Officially Assigned

One day I was sitting in the office thinking I'd be there for another few weeks with nothing to do and the next day I was placed on a project at the client site. Within the consulting industry, firms can win projects overnight and must staff them immediately. So, you never really know what you will be doing each day or really how long the project will be since many times they get extended. That is what makes this field exciting.

Upon arriving at the client site, I entered a room with about 20 people sitting at conference tables with two computers set up each. Everyone appears to be working but there are occasional shouts across the room and lots of movement. My first day is filled with meetings, learning about what my new project will be, who will be working on it and what exactly the client wants as an end result. I'm already starting to see the different personality types of who I will be working with, which is important. This way I will know how to interact with them to get the most work done. Developing a reputation of being productive and good at what you do is the best way to get interesting stuff to work on.

Monday morning should be interesting since it's when we actually start our real work. I am hoping to catch on quickly and get to work, since it is going to be a busy week.

Late Nights and No Overtime

Last night was my first very late night in the office. If I had not had an internship last summer where I experienced the 8pm, 9pm or even 10pm late work nights, I would have been in for quite a shock yester-evening. Leaving the office at 10:45pm was not exactly what I had expected my third week on the job when I wasn't even assigned to a specific project yet. Nonetheless, I was asked to help out wrapping up a project that will be presenting to a client's management this week. I was eager to get to work regardless to the potential late nights.

I was able to learn about the project even though I didn't actually work on it and I was working directly with a partner, which is great visibility for me. The only bad thing about leaving at 10:45pm is the fact that you don't get paid any more than if you had left at 5:45pm. Most professional services employees (accounting, consulting, finance, etc.) are on salary, which means there likely isn't any overtime pay. Though some firms give out end of the year bonuses, sometimes you have to do something exceptional to actually receive one.

Despite this minor setback, you should always have a positive attitude even if you do have to stay late some nights. Most firms are fairly flexible so when you need the time off or have to leave early for an appointment, they are understanding. The relationship between yourself and your employer is a give/give one. If you give a little extra some days, so will your engagement team. What my mom says is really true if you think about it..."It all comes out in the wash."

The Real World Is Officially Amazing

I have only been in the "real world" for approximately two weeks but I am already loving it. The job is going well so far, though I have yet to receive a project. However, let's keep in mind that I have only been working for six business days. Being at work each day keeps me busy and has allowed me to get into a routine, which is very helpful.

There are several reasons why the real world may be even better than college. First of all, I have already gotten my first paycheck. Wow, that was nice. Although I have expenses, I have money left over to spend on whatever I want. I can travel to other cities to visit my friends from college or go shopping. Second, no homework. When I get home from work, that's it. I have nothing that I absolutely have to do before the next morning. This may change as I get more involved in different projects and may have to work on tasks from home, but as of right now, after 5:30pm, I'm home free. This is where the routine comes in. Everyday when I get home from work I get to go running on a beautiful path (well, it's on the side of the highway) near my building. By forcing myself to do this everyday ensures my work out, which I can get very lazy about. Third, you meet so many new people being in a city populated with young professionals. Being friendly goes a long way and you never know when you will meet someone new.

The weekends are very fun here and I have been fortunate enough to have friends from college in town my first two weekends here. They have already started putting their paychecks to good use, coming up from Richmond or down from New York to the DC area. Although you have to find which crowds you fit in with in a city, there are lots of options to choose from and I am looking forward to a variety of social activities over the next few months!

Workin' Girl

Well, the day finally arrived. Monday officially began my career in the world of consulting. I'm sure your wondering, was it all I expected? Am I on the track to becoming a partner? Not quite yet. But I can give you insight into what it has been like so far as an official full-time employee in the consulting arm of a big four accounting firm.

Day One: I was a little bit nervous, but knowing that another girl I knew from college, as well as someone I interned with last summer, were starting the same day eased my fears. However, don't worry if you don't know anyone in your starting class, it is the perfect opportunity to meet new people. You will bond over the awkwardness of not knowing anyone and having to sit through endless firm training. And that is exactly what you will get for at least the first week of your new job. Training, training, training. Any firm you work for wants to make sure that you know all of the resources that are at your fingertips to help you succeed. Our first day was filled with information about the firm's vision, strategic mission and its people. We also received our beautiful brand new laptops which will be ours until we decide to leave the firm. With that comes all of the necessary training of how to connect to the internet, connect remotely from a client, and how to use the online resources available. All in all, it was a good day. I met the new hires in my group, who were extremely friendly and also excited to be starting their careers.

Day Two: I was not so nervous anymore. I knew day two of training would be more of the same technology learning, like how to enter your time and expenses. Although I knew most of the information we went over in the first two days because of my internship at the firm last summer, it was good to have a little refresher. There is not much to say about this as I am getting settled into my routine.

Speaking of getting settled, I moved into my new apartment in Ballston, which is in Arlington, VA. So far, it is absolutely amazing. Though we have had several housekeeping items to take care of, it has worked out perfectly since one of my two other roommates does not start work until next week. She took care of setting up our wireless router (so we can all connect to the internet at once) and settling our issues with the phone and cable channels. Though parking is expensive, I am so glad to have my car here because I can drive to the cheap grocery store up the street rather than going to the expensive one across the street. It may not seem like a big deal, but you notice these things once you have to pay for groceries yourself!

So, all is going well here in the Nation's Capital (well, close to the Capitol at least)!