Pros
- Training opportunities can be decent (if you convince management to pay for them) - When you start they fly all new employees at your level from all over the world to Chicago to undergo a 2 week training course (read: lots of drinking and making lots of international friends) - Ample paid time off but…
Cons
- …good luck finding an “acceptable time” to use it. - Salaries are low - Bonuses are lower… (the highest 5% of performers rarely get above 10% of salary; the middle 60% gets closer to 4% of salary) - Recruiters flat out lied to me (and several others I’ve since met) about the bonus structure/promotion cycle - The only behavior that is consistently rewarded is an obnoxious level of kissing a** - Promotions/raises only come once per year through an extremely lengthy, formalized, and broken ranking process - The “support structure” that was touted so heavily in the recruiting process is non-existent - HR reps are only interested in finding you a project as soon as possible regardless of its fit for your skills/interests - Career counselors are, more often than not, more interested in becoming career counselors to further their own careers than helping you with yours Accenture’s biggest problem, however, is its people. The types of people who stay with Accenture are typically bureaucratic and unimpressive intellectually. Accenture “lifers” tend to ensure they are surrounded by the same “yes men” throughout their careers and will do all that they can to get them promoted over more qualified applicants who challenge their ideas. Overall, Accenture is a fine place to work if you enjoy receiving a paycheck commensurate with a 40 hour work week despite the 80 hours stated on your time report. You must be willing to tolerate (and even feign enjoying) the presence of people who cannot think for themselves. You will be living in a never ending Dilbert comic strip where everybody is either Wally or the Pointy-Haired Boss.