I am deciding between two offers for my first job post university. The first is big 4 audit and the second is the finance graduate scheme at a bank. Both would pay for my ACA and allow me to qualify as a chartered accountant. The pay for the finance scheme is 43% higher than my big 4 offer and would probably result in me working less hours.
I am worried that basically starting in industry, working within accounting at a bank would narrow my experience and be harder to break out of. On qualifying from the big 4 I would leave into industry and hope to eventually become a financial controller in a couple of years for a decently sized company. Would my narrow accounting experience only within a bank dampen my chances, this isn’t as much of a well trodden path and so it is hard for me to visualise. Basically, would the 3 years in big 4 audit on lower pay, even though it would be a grind, be better for my prospects in the long run? I am worried that the role in the bank would pigeonhole me too early in my career.