newb123 you need to think through your priorities - not just now but for the next 5 years and beyond. Nothing wrong with assurance work like you are doing now, as you say the hours are stable, nothing too demanding, and corporate finance will be a big culture shock. If you want a stable, comfortable like without too many demands being made on you a career in assurance will suit very well - and of course you may have opportunities to move across into regulatory or risk management work in due course. With Operational Risk increasingly the focus of bank attention, this will in time be a lucrative and interesting career path.Corporate Finance at least down the pub is far more glamourous. Fast progression if you are good, but very prone to peaks and troughs in the market itself, the hours can be brutal, but salaries will quickly outpace what you can achieve in controls. And you future in corp finance will almost certainly lie outside the Big 4 after you get a couple of years experience under your belt. A move into PE, restructuring houses, or banks wouldnt be out of the question. But you will make sacrifices.Tough call - both appealing in their own ways.
