“View every experience as a learning opportunity that gets you closer to your goal”

Ruben (24) is a native of Beveren where he is a founding member of Studio 98, a non-profit that organizes events for local youth under the tagline “Expect the Unexpected”. He had the same feeling when joining Accenture in 2021…  

I mainly chose Accenture because of the people. I attended a business case evening where I observed the way Accenture colleagues interacted with each other. It felt more like friendship than a co-working relationship. Everyone was open to answer any kind of question, even about the less fun aspects of the job. And it was the same when I talked to these people on LinkedIn afterwards. I found this so appealing I decided to apply. The business case also appealed to me of course! 

To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started… I was surprised to discover that nearly every project was focused on digitalization. This was most challenging aspect for me because I have no background in digital technologies or IT (I studied chemical engineering at university, followed by a master in global management). Several months of learning on the job and following Accenture’s Technology Quotient (TQ) training modules helped me a lot, and it all makes more sense to me now!  

I get huge satisfaction from finding the root cause of a problem. My current focus is on helping users of a new platform when they get stuck and making sure they can get moving again as fast as possible. The issues they log can have a big impact, so it sometimes gets stressful. However, I get a real thrill when we help these people and fix their problems by working as a team. 

Flexibility is well established at Accenture, and it cuts both ways. When something important pops up in your private life (for example, a medical checkup), you are free to focus 100% on that. In return, you just work a bit later another day to catch up. I appreciate this flexibility, and that we are trusted to do the right thing.  

As an enthusiastic footballer (Sunday league level) I know that nothing beats teamwork. It’s the same at Accenture. We grow and succeed as a team, but at the same time, you’re accepted for who you are and respected for what you bring to the table.  

By nature, I’m quite cautious, and this has stopped me from following some of my dreams in the past. I’m learning to overcome this at Accenture. As Suzy Kassem said, “Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will”. Her words inspire me to remember that it’s OK to make a bad decision, or a mistake. It’s important to view every experience as a learning opportunity that gets you closer to your goal.