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With a sister already working for the company, Accenture was definitely on Eric Fahsl’s list of prospective employers. “My sister told me a lot about Accenture and the company also had a strong recruiting presence on the campus,” says Eric, a computer-science graduate of Indiana’s Purdue University and now a consultant at Accenture. “I went through the interview process and the more employees I met, the more I liked what I saw.” Eric joined Accenture in 2005 to work for Custom Solutions Architecture
within the Technology Architecture
group.
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The Custom Solutions Architecture team is focused on building small custom applications, typically Web-based, to meet the specific business needs of clients on the path toward high performance. Eric says that he finds himself using the Spring and Hibernate frameworks a great deal, and has specialized in them.
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In the beginning
For example, his first project involved creating applications to bridge the gaps in third-party software being used by a client. “It’s a satisfying job, because it involves providing smart solutions to actual, very specific business problems,” explains Eric. “We really try to make a difference in the ways our clients do business. I find it very interesting to work for many different clients and see how they have created their architectures—it’s a great way to learn new ways of doing things. It’s also a fast-paced environment, which can be a little stressful at times, but it’s also great fun!”
Eric was privileged to work on one of the teams on an exciting project for a leading North American sports association.
The project involved building a user-interactive website from the ground up to help the association benefit from merchandising opportunities and, more importantly, provide an interactive, satisfying experience for fans. The team used many of the technologies that are said to form part of Web 2.0. “It was great to be working right on the cutting edge of what the technology can do,” Eric says.
Like his Accenture colleague Duston Mounts, Eric found working within the agile development framework to be largely beneficial. Working in close, cross-disciplinary teams meant that progress was palpable. “The only issue can be that sometimes code written by different people isn’t initially compatible,” Eric says. “But with good communication, that’s not a major problem.”
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What he has found
Speaking more generally, Eric praises the breadth and depth of expertise within Accenture. Not only is this network responsive to requests for input from developers on a project, it creates a knowledge culture that is pervasive.
“After a project, one has the opportunity to contribute new knowledge back to the organization,” Eric notes. One of the benefits of this constantly expanding knowledge base is the updated templates and frameworks that exist, which provide a good head start on any project, especially with regard to non-development issues.
Since the successful completion of the sports association project, Eric is working for a major entertainment company, helping it to create an internal website using many of the same innovative technologies. He is gradually beginning to take on new management responsibilities as his career develops.
“My technology background will always be a help as this facet develops because I can help gather the client’s requirements that much more effectively,” he says. Meanwhile, he advises anyone thinking of a career within Accenture to ensure they take full advantage of the opportunities to gain a variety of experiences—“Working for Accenture means that one actually works for many clients. This means one gets more exposure to different industries and ways of doing things than would be possible for somebody working for a single company,” he concludes.
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