I had a really rough go at Accenture. Now, those of you that had a different experience and loved it - great. Good for you, really don't need to hear how hurt you are that someone else's experience wasn't as stellar as yours.
I was there only since April, but my average YTD utilization has been 130%. Between taking a paycut and working at least 30% unpaid overtime, the only real benefit to it all has been health benefits. Which I had to use, since I was so burned out and my health started to show signs of burn out.
Today was my last day on the project and I did not even give notice. I took time off, but I am not coming back. Going to go indie again - at least if I am going to work my ass of on a project that I don't really care for, I might as well be paid for it.
On one hand, I do have pangs of doubt - am I making the right move going for more money and WLB controlled by project budget, not a whimsy of a sociopathic manager that has no concept of normal schedule. On the other hand, it hasn't sunk in. These last 5 months have felt like 5 years, non-stop from 8am sometimes until 2am. Working on shit that is completely useless outside of this place. Regressing in my development.
All this is now in a rear view mirror and yet it seems unreal.
Wonder if any of you ever felt that way - free, yet unable to process it and believe it is real. I feel all this will slip away and Tuesday morning my Groundhog day will pick up right where I left off.
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Hello, there. Thank you for the post - Making the call requires a certain amount of courage and self-awareness.
I'm posting to let you know you're not alone in your experience and to offer moral support, for whatever it's worth - and I completely understand where you're coming from.
The constant slide-fixing, attempting to interpret ambiguous directions on proposals and deliverables, crazy personalities, dirty politics, backstabbing, and inane hours are all next level. What's more insane is the constant pressure on you to demonstrate to everyone why you deserve to be there.
For context, I started at D in March from the industry and was about to resign on Monday but am now unsure if it was the right decision. I'm so exhausted that I'm taking on a part-time job to help me recover. But now I'm wondering if I should stick it out for a few more months.
Perhaps it's Stockholm syndrome..
Don't over think it. I've walked out of 6 figure jobs with nothing lined up and survived. Multiple times. Job ain't nothing but work
Sage words.. I think we have to remind ourselves of that every once in a while.
It is. Pull the rip cord. This doesn't sound healthy at all
Was this in their financial services hiring spree back in March? I've been called a few times about those jobs.
Not fin services but more legal / regulatory compliance
I think that was one of them I got called for. Glad I passed on those!
I left a Big4 doing similarly mindless, career regressive work after 3.5 years and remember the same sense of disbelief when it was all over. The constant, low level “I hate this shit” stress was gone. After a ton of self-education in the evenings, I pulled a career 360 and started in a role (M&A for renewable plants) that was nothing even remotely close to my 3.5 years of experience and it was the best career decision I’ve made so far. Hours and pay are far better, work has immediate and tangible impact, fascinating industry, and coworkers are sharp but also normal human beings. Sometimes jumping ship is the right thing to go.
If you did a career 360, you'd be right back on your same old bullshit 😎
Hope it was at least a 360 no-scope
The guy is still in Big4 but doesn't know it
https://youtu.be/AiCF1QdyxhM
OP is a Fermion.
I've been happy in indie roles for 20 years. This was first time going back to FTE and it didn't feel right. I hear stories of people advancing to SM or travel and perks. During this time it's none of that + extra long hours, with none of the advantages. People don't really care about your WLB and "Yeah, I'm gonna have to go ahead and get you to come in on Saturday.. m and Sunday m. M and until 2am"
Nope. Done. Fuck off
This sounds like a bad fit for big consulting, they don’t know how to use you on projects. You’re a better fit for boutique focused on your skill area.
If you happen to work in supply chain or transportation, DM me.
20 years? Did you join as an expert Senior Manager because anything else is just asking for trouble not only in Accenture but any consulting firm. Also never ever take a pay cut if you’re an experienced hire. It just means you’re settling for a role that’s not senior enough.
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Okay. Yeah, hopefully the money kept you afloat through the tough times and good luck with your next gig.
What are you doing exactly? It sounds really cool!
If it makes you feel any better, I have yet to meet anyone who had a good time at Accenture.
I started my career there and absolutely loved it. Caveats - I was in the strategy consulting group, my first project I latched on to an MD and SM that took care of me, and I had an advisor that would stand up for me to get me on good projects with good teams.
I now run my own 70+ person consulting and tech firm, and I’m 31.
