Today we’re talking about two popular career paths - starting out at one of the big four or going into a government role.  The Big Four is the nickname used to refer collectively to the four largest professional services networks in the world. These include Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY), KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Joining me in this discussion is my old schoolmate Jeremy who did a cadetship at Deloitte where he worked for 6 years. Jeremy explains the interview process, culture, work-life balance and salary during his time at one of the big four. I’m going to be representing starting out in government as I spent the first 8 years of my working life in the public sector. Some of the topics we cover in today’s episode are: What is the process of landing a job and what were the interviews like? (00:05:18)How does a cadetship actually work? (00:14:51)First year experiences (00:18:44)Salary progression (00:21:36)Big Four workloads and expectations (00:24:25)Government experience, expectations & work culture (00:35:12)The pros and cons of both career paths (00:48:28)Dealing with burnout (00:56:49)Finding meaningful work that brings purpose (01:00:25)LinksWebsite - Small GiantsBook - The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life - David Brookswww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast