**IT CONSULTANT**
By Kristy, Minneapolis
I graduated from a private university with a B.A. in Financial Management. After a few months of job searching the usual financial analyst and accounting roles, I unexpectedly took an offer from one of the world’s largest IT consulting firms as a consulting analyst. Currently, my role is a project-based, functional lead responsible for gathering business requirements and acting as a liaison between the technical and Client teams.
8:30 AM My typical day begins with coffee and a brief moment to collect myself. I get to my paper-scattered desk and plug in my still-running-from-the-night-before laptop. After deleting the mass spam of emails, I focus on the important few before running to my first meeting.
9:00 AM Meeting with the Client team, comprised of analysts, managers and a director, to apprise them of the project status and set a tactical plan for the upcoming week.
10:30 AM The project team convenes for a requirements session to design the application. The business team describes what they need to have for the application to meet their functional needs while the technical team pushes back due to “technical limitations” or cost efficiencies. Although the banter can sometimes be amusing due to the personalities in the room, it is mostly stressful to try and find the right balance between technology and business requirements.
12:00 PM Off to lunch! Gather a few friends and make our way to the cafeteria, full with a variety of menu selections and a sea of divided tables. We sit and discuss our respective weekends while trying to steer the conversation away from work. A turkey sandwich and a few laughs later, we all head back.
1:00 PM Check-in with the project analyst to ensure she is focusing on the right tasks, such as: documenting meeting outcomes and identifying inputs to our project deliverables.
3:00 PM Meet with a broader project team and Client sponsors to discuss project status and identify issues or risks to the budget, timeline or resources. Conversation is usually high-level and heavy with a few forced chuckles.
6:00 PM Review tomorrow’s calendar, finish the last few items of the day and pack up anything that is “late-night” worthy. Finally, I’m off to fight with traffic before reaching home and plugging in my laptop – again.
8:30 PM Check email to ensure nothing has come up before settling down for the latest episode of The Hills.
