Cloud & Engineering

Tanvi Vira

From the eyes of a graduate, how to make the most of your DPE experience!

Posted by Tanvi Vira on 17 September 2019

Careers, work life balance, people & culture, life at deloitte, experience, Graduate experience, deloitte platform engineering, graduate

Being a consultant within Deloitte’s Platform Engineering (DPE) team is something that many of us aspire to be as technology professionals. Not only does it provide you with the opportunity to work alongside some of the brightest minds in this field, but it also allows you to develop and grow within a positive work culture; Deloitte Platform Engineering empowers you! As a new graduate within DPE, I am so excited and humbled to be a part of this team. Being a part of DPE has been a life changing experience for me. Consequently, I wish to share with you some of my experiences from my first year at DPE, so that all our other new joiners can make the most out of their time here.

 

DPE Graduate Bootcamp July 2018

1. Stay curiousCurious

Be proactive and ask a lot of questions! You are new to this corporate world and you are still learning. Remember, it is not possible to have all the answers straight away! To this, be eager and take an interest in understanding the evolving nature of your work. You will soon come to learn what is expected of you. Never be afraid to engage your seniors and ask questions. The old adage holds true, there is no such thing as a silly question. So, stay curious and ask away! You will find that the answers you receive only further allow you to reflect and see things in a new light. From personal experience, this has only boosted my productivity.

I have also found that open-ended questions are immensely useful - “How can I do this better?”, “Which technologies should I focus on?”. Not only do they provide the opportunity to receive constructive suggestions, they can serve as excellent icebreakers when talking to someone new. These questions set the stage for effective learning, where you are mindful of what you wish to learn and therefore position questions that best suit your curiosity.

2. Find your path to successPath to success

DPE is flexible in every way I can think of. I have the ability to work from home, the flexibility to move around to find what I am best suited to and the freedom to bring my authentic self to work. Our leaders always strive to better their team’s success, happiness and satisfaction. They strongly encourage all graduates to get involved with different projects and technologies. My advice would be to keenly explore these projects and technologies. At the beginning of your journey you may not know what it is that interests you the most, and that’s completely okay. It is with time and effort that you will soon discover those interests, and you will begin down your path to success.

3. Become a part of the Buddy/Coach/Mentor programCoach

Our buddy program aims to assists new joiners to DPE. A buddy serves as a friend at work, a friend who has been through the same journey and who has had the same questions. Your buddy should be your ‘Go to Person’, your first point of contact for any queries you may have. As someone who has benefited from this program, I recommend making the most of it in your graduate year.

Always attempt to catch up with your career coach on a regular basis. They’re there to guide and nurture your experience and to provide you with advice. You really want to reap the benefits of this experience, so it’s always best to keep your career coach in the loop with whatever you are doing.

The other important program that I was not initially aware of is the Mentor/Mentee program, a more informal program we have at DPE. If you really connect with someone or believe they can help you professionally – not just on the project but anything - you can request the individual to be your mentor. On one of my projects, I met an individual who helped me and who provided me with excellent guidance. Even after rolling off that project team, I continue to regularly catch up with her, update her on my work and discuss issues that I may be facing. Believe you me, it is refreshingly helpful.

 

4. Be Open to Feedback

feedback

In order to understand your areas for improvement, seek as much feedback as possible. Take an initiative to ask those whose opinion and expertise you trust as advice. Try not to get too emotional about feedback, focus on the solution at hand. However, we work in a culture that is supportive, where it’s okay to bring your authentic self, so if you do get emotional, don’t worry, you have people around to help. Listening to constructive feedback shows that you have a sense of responsibility and a willingness to learn. It also creates room for honest communication while maintaining a friendly atmosphere with seniors and co

-workers. I have learnt a great deal from the feedback I received in my first year.

5. Network

DPE Friday drinks

It is at Deloitte that I realised consulting firms can act as a job search. The right network creates the right opportunities. Take the time to figure out what interests you, and always talk to people about what they are working on. You can never know when a project that may interest you, or which requires another resource can crop up. You may even find yourself working on it. Also, DPE is filled with amazing people who are approachable and always ready to help. All you have to do is ask, and they will assist you in whichever way they can. Make the most of this opportunity! Speak to people outside your projects and resource units and attend the Friday drinks and demo sessions. I can say from my own experience that this has been the best way to network and meet my colleagues on a weekly basis, especially if you find yourself working at client site for the majority of the week.

D-Academy MCG 2018Wrapping Up

When I review the past year, I realise how amazing this journey has been for me. DPE has given me ample opportunities to evolve as an individual as well as a professional. I learnt how to communicate with business stakeholders, work efficiently within the team and got acquainted with a whole lot of crazy technologies that scared me initially, but which I have come to love. I can hardly wait for the years to come at DPE as I grow alongside my team on this exciting journey.

If you are about to join our team, I hope you found this post useful so you can make the most out of your time here. Please feel free to post your comments or questions below!



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