Prior to my final year at University of California, Berkeley, where I majored in Political Economy, I was thrilled to come across a company like Accenture and a program like the HR Talent Accelerator Program (TAP). As someone who was still puzzling over a future career, it was like finding the missing piece.
For my Accenture TAP internship, I was based at the New York offices where I actually met with Accenture CEO Julie Sweet and with Jimmy Etheridge, CEO of North America. They had stopped by unannounced to introduce themselves shortly after the announcement of their new roles. I was amazed that the top officers of such a huge global enterprise would take time out of their day to chat with me—a young person still in college and only beginning to think seriously about a career.
I had two managers during the summer internship, and they were both very helpful and supportive. They set aside time throughout the summer to work with me to understand my goals—professional and personal—and help me see the various pathways that were open to me. Then, when the internship ended, I was overjoyed to receive the offer of a full-time position. Needless to say, I accepted, and in September of last year my Accenture career was officially launched.