Blog Series: Tech vs. "Big Four" - A Personal Comparison and General Guide - Part 1

Many people have asked me why I left EY in the first place and what the differences that I can see in culture, work-life balance, and opportunities transitioning to Amazon. One-on-one discussions in this subject have tended to run over 40 minutes (I talk a lot). It gets a little exhausting. Thus, with this new platform, it's high-time I write myself a blog post exclusively on this matter. Unfortunately, as I started writing, it became a freaking 13 minute read expose'. Thus, I decided to make this my next blog series and break it up into parts.

Why Did I Leave the Big Four?

I shared a brief notion of why I left on a post (refer to the left) on LinkedIn right on the day that I left. I gave a shout-out to two mentors that have guided my way (and continue to do so), Dhavan Mehta and Angel Contreras. This post is probably the best and most succinct reason that I could put together and it still holds up today with one adjustment.

Long breaks from work provide perspective and is an excellent time to decipher the meaning and direction of one's career. For me, my maternity leave was a time that I could really reflect on what I wanted to do for the next phase of my life. So, during my son's nap comas, I went on a research, soul-searching binge! I caught up with old high-school and college friends, subscribed to new articles and podcasts, and studied for my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. Over the course of approximately 5 months, I had developed a passion for security, project management and cyber assessments beyond just FISMA. I wanted to influence upcoming laws and legislature and provide that intersection between government and industry.

With Amazon announcing their next headquarters in Arlington, VA (right around the corner from the Pentagon) and FedRAMP slowly growing into the next big thing, cloud was top of mind for the majority of my government clients. After talking to other Big Four turned Amazon contacts, I knew there was something brewing in the DC-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) area and I wanted to capitalize on this environment as a newly promoted Senior Manager, responsible for building new accounts. I didn't know, at the time, that I wanted to leave EY just yet. It wasn't until I returned from maternity leave that I had a very career affirming conversation.

Two weeks after getting back, I had a career conversation with my counselor. "Alright, Alexis, let's talk about the path to Partner!" he said, excitedly. "Sure..." I said, "But what about the cloud? How can we learn and get more technical?" Now, I don't remember the exact answer back to this, but it was definitely along the lines that being more technical in this space wasn't exactly needed as a Senior Manager. That's when it hit me like a sack of bricks, I had no desire or intention, at this point, of making Partner. It was the furthest thing from my mind. If I wanted the experiences that I was researching, at some point, I would have to leave EY and go to industry. This was definitely a drastic change from my feelings before I went on maternity leave. I was on the "RAH-RAH-CYS-BOOM-BAH" Partner train. Visible, dedicated, and involved in everything the firm had to offer. What was even more of a shock was how ready I was to let this immediate dream go. I wasn't completely adverse to making Partner, it was just that I had my mind on other things before I could even thinking of dedicating myself to this goal.

With this realization setting a fire under my ass, I sought out some old friends that made the move to industry, some that were at Amazon or had recently left. They gave me some really good advice and perspective (the good, the bad, and the ugly) about making that transition that I will detail later. By the time, I was finished, I had applied to a job opening for AWS Security, prepping for an interview, coached by a recruiter after a phone screen and was nervously peaking around the corner and hiding my laptop in the EY Office so that my colleagues wouldn't find out.

Cut to me grabbing my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification within two months of the counselor conversation, and interviewing with Amazon a day after my test. A week later, I had accepted the offer and broke the news to leadership and close colleagues with about 3 1/2 weeks notice. Two weeks after I left EY, I was on a plane to Seattle for an introductory security bootcamp and I was on the phone with FedRAMP Representatives, AWS Public Policy, and military industrial complex CIOs on a weekly basis.

Since then, several people have approached me with the differences between the "Big Four" and "Tech". Though I had talking points, I didn't have a comprehensive answer. Now that it's been about a year and a half, I have enough experiences and substance to frame this discussion. Part 2 is where we dive in.

Stay tuned....