Making the right choice

It’s that time of year again. The days get shorter, the wind blows colder and IT and consulting companies, armed with freebies and enthusiastic young employees, embark on their tour of university fairs. Capgemini is ready, are you?

As a student, visiting your graduate fair is the first positive step you can take to securing the job you know you’ve wanted. Or like me, it’s the chance to discover a potential career in technology consulting, which you might not have thought was possible. I find myself now, writing this, three months into the Business Technology Consulting graduate programme (BTC) at Capgemini. I am confident I made the right choice.

Before you consider what is right for you, take a moment to think about any preconceptions you have. Now forget them. You may think "…but I need a technical degree" – no, is the simple answer. I come from a non-technical background, which equips you with an invaluable set of soft skills, something a consultant requires on a daily basis. If you like to have the latest smart phone, buy your clothes online and then tweet, or update your status about it, ask yourself "…do I have a passion for technology?" If you answered yes, approach the Capgemini stand at the Fair.

First impressions count. Showing a genuine interest in what a company does means you’re prepared. Capgemini recognises this and a graduate’s hard work and commitment from the outset. In return they make sure you gain as much as possible from your time on the BTC programme.

So you’ve got the passion, the degree and the company’s latest deals scribbled on your fair brochure but Capgemini is there to tell you what they can do for you. Capgemini offers you a career working in one of the most thriving and ever changing industries in the world. In a time where technology is rapidly evolving most notably through cloud computing, you can be working with businesses through their technological transformation. Capgemini prides itself on being unique from other companies, and it’s true. From day one, I am in control of my own career, from pursuing one of the numerous roles available or deciding on a business unit I want to move into; you, with the guidance and help of the programme, decide what fits best. There is no formal six month rotation policy; from the beginning you are different from every other graduate, and that is definitely a good thing. Time spent on a project will never be the same as the next. Along the way you’ll find a wealth of training at your fingertips (literally, through the e-learning portal online!).

As the graduate fair draws to a close, ask yourself whether Capgemini is where you see your fledgling career in business technology consulting beginning. If it is, I assure you you won’t regret it. In a difficult job market, the best thing one can do is be positive – about the choice you’ve made and the company you’ve chosen.