Why I chose Accenture to launch my career in innovation
February 5, 2020
A graduate of the world-leading Faculty of Transdisciplinary Innovation at UTS, Sophie wanted a job where her experimental mindset would be pushed to its limits. She chose Accenture for its innovation culture, breadth of opportunities and commitment to supporting its people.
I coupled my business degree at The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) by simultaneously studying an extra degree in Creative Intelligence and Innovation. It’s a world-first program teaching critical and creative thinking, invention, innovation and entrepreneurship across all disciplines.
By the time I finished, I knew I wanted to work at the fringes of technology – getting involved in emerging areas right at the start of my career so I’d be an expert by the time they became mainstream.
Why I joined Accenture
When I looked to begin my career in innovation, Accentu8re was my first choice. I loved that I would get experience across lots of different industries and projects because Accenture is truly transdisciplinary. I work in cross-functional teams – learning from these diverse people all the time.
Under our new Analyst and Associate Career Experience (AACE) program, grads also have the freedom to explore different industries and areas of the business. My first project was working with a consumer goods company, and now I’m making waves in the financial services space.
With some friends from my degree at uni
What innovation means to me (it’s not just a buzzword!)
I was always interested in emerging tech because of its power to drive change. But since joining Accenture I’ve come to realise that innovation isn’t all about technology. Technology can be an innovation tool, but innovation itself is actually about being open to trying new things. It can be as simple as taking a look at an existing process and tweaking it to get a completely new outcome. And it doesn’t have to be a big, shiny thing – innovation can be small scale and the outcome can still be incredibly transformative.
Volunteering for Eat Up at the Accenture Sydney Office
What it’s like to work at the forefront of innovation
I’m 10 months in and I’ve already been involved in some ‘first of its kind’ work in Applied Intelligence Platforms and on a proposal for an implementation that will be a first for Australia. Here, that’s the norm.
At Accenture there is a culture of innovation. A few years ago an Accenture team pioneered FORM – a design thinking methodology that I’d learnt about in my degree. It’s a different way of working that helps unleash innovation and creative thought – kind of like the evolution of design thinking. Within my first month at Accenture, I was taking this way of working I’d learnt at uni and and applying it to solve real-world client problems!
I attribute a lot of our innovation culture to the constant investment in growing our people through mentoring, learning and development. I’m stoked that, after just 10 months, I’m about to attend our Consulting University (yes, we have our own university!) where people come from Accenture offices all over the world get to learn new skills, share knowledge and develop their innovation potential. I think it’s an amazing opportunity for a grad.
Working on a social robotics project as part of a practical during my degree
When I started, the biggest game changer was getting access to Accenture’s global network of experts. It’s blown my mind that already I’m collaborating with people on a global scale. If I want advice from someone with expertise in a specific field, we have a world-class pioneer in that discipline. It’s innovation on steroids! We even have our own internal innovation currency for people wanting to get their ideas off the ground. We’re all about helping others to learn and grow as a collective. Whenever a project is in a ground-breaking area, it’s a major priority for the team to spread the learnings.
I’m the type who gets bored easily and the flexible nature of the work we do at Accenture means work never gets stale. Here, you’re constantly pivoting towards a new problem and learning new skills. I pick up industry knowledge all the time working with different clients and colleagues.
It’s also super-fast-paced. You get to meet a lot of people really quickly, so as a fresh grad it’s great for your network. I can’t recommend it highly enough as a springboard to a career in innovation.
Are you strategic, curious and 100% unique like Sophie? Want to do meaningful work where you can truly make a difference to some of Australia’s most iconic brands, helping them transform their businesses from the inside out? Then learn more about our grad roles today!
