My journey from an end user to a consultancy

Having spent the majority of my career working for an end user across both FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods) and the professional services industry, I knew deep down that I desperately needed a change as the job became monotonous and, to be honest, boring. However, there were more pressing questions I kept asking myself:

• Am I being exposed to the latest technologies?
• Am I developing as a person?
• Is my career heading in an upward trajectory?

After some serious contemplation the answer was a resounding NO!

So I started to ask myself, what’s keeping me here? Well that was simple, I had a good work-life balance, was in a fixed location all the time, my workload was more than manageable, and I had flexibility to work from home whenever I wanted to.

Having weighed  the advantages and disadvantages of leaving, I can firmly say that the former won, and I made the decision to leave. Feeling very Whoop! Whoop! I started to think about my future, which was quickly followed by a feeling of trepidation, then excitement, and then confusion.

After some hard thinking, I came to the conclusion that I had to go and work for a consultancy to develop and learn about new technologies and grow as a person. There was however one niggling question regarding equal opportunity. I’ve always read it can be difficult for women in consultancy – but this was all unsubstantiated.

Anyway, to make a long story short – after several interviews with different consultancies, I decided to join Capgemini, and to this day that is the best career decision I have ever made.

Over the last 12 months, I’ve worked with three different clients. These may have been short assignments away from home, but that wasn’t a bad thing. I wanted exposure to a different way of working, I wanted to learn new technologies and to meet new people – and I got exactly what I wanted.

Most importantly, throughout this journey, Capgemini has invested in me and helped me to develop and grow as a person. My reporting manager(s) have been fantastic. They’ve pushed me to learn new things, especially the soft-skills side of the job – which, to be honest, was a little weak!

There’s also a growing network for women in IT at Capgemini, which is refreshing and really insightful, helpful, and something I enjoy being part of.

You’ll see from my LinkedIn profile that I don’t really write anything apart from liking others’ posts, so for me to write this personal note has created some nervousness on how people will receive it, especially with what’s going on in the world. Regardless, I feel I now have much more confidence in my ability to do precisely this.

On a final note, I spent 13 years working in an end-user environment and always thought the transition to a consultancy would be very challenging and difficult. It is, and will continue to be. However if you have an open mind, except that you want to develop your career and learn new things then the transition is much easier. It is about taking the leap and trusting yourself.

Thank you Capgemini for supporting, developing, and encouraging me over the last year!

Hinal Kansagra

SAP BI Solution Architect