Pros
- 25 paid days for vacation (although you don't have sick days separated out) - tons of company benefits, discounts to tickets, 15% ESPP discount, - Mileage and hotel points for car rents, travel expense, etc. - High caliber individuals, bright and hard working - Large firm with experience across multiple areas from strategic development, project implementation, outsourcing management, IT implementation, process design, etc. - Large network of co-workers around the globe, people you can reach out to talk about anything - Constantly working to improve the company, high efficient management in developing shareholder value While many people have given reviews of their experience at Accenture, I'd start by saying that because Accenture is such a large company with many different groups, located in different geographies, performing different work, at different pay scale, one shouldn't take any specific positive or negative reviews. The experiences of any one individual can be vastly different from another. With that said, I think Accenture is a great place for anyone to start out fresh from college. I've had the chance to work across multiple industry on various projects from strategic visioning sessions with C level executives to detailed design and project implementation. While many individuals have noted that Accenture is traditionally an IT implementation shop heavy on the technical side, I would caution that by saying Accenture also has offerings in many other areas. Is Accenture better than the MBB? In many areas, the answer is clearly no. For one, there is a brand difference. But I wouldn't necessarily say that the individuals I've work with at Accenture are any less bright than ones I've met from MBB. Would I have traded up to MBB if I had the chance? Probably, but that isn't to say I don't value the things I've learned at Accenture. The partners I've worked with are smart, honest, hardworking, and willing to spend the time to teach and mentor junior staff. I honestly believe that two years at a consulting company provides more experience than two similar years in any industry.
Cons
- Service industry, can be at the beck and call of clients - Travel can become tiresome (e.g., 6 hour red-eye flights, 12-20 hour days) - Projects can be boring (but at least they are sometimes short) - Large firm means you have to drive your own career, no hand holding - Bureaucratic at times, many levels of management - Pay is not at the top compared to other firms There are down sides of any consulting company. Key ones at Accenture are no different than any other service industry where you can be at the mercy of your project manager, client manager, and/or client/project. Hours can be long, sometimes requiring overnighters. Competition within the firm can be very fierce because everyone is an A player. They pay doesn't rise as fast as private firms. The lifestyle isn't conducive to family and friends.