I look at Accenture like attending a big university. It’s really easy to get lost in the masses, but if you find your “people” and work hard you can make a great experience. But you need to take control of your career path otherwise it’ll whip you around.
I've actually seen multiple experienced hires with 20+ experience low balled into L7. Wonder if internal demographics would stand up to age discrimination scrutiny...
Do not compare pre-COVID ACN to sweatshop of today. With all the perks gone and WFH boundaries under constant WLB strain, you are not in Kansas anymore
I’m sorry you had that experience. What was your average weekly hours? How often were the 8am-2am days?
jumping in: i had a accenture PM based in hawaii and israel. we were east coast based.
she'd expect us to work around her hours as well as client hours. zero sleep. if microsoft teams/outlook dinged on your phone, she wanted an immediate answer. 1 am, 3 am, 5 am.. didn't matter. 'most people have problems with my work style'=red flag
i'm with a new company with healhty boundaries and it's amazing.
Well, this guy was really hurt that my COVID era WFH experience tarnished his "good ol days" memories. How dare my apple not be his orange?
I was at Accenture for a few years—fucking weird culture at that place. There was a tight knit clique that had been at Accenture since they graduated college, and you’d have thought you were talking about they mamas if you said anything bad about the place.
Frankly, I don’t think it’s good or healthy for someone in consulting to spend 15-20+ years at one firm.
Still there. Experienced hires are not as likely to last
The whole thing about “network to find your next project” makes for a really fucked up culture for experienced hires. I don’t think my senior manager who’d been there for 12-13 years since college understood how ridiculous that was to say to a manager who’d been there 5-6 months, most of it remote due to Covid.
Accenture and their subsidiary Avanade are terrible companies. I worked for them with a great track record, promoted, good reviews for 3 years and then had to take medical leave due to burnout issues similar to what you were describing. Within a month after returning I was fired for a completely made up reason due only to the fact that I took medical leave.
They fired me one month into covid and my unemployment claim took almost 2 months before I started getting paid.
Horrible company, good thing you got out. I hope you are successful in your next job/opportunity. Luckily with the way the economy is right now you will likely be successful right out of the gate. In my case, I wasn't that lucky due to covid.
Avanade ghosted me on the 3rd round of interviews (final, with MD) right before COVID. Recruiter, one would think, was like a BFF. And then he vanished. No explanation or rejection..
I later heard from someone else they had a hiring freeze, but no one bothered to even let me know. I also had a long stretch of unemployment and this was one of the jobs that fell into my lap. I had a feeling it wouldn't be a good fit, since I know people who burned out of ACN. I figured my experience would be different and I would be able to push back.
This, ironically, is what you hear from some blowhards ACN alumni: "oh, you're a beta bitch and you should have set boundaries. I never had to work OT and I was fine. You're just a failed consultant"
The reality is that even if you wanted to push back, being one of two people on the project with the skills to do the work makes you that cog that allows 60 other people to do their job. If you stop, the work stops. There is no one else and you can't just take someone green and tell them to make it work. So, you have a choice - tell your project lead to go pound sand and face the consequences... Or do the fucking work.
I've heard: "oh, no one is irreplaceable, you're not so special. At 5pm you should disconnect like a boss"
Oh yeah, champ? You move to a small town with 2 doctors and tell me how that would hold up when your town's two docs are out. Sure, nurse can triage your bleeding asshole, but she won't cut out your tumor... Nor would you expect or want her to.
No, we're not saving lives. We're doing something even more important - making rich people richer and you don't fuck with that, unless you want to face consequences.
Entitled trust fund bootlickers, ffs. /Rant
Welcome to the better part of life
Best believe if Accenture billed top dollar for that contract and then stiffed you on paying for your overtime I’d be content to leave too.
You didn’t even give notice? That, and some of your word choices, make me wonder if you’re the problem
Win/win then. And English isn't my first language. I don't have to justify my choices, including words, to you or anyone else.
I kind of agree, to be honest.
I wanted to read the post since I'm in ACN and was curious, but this feels like a huge bshit rant tbh.
I mean, idk which market he's in, but in UK - this wouldnt slide lol.
Lots of his comments make him seem like a pretty annoying person tbh
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lol, what is this😂
You need me to translate?
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Accenture
Congratulations on finishing what in hindsight will be one of the most challenging periods of your life
Anyone that has been harmed by Accenture, US citizens, contact me and join my class action suit Bayat vs Accenture, a discrimination suit.
Do you were in Accenture Technology or in Strategy ?