jtalonzo's journey

I graduated this past spring with a B.S. in Business Administration, concentrating in Finance. Since then, I’ve been actively applying for entry-level finance, analyst, and administrative roles, but I haven’t had much luck securing a position. My long-term goal is to work in municipal finance or corporate finance, and I’ve recently been focusing more on local government positions as I seem to get more responses there, even if they are rejections. Over the past year, I've had about four interviews with various cities, but none have led to a job offer. One internship I applied for had around 200 applicants, and while I did get an interview, I wasn’t selected. I was even open to taking an unpaid finance internship with another city, but it ultimately came down to me and another candidate, and she got the role. This experience has led me to question whether I should continue pursuing entry-level roles or consider going back to school. I’ve noticed that many finance leadership positions in government highly value or prefer candidates with a CPA. In fact, I've interviewed with city managers who hold CPA licenses. I’m now contemplating applying to graduate programs for a Master’s in Accounting for Fall 2027, potentially at USC or similar schools. My goal would be to complete the necessary accounting coursework and sit for the CPA exam. I believe this could help me gain the credential, build a stronger foundation in accounting, and open doors to internships or opportunities that might be harder to access otherwise. So, I’m at a crossroads: should I keep pursuing entry-level roles to gain experience, or should I return to school for a MAcc and CPA?