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Vault Message Board: Accenture

Topic Name: Project
Message Name: pff
Date Posted: 03/08/2006
In Reply To: You are naive to think that, tho I can understand that you probably heard this from your career counselor and from your coworkers who heard this from their co-workers and from each other. If you hear it enough, it becomes a mantra and everyone starts repeating it to each other. As far as getting training is concerned, if you read the original post, you will see that the problem is, despite whatever area the poster received training in, before he came to ACN, they seem to ignore it and want to put him wherever he is needed most by ACN. Of course, once you get to ACN, your opportunity for any training comes to an end, as we all know. So there won't be any opportunity to build skills of your choice by going to a class or two -- nor will there be any time to take a class in the evening or on weekends at your own expense, especially if you are staffed out of town. SMGRs aren't going to help you. They want to get promoted to middle management (SE level), so they will do whatever they need for their own success. Also, they think on a project to project basis. Since the staff, including the junior managers (SMGR) and middle managers (1st level SEs) that you work with change from project to project, their goal is for you to complete the current project at hand and nothing more. They don't care about where that project fits within your own, personal, progression of work experiences. Re: ACN career 2 to 5 years (if that many)at an employer does not consitute a "career." Re: say what you want to do Unless you say that what you want to do is whatever is best for ACN, you will categorized as "not a team player." Having personal "wants" and goals is considered selfish within the ACN culture. Once you are here for a while, you will understand this.
Try not to fall for the rumors and spin that comes from the internal PR and from the more junior employees (less than 3 or 4 years experience) who want to believe the mythology (ACN is a management consulting firm -- myth. ACN has training -- myth. ACN is interested in your career -- myth. You move from an IT career at ACN into some non-IT work out in industry, like financial analysis, engineering, management consulting, investment banking -- super myth. ACN is just Andersen Consulting with a name change -- that a very popular, and dangerous, myth). I hope you will take what I say seriously and not participate in perpetuating these myths and internal urban legends. Good luck.
Message: I really have no clue what sort of situation you are in, but in my country/group it is exactly how I describe it in my previous mail... Just dont be so: "oohhh ACN is so terrible, its all ACNers fault that I'm not doing what I want to do..". If you have this attitude you will not come far at ACN.. Smgrs an SE really appreciate it when you set your own path at ACN, you just have to help them help you! e.g. if you want to do more BC in CRM: go to CRM meetings, do learning modules, try to contact SE on CRM, do a nice classroom course in CRM and tell you Career counseler that you like that stuff!! It really works, in my case! but you have to be positive and proactive.. than doors will go open for you.. and of course, very important: be smart how you say this!! thats all....

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