professional development – Page 4

Consulting Work Life Balance

March 3, 2021 cwong0102Leave a comment

On Monday, we spoke about time management in a room on Clubhouse hosted by be.boldest with other women in consulting such as Way Into Consulting, Kristina Choi, and management.consultant.

PST, check them out, they are AMAZING resources if you’re interested in consulting!

What I found very important to keep in mind of with time management is not to just manage your time around work and career but also to pencil in time for your own mental health. Work life balance in consulting could be exceptionally hard to juggle a side hustle and time for yourself to destress and relax, but it’s not always as bad as everyone says it is. It’s more like a rollercoaster on which firm, client, and role. Even down to the project stage.

You should still prepare for those 80 hour (let’s pray it never gets that high) work weeks if you’re interested in consulting, but it should be temporary. Otherwise, you need to set your boundaries and value your mental health and relationships!

⬇️ Comment down below on what is important to you in work life balance!

Follow me on Instagram at @christine.innovates for more! I go over technology consulting, technology, consulting, careers, and also my own personal stories and narratives as a young working professional!

What if you don’t know the answer?

February 10, 2021February 10, 2021 cwong0102Leave a comment

I love this because we are always asked to know the answers! But how exactly should you answer questions you don’t know? Deflecting is not the way, but there are so many other ways you can respond to clients (or team members!) when they ask a question!

Especially in my first year in consulting, I didn’t know anything about Workday, the industry my clients were in, and “best practices.” I had to start from the ground up but I did draw from my experiences in my past jobs and internships! You always want to be honest and transparent but also be a trustworthy and knowledgeable consultant even when you just graduated. Here are my takes!

What is your go to and how would you rank these yourself in order of preference! Do you have something else you do instead? Share them in a comment down below!

A special quote from Michelle Lam

February 5, 2021 cwong0102Leave a comment

My good friend Michelle N. Lam, otherwise known as @mewtripled, once told me this. As random as it sounds, it’s actually very relevant in almost everything in life.

You need to take the first move yourself and take what YOU want. Don’t wait for others to take it before you and then regret you didn’t do so earlier. You want to take that leap of faith even if you don’t know you’ll make it, but at least you’ll know you tried.

That actually was kind of how my YouTube channel started where I was wondering why there was no content on tech consulting available to so many people who actually want to pursue this career. It’s discouraging one informational interview after another that you get a “it depends” but no one giving a true answer (albeit many answers but at least AN answer), so I was like why not? I took the leap of faith and I have no regrets! I managed to build an online community on Facebook called the Technology Consulting Community with over 1,500 members across the works in 70+ countries!

I have no regrets and while this particular quote wasn’t the one that actually got me to press record, @mewtripled came swooping in saying ya just gotta do it and I did. I’ve been loving it ever since!

FINDING A JOB DURING A PANDEMIC: Job Search Strategies & Tips 2020 | TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONALS

November 17, 2020November 17, 2020 cwong0102Leave a comment

New exciting and helpful podcast episode!

https://linktr.ee/christinepodcast

We all know that finding a job can get very stressful, but we all know too well that job hunting and navigating the recruitment process during a pandemic is even harder.

I gathered a few members of the Technology Consulting Community from around the world with diverse backgrounds to share their experiences, tips, and strategies on their process landing a good technology consulting job during these unprecedented times! Hopefully you find this extremely useful and helpful for your job search! These tips and strategies we discussed apply to all careers, all walks of life, and all backgrounds – not just during the pandemic!

We will have a LIVE Q&A exclusive to the Technology Consulting Community as well! Join the Technology Consulting Community Facebook Group and meet other aspiring and current technology consultants to network and learn more!

WHAT would you do as a TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANT

July 30, 2020 cwong0102Leave a comment

I often get the questions on what exactly do technology consultants do on a day to day basis, and while that is a very difficult question to answer, and if you ask any consultant, they’re going to say “it depends.” I remember being a college student getting that same answer in all my informational interviews, but now that I’m actually IN the field, I have a clear image of what is out there and finally found a way to break it all down in a digestible format for you!

In this video, I go over the type of work and the type of projects you may expect as a technology consultant. As I only do software implementations, I’ve also asked other technology consultants and their experiences, so this should be a pretty comprehensive video on what kind of work you can expect to do!

My channel focuses on professional development but I also highlight my experience, lifestyle, and insights into a career in technology consulting in hopes to encourage more women to consider this amazing career – especially in STEM!

Any questions at all about the information I provided or about Accenture or technology consulting, please let me know!

TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING | Everything You Need to Know Before You START YOUR JOB

July 23, 2020 cwong0102Leave a comment

If you just received an offer in technology consulting or just want to know what you’re getting yourself into, you’re probably beyond confused on exactly HOW it really is working in a consulting firm. It’s definitely not a typical corporate company, so buckle your seatbelts and get transported to the world of technology consulting!

