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Name: Luis (Luca) Guevara
Class Year: 2019
Major: CIS
Position: Business Technology Analyst Summer Scholar
Company: Deloitte Consulting
My interest in consulting began when I came to college and I knew I wanted to merge business and tech. I had the privilege to intern at Accenture in Bogotá, Colombia the summer of my freshman year. I really enjoyed the blend between technology and business strategy and decided to apply to the Deloitte Consulting Externship program which I completed during the spring semester of my sophomore year. The summer of my sophomore year I did the Launch internship program at EY as a Risk Advisory Intern. Through all these experiences I was able to decide that I really wanted to pursue IT Consulting.
When choosing a career, I wanted to find a blend between client facing solutions and technology knowledge. That is one of the reasons why I came to Bentley and decided to major in CIS. However, when coming to Bentley I had no idea what consulting was. After researching more about what kind of job opportunities gave me this experience I started to zone into consulting. I began to realize how many opportunities were available because there are so many specific types of consulting. I realized IT consulting aligned the best with my interests because not only would I be able to interact with clients on a daily basis to solve challenges, but in addition I could use and enhance my technology knowledge.
What I find most rewarding is the constant change and opportunities for growth and learning it provides. With my current experience I have felt that there is always an unexpected challenge that arises and putting my mind to work (alongside those of the teams I have been in) to solve the issue is the most rewarding experience. The learning curve continues to expand, and as you learn more you realize what you don’t know, further driving the necessity to understand the topic in greater depth. This is what I like the most about consulting. As for challenges, having to adapt to new situations rapidly and learn what the client needs are. This is the most challenging, but at the same time as mentioned above the most rewarding part of the job to me is the challenge itself.
If you are considering entering this career, be prepared to learn a lot in a short amount of time. Adaptability is probably the most important trait you can have along with the willingness to learn. I would also get to know people who are doing consulting now. Talk to them about what they like about it, what they have had to learn, what service lines they are in, what they don’t like about the job. This helped a lot when deciding what career path I wanted to pursue. It was by talking to people who I was able to realize that I did not want a desk job, but that I wanted to be on the move. Talking with them also sparked my interest in project management and pushed me to look for a job that taught me how to apply problem solving skills alongside the knowledge from the major at Bentley to solve technology related problems.
I would also recommend doing the Deloitte Externship. I did it and it was a great teamwork experience and real life consulting work. This was what really got me interested in technology consulting. You not only learn about the company, but you also learn about what it is like to be a consultant. It is open every Fall semester for applications (usually released in early October) and it runs during the semester in the Spring (every Friday).
As for Bentley specific courses and resources that I would recommend, there are a few important things I suggest. As a CIS major I am taking CS 360 right now and I feel it has helped me gain valuable knowledge about project management that I can apply to my career. I would also recommend taking courses in about industries that interest you such as Science of Environmental Policy. I recommend reading technology news on sites like Wired, The Verge and Hacker News. Also look at publications from firms like Deloitte, Accenture, BCG, McKinsey, IBM. They have research on technology written by professional consultants and higher-ups at each firm who have years of industry experience.
When it comes to naming one person at Bentley that has helped me in my career search, it would most definitely be Janet Ehl. She is hands down the most helpful person at Bentley and has become my mentor. As the CIS major specialist at Career Services, Janet guided me to where I am today. I started coming to her office during my freshman year because I knew my chances to find internships were limited because I am an international student. She gave me the motivation to continue looking for an internship, even if it wasn’t in the U.S., for my freshman year to get me started. After interning at Accenture in Colombia when I returned my sophomore year I continued to meet with Janet. We looked for opportunities for me to continue developing my professional goals and she pointed me in the right direction with the Externship. Her drive to help out and motivation have really helped me get to where I am today. Thank you Janet!
If you’re interested in pursuing a career with Deloitte, or you’d like to learn more about their career opportunities click here. More specifically, if you are interested in their Deloitte Consulting Externship, stop by Career Services for more information on this Bentley exclusive programing. Also, be sure to connect with Luca on LinkedIn if you want to learn more from him, or stop by Sophomore drop-in hours next semester to chat with him!
