My wife spend a couple years with a mid-size/regional firm after our oldest was born and was making $160k averaging about 35 hours per week as a Sr. Manager. For frame of reference, I was working in product development for a small software company at the time, and the highest paid developer in the department (we had about 40 developers) reported to me - he was making $152k.

You hear about lots of folks in Software Development making $300k+, but the vast majority never make anywhere near that. Intelligence helps in any field, but to be the top 5% or so making the really big bucks in Software Development, you have to be highly intelligent and very focused. There are some folks who may get lucky, but you almost never see someone of average intelligence making big bucks in Software Development.

All that said, for me, I doubt I'd enjoy accounting nearly as much as software.

[SpaghettiLegs]

If he's paying for college, join an ROTC program. Plan on four years active duty as an officer. Worst case, gets out after 4 years with GI bill and can go to grad school for free. Four years is an excellent resume builder straight out of college, loads of responsibility, with opportunities to do technical/engineering things if he wants to develop those skills. If he loves it, nothing more FIRE than doing 20 years and having a lifetime government pension at 42!

The service requirement is actually longer unless attending the ROTC program off scholarship. That’s usually kids at military schools like Citadel, etc. Requirement is for 3 years of service outside of any service obligation imposed from the commissioning pathway. I actually looked that up as I am an ROTC product but wasn’t eligible for GI Bill when I served.

I have a nephew, very smart kid, U of M grad, who is a coder for a big travel website. He likes the work and makes good money but he’s convinced his job will be replaced by an AI bot within 3-5 years.

[bikefish]

Kinda sad a college kid already wants to FIRE

Why not find a career that is fulfilling instead?

What is distressing is when your Doctor is wanting to FIRE.

[Big Dog]

Pivot from Accounting to Econ and take quant classes. Data science seems to be hot right now, but quant never goes out of style.

[sailaway]

Kinda sad a college kid already wants to FIRE

Why not find a career that is fulfilling instead?

What is distressing is when your Doctor is wanting to FIRE.

Both my PCP and dentist are coast FIRE/downshifted. Makes scheduling difficult!

[CletusCaddy]

“Just find something you are passionate about!”

How is this actionable? Y’all know the vast vast majority of people aren’t passionate about their jobs? And since you can’t know if you’ll truly like a career until you do it, path dependency makes this basically impossible. It’s more or less luck. Eliminating paths you think you’ll hate is probably more realistic advice

Are we really criticizing a kid for saying they want to be FI?

To the OP, I would think tech firms need accountants. No idea as to their compensation level.

Idea 2. Have him build a really intuitive, beautiful, truly double entry accounting alternative to things like YNAB, GNUcash, etc. “Not working for other people” seems the best route to FI

Agree with all the above as a 29 year old who has been excited about the prospect of retiring about 3 months into my career post-academia

I think the boomers on this board are a little out of touch

Who the heck actually wants to work? It's just a means to an end.

Work can provide more than just a means to an end.

Not every job is a Bullshit Job.

It’s sad that someone in college, where optionality is at its highest and exploration is encouraged, isn’t taking advantage of it.

[StartedAt22]

Agree with all the above as a 29 year old who has been excited about the prospect of retiring about 3 months into my career post-academia

I think the boomers on this board are a little out of touch

Who the heck actually wants to work? It's just a means to an end.

Work can provide more than just a means to an end.

Not every job is a Bullshit Job.

It’s sad that someone in college, where optionality is at its highest and exploration is encouraged, isn’t taking advantage of it.

I guess we have very different outlooks on life and what is important.

[Running Bum]

It might be worth his while to try to get an internship. That very often leads to an offer once graduated.

Hi, where/how can he find the internship, aside from on Hand Shake? Thanks.

I don't know. I have a vague memory of the college placement office posting internships but that was 40+ years ago. And I never asked the interns I saw at work how they got in, and it's been 25 years since I worked in the office and encountered them. Sorry.

[OrangeKiwi]

What is distressing is when your Doctor is wanting to FIRE.

Both my PCP and dentist are coast FIRE/downshifted. Makes scheduling difficult!

The “RE” part can be dropped. What people usually want, especially those who go through all the hassle and effort of learning very specialized or advanced skills, is financial independence. To be able to set one’s own schedule, be able to say no to a boss or a customer, etc.

[hoofaman]

You hear about lots of folks in Software Development making $300k+, but the vast majority never make anywhere near that. Intelligence helps in any field, but to be the top 5% or so making the really big bucks in Software Development, you have to be highly intelligent and very focused. There are some folks who may get lucky, but you almost never see someone of average intelligence making big bucks in Software Development.

