My time in Illinois

Aaron here...
So to start off on a sad note, Illinois is the furthest east I have traveled in this country, but at least I'm expanding my horizons! For the past 2 weeks (ending last Friday) I went to St. Charles, IL, (45 minutes outside Chicago) for extended training that Accenture sends all new analysts upon hire. It was a very strenuous 2 weeks with so much information thrown at me, but I learned a ton. I had a great time meeting people from all over the world (literally - I met folks from all over the U.S., Italy, Belgium, South Africa, England, Spain, Turkey, and many others...). There were a few hundred of us all together. Basically, our training consisted of walking through the phases of a fake client project and understanding the individual roles we play as analysts during them. It was very educational and worthwhile, but like I said, it was definitely information overload!

We had our training at the Q Center, which was a college campus remodeled into this gigantic business conference center. Everything is on site, including dining and plenty of activities including tennis, golf, bike trails, soccer/baseball fields, a gym, etc. So, it felt a little like college or summer camp :)

Here's my small but nice (dorm) room:


The Q Center grounds were incredible!




After the first week, a big group of us planned a trip to Chicago, and it was so great. It was such a clean city compared to others I've been to, which was a nice surprise.


One of the highlights was the trip to Willis Tower (formerly known as Sears Tower). It's the 5th tallest standing structure in the world, with amazing panoramic views of the entire city. I got to enjoy the views from the 103rd floor!





They had "Skydeck" views with these glass boxes popped out from the building where you could literally see the ground below and how high up you really are - it was a little freaky to say the least. The pic isn't the best I know, but it's proof that I got in there!


Another cool highlight was the air show that was held along the beach of Lake Michigan. The show featured the Blue Angels and others. My pics don't do it justice - I was a lot closer than it appears.





And of course I didn't forget to have some original Chicago-style deep dish pizza :)


Another great view of the city, right off of Lake Michigan


It was a great experience and I'm glad I went, but oh does it feel good to be back home :)