Leaving ACA grad scheme to do MSc Econ? Future career advice?

Hi.

I'd really appreciate some advice regarding my options. Apologies if this gets verbose, but I don't have anyone I can talk to regarding this and would love some guidance.

I graduated with a first class degree in economics last August, although this doesn't really mean much since I graduated from a terrible university (ranked mid 40s-50s). I did terribly in my A-levels and had no other choice but to go there through clearing, but that's a story for another time.

I had a miserable time at uni and they were easily the worst years of my life - although I really enjoyed the subject, everyone expected me to go to a really good university but reality didn't turn out that way unfortunately.

I'm currently doing the ACA on a grad scheme and it's not for me. Although it pays relatively well, it's not what I wanted to do and I only accepted it as it was the only offer I had. (It was a nightmare to even get through the application screening stage when I was applying for jobs because the uni I was at isn't well regarded at all). Salary isn't really a priority for me since I prioritise a better long term career trajectory.

I have received offers for MSc economics programmes at okay universities (Bristol/Bath/Durham) and have scholarships as well. I was essentially auto-rejected from some better universities, and when I reached out to one and asked why, I was told my undergraduate degree didn't have the prerequisite quantitative modules (which is why I initially mentioned my first class result doesn't mean anything since it's from an inferior institution).

When I was in 6th form I really wanted to do a PhD in economics and I wanted to eventually do my econ PhD at MIT since it's one of the best in the world, but the chance to do that ended years ago when I got my A-Level results haha.

In the short term, I hope to work in consulting or for economic consultancies and I feel doing an MSc in Economics at a Bristol/Bath/Durham (maybe Warwick but I probably won't get in) will look a lot better on my CV than my terrible undergrad uni and will also help me develop my economics knowledge. This combined with my 1 year finance experience that I'm currently getting should help me when applying for jobs during my masters programme.

In the long term, I hope to do an MBA abroad and although an MSc in econ by itself won't be that useful for this, it would potentially help me get into consulting which would add value to my pre-MBA work experience. (Also attending a prestigious university would help when applying for MBA programmes, although this is more relevant if you attended Cambridge/Oxford/LSE. Bristol, Durham and Bath don't have a strong international prestige so this wouldn't really benefit me in this regard).

I'm struggling to align my short-term goals with my long-term ambitions because there are so many variables that are out of my control and nothing is guaranteed, so naturally I'm risk-averse and reluctant to go all in on something that might not work out. My horrible A-Level situation has made me a lot more hesitant to bet on myself since I'm definitely not as good as I thought I was.

I'd appreciate any advice regarding my situation. Although Bath/Durham/Bristol aren't as prestigious for postgrad as they are for undergrad, would they still be good enough to have a decent chance at consulting? (Obviously I won't be targeting MBB or other elite firms/sectors, but tier 2 consulting firms).

Sorry for the long post, but just needed to get this off my chest since I've been going through a lot and partly needed to vent lol.

@BenRyan99 would really appreciate your insight.

Thanks.

I would firstly look into the societies of the universities and see if some also have consulting groups especially for masters where you can do things like pro bono consultancy projects etc although this will be a small factor - from there you can also make a list of economic consultancies and see which universities they went to / compare the module list to your current list and find the closest match.

Also is your ACA firm with a big 4 as you can also move internally within consulting team and just do a part time masters - I do think having the ACA is valuable some consulting firms also hire people with this qualification so why not complete it then exit into consulting roles whilst doing an MBA later on as ACA would replace your need for masters. The other option is do ACA and if you really need to build economics knowledge further then just do a part time masters or apply to a full time one post qualification and get some consulting internships under your belt - it would be wise to consider part time as you’ll have 2 years so 2 application seasons as back up and will for sure secure an internship somewhere which usually convert to full time.

In summary - I would think about the long term implications of qualifications such as ACA / not many masters students would have that if they are also applying straight from undergraduate or other roles so can be an advantage - secondly you need to sacrifice another year or two and be benefit from better career growth over the long term but having the brand names uni and company wise is important in this job market as the prestige is often an overlooked factor

Reapply to graduate schemes in economic consulting see if you’re eligible and work it out. Additionally, have your career goals setup more clearly and see routes on LinkedIn other people have taken especially from a non target / Russel university. Have more networking and coffee talks but in general setup a good base of funds as a masters is expensive but good luck!!!