There are plenty of people of "average intelligence" collecting 400-500k/y in total comp in Software Engineering type roles at big tech companies, myself included. Actually if you were to interview my high school teachers, they would probably call "average intelligence" a bit of a stretch in my case

The reality is these companies hire constantly, and sometimes the new hires are not matched to a team until sometime after they are hired. That has slowed down a bit the last 2 years, but these companies do tend to have a continuous hiring pipeline.

If you feel you are a decent software developer, go apply for roles at these companies. The interviews tend to require a standardized gauntlet of questions and problems to solve, but the good news is that you already know that going into those interviews so you can prepare yourself ahead of time. You also don't need to be concerned about having a particular educational background or pedigree, which is nice, although that doesn't hurt. Solving these questions doesn't land you the job, but it does prevent you from getting disqualified early in the process, and many people fail this part because they were not prepared enough

It took me a few tries over the years to eventually land my first "big tech" job, but the only reason I got the job was because I put in the effort to prepare and apply

[humblecoder]

What about actuarial science?

This is the path that I took out of college. While I had to give it up for non-work related reasons, I still think that this is a great career path for someone with their foot both in finance and tech.

To pursue this path, you will likely need to get into a "training program" at one of the big insurance or consulting firms. These programs provide you with training and support to achieve your actuarial certifications, which can often take 5 to 10 years depending on how fast you can progress through the exams. The exams themselves are no joke. The exams cover math and statistics, financial math (think PV calculations, time value of money, annuity valuations... BH's would probably be very good at this exam), actuarial math (using probability/statistics concepts and applying them to modeling actuarial problems), finance/economics (again, another topic BH's might excel in), insurance and other industry specific topics based upon your specialty.

Once you get your Fellowship certification (the highest level of certification within the actuarial industry), you are usually making good money. Plus, within the insurance industry, actuaries have a lot of prestige and respect, as the path to become one is not easy.

Of course, the career is not for everyone. One common joke is actuaries are the people who didn't have the personality to become accountants. But some people love dealing with numbers, statistics, trends. Plus with a CS angle, that is a plus as much of the work can involve programming many of the statistical models that insurance companies use.

Finally, there is no set degree requirement. While some schools have an "actuarial science" degree, you can come from any academic background as long as you have the aptitude to pass the exams.

[quantAndHold]

Doing accounting in a tech company isn’t exactly the path to riches. Those companies save the big RSU grants for the techies, not the bean counters.

Also, I agree with the people who are wondering why a kid who’s still in school is worrying about FIRE. He should be training for a job he actually wants to do, not one he wants to quit doing as quickly as possible.

There was a question about internships. To get an internship at a mega corp, either go through the college recruiting office, or go to the careers website for the company, and find the college recruiting pages.

[Watty]

Retired software developer here with a degree in computer science;

One thing which may not have been mentioned is that instead of switching majors he could get a double major in Accounting and Computer Science. That could be a very desirable niche to be in and at some point in the future if he also got an MBA then that could put him on a high paying management career track.

A few random points;

1) I looked it up and it surprised me but there were over 100k computer and information science degrees granted last year! That is way up from even 5 years ago. Only a very small percentage of those people go to work for FAANG type companies with high pay and crazy RSU's so the odds of him doing that are slim especially if he did not go to a top 5 CS college. That is not to say that you cannot have a good career if you don't work at a FAANG but you likely will not be able to retire when you are 40. My son got a CS degree from a regional state university which is a tier below the state flagship university and he and his college CS classmates are doing very well in their careers now but they are no where near being able to retire super early and they graduated 10+ years ago when the job market was strong.

2) He should check out how well the students at his college in accounting and CS are doing with getting job offers this year. I have not been following closely but with all the layoffs I have heard some rumblings that the job market for new CS graduates is not been strong right now. The problem is that instead of hiring new graduates there are people with a couple of years experience interviewing for the same jobs. CS has always been a boom and bust degree which periodically has a weak job market for new graduates.

3) There is a lot more to computer degrees than just writing code and there are computer degrees other than Computer Science. He should also look at what other related degrees there are.

[TomatoTomahto]

. To get an internship at a mega corp, either go through the college recruiting office, or go to the careers website for the company, and find the college recruiting pages.

OP, I’d be worried about the chances the kid has if he hasn’t figured this out. Internships after freshman year are rare-ish, but there is no reason that he should not be interning in later years. Pay doesn’t really matter, but there are some lucrative internships.