Career Path of a Consulting Manager at a Boutique Finance Consulting Firm
Erin's career path, beginning with an accounting major and a Big Four audit internship, evolved from a yearning for "business experience" into industry roles encompassing financial planning and analysis and even a startup strategy manager position. This diverse experience, including project management, ultimately led to a consulting career driven by a passion for problem-solving, demonstrating how a foundation in finance can unexpectedly fuel diverse and fulfilling career trajectories.
Career Exploration, Problem-Solving, Project Management, Consulting, Finance
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Erin Lewis
Consulting Manager
Boutique Finance Consulting Firm
University of Florida 2013
University of Florida, Masters of Accounting
Accounting
Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing)
Finance
Scholarship Recipient, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Interned at a Big Four accounting firm during college which led to a post-graduate job. This experience provided valuable foundational knowledge in auditing and finance.
2. Transitioned from auditing to industry roles, exploring financial planning and analysis and even a non-finance role at a startup, demonstrating adaptability and a willingness to explore different career paths.
3. Found a passion for problem-solving, leading to a career in consulting where diverse industry experience and a strong foundation in finance and accounting proved valuable assets.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? What internships or jobs did you have before your current role?
I technically majored in accounting, but I was mostly interested in business and finance, so that's the route I went. I think you can major in any of those and still explore different career paths.
Essentially, I interned at one of the Big Four accounting firms during college. After the internship, they offered me a position, so that's how I started my career doing auditing at a Big Four firm.
However, that didn't really satisfy my yearning for the business experience I was looking for. So I went into industry roles where I explored a variety of different types of financial work, including financial planning and analysis. Eventually, I worked at a startup as a strategy manager, which was completely outside of finance and accounting.
That foundation in finance and accounting was crucial for a business operations role, like the one I moved into. During that role, I gained a lot of experience with project management, and that lit a light bulb in me. I really enjoyed problem-solving, going into a company, and figuring out what was needed to get a project done, reach a goal, or solve a problem.
That basically brought me to consulting today. With consulting, it's all about problem-solving. Depending on the client, their needs, and what's going on with them, it's a case-by-case basis. It involves going in and looking at things through that problem-solving lens and seeing how you can get from point A to point B.
With consulting, you can do that in different industries, not just finance. If anyone is interested in doing it in finance, I definitely recommend having some sort of business or finance major as a foundation. Also, intern and gain different types of experiences to see what kind of work lights you up the most.
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