In this video, I go over what kind of lifestyle of work to expect, your clientele, different project methodologies, what can help you get promoted and work you’re expected to do on top of client work, and some tips I have for you on how to get staffed on your first project. This will give you an accurate depiction of how your life can be as a technology consultant! I’ve also gathered information and experiences from other technology consultants as well.

Any questions at all about the information I provided or about Accenture or technology consulting, please let me know!

WORK LIFE BALANCE as a TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANT

July 20, 2020 cwong0102Leave a comment

Consulting is notorious for bad work life balance with long hours, excruciating work load, maybe toxic work environment, but I’m breaking misconceptions and providing an honest and realistic point of view in technology consulting work life balance. Hint: technology consulting actually has a better work life balance than management consulting!

In this video, I touch points on how work life balance is when you’re traveling onsite to client location and when you’re working from home. This will give you an accurate depiction of how your life can be as a technology consultant! I’ve also gathered information and experiences from other technology consultants as wll.

Any questions at all about the information I provided or about Accenture or technology consulting, please let me know!

10 Tips on how I ACTUALLY Saved Money in NYC!

July 2, 2020 cwong0102Leave a comment

I released a video last week on my debt-free journey, and as promised, here are the tips I have on how to save money! New York City is notorious for being super expensive, but it is still possible to save a lot of money! I tell you all the tips I used to ACTUALLY save enough money to pay off $50,000 of student loans in one year!

Despite the title, I broke this video up into two parts. The first half is focused on general tips ANYONE can use. The second half is focused on not-so-obvious tips New Yorkers can use while living in this expensive city! I’ve even given these tips to my friends born and raised in NYC and they weren’t even aware of half of these tips you can save even more money.

I wanted to note that I think the BIGGEST reasons why many can’t meet their financial goals are really denial, lifestyle creep, and discipline. Just because you live in NYC or an expensive city like LA or SF doesn’t mean you can’t save. In fact, I’ve compared my budget to someone down south and I actually spend less than him. Due to COVID19, almost everyone is trying to spend less (and even saving their stimulus package when you should be “stimulating” the economy) and some are even missing bills. The first step on meeting your financial goals with a fool-proof plan no matter how bad it gets is really acknowledging where you’re at and what you need to do to meet them, being aware of lifestyle creep, and lastly, DISCIPLINE to stick to the plan. In my video, I’m not trying to teach how to live like a barbarian, but there are SO many tips anyone can use to still live a good life and save your money so it’s sustainable.

DEBT FREE JOURNEY IN NYC: $50,000 of STUDENT LOANS

June 25, 2020 cwong0102Leave a comment

In 2019, student loans reached an all-time high of $1.41 trillion! That is RIDICULOUS! I want to tell you that you can do it and that it IS possible as you can see with my debt-free journey. This is also a difficult time for many financially due to COVID19, so I wanted to assure you that you can do this, and when there is a will, there is a way.

I attended Boston University, and while I had grants, it wasn’t enough, so I had to take $50,000 in student loans. I was super determined to pay it off because I hated the feeling of being in debt. Today, I’m releasing a video on my debt-free journey in how I paid off ALL $50K in about one year while living in New York City and hopefully this can inspire you to get started on your journey today!

My channel typically focuses on professional development but I also highlight my experience, lifestyle, and insights into a career in technology consulting in hopes to encourage more women to consider this amazing career – especially in STEM! With this video, I’m also branching out into money because who doesn’t like talking about money, but specifically, in how to be frugal yet still have fun! I have a video next week that will teach you all my tips on how I saved money to pay off $50K of student loans

Any questions at all about the tips I provided, please let me know! Also, let me know how far along you’re in your debt free journey! WE CAN DO THIS!

HOW I GOT MY JOB AT ACCENTURE – College | Final Round Interview & Why I got Hired (PART 2)

June 19, 2020June 24, 2020 cwong0102Leave a comment

Last week I released a Part 1 on how to get a job at Accenture if you’re interested in technology consulting. This is Part 2! This is a two-part video series because it’s chock full of information and tips. The first part was about the career fair, application process, and first round interview (behavioral). The second part is about the final round interview (case interview and behavioral interview with executives) and exactly why Accenture hired me!

Regardless if you’re interested in technology consulting or Accenture, I think these videos would help IMMENSELY as all these tips apply for all job searches regardless what industry or walks of life. I’m sharing this with you because I know Covid-19 has pushed us to these awful times of being laid off and getting your offers rescinded, so hopefully these will get you back on your feet!

If you missed Part 1, watch it here:

Any questions at all about the tips I provided or about Accenture or technology consulting, please let me know!