I’m a recent accounting graduate from a school in Philadelphia that isn’t UPenn.  Currently working as a tax prep at a retail location,  as it was the only option I had immediately post-grad that would allow me to continue pursuing my CPA.  Given my substandard grades (3.0 major, 2.7 cumulative), jumping immediately into Big4 is an impossibility, and I’m thinking it will be tough to get a job in public at all.  In an ideal world, I’d be want to work in either forensic auditing or in a client advocacy-focused service line, like tax, or ideally, consulting.

The best points on my resume are my successes at a couple Big4-sponsored case competitions that I participated during my studies.

What sorts of steps should I be taking in order to move myself towards my career goals?