The end of my summer experience

My SA experience continued…

My summer ended in a rather poetic way, insomuch as a case can be poetic.  Even though our engagement was scheduled to last for a few more weeks, my final day included an 8 hour workshop with our client’s CIO and all his direct reports.  The purpose of this workshop was really to summarize everything that we had learned and essentially get a discussion going.  More specifically, we wanted to present the group with a finite set of decisions that they could discuss and decide upon.  This allowed us not only to gather additional insights from listening to the discussion but also to help guide our path forward.  Though my role was rather minimal, somewhat necessary given that I wouldn’t be present on Monday to continue the work, it really gave me an inside view on exactly how decisions (and make no mistake these are capital “M” Major decisions) are made within a company.  The discussions were both engaging and informative and I don’t think we could have scripted the day better.  We were certainly exhausted by day’s end but both the clients as well as the Bainies felt like we had accomplished what we set out to do, and perhaps more importantly that we knew we were moving in the right direction.

Outside of our casework, we SAs had begun preparing for our final presentations.  We had been told from the start of summer that in our last week, we would be making final presentations to the entire office where we would present the work we had done this summer and demonstrate how we had added value for our clients.  Consultants and managers made sure to impress on us the importance of this presentation as it would be the first time that many around the office would get to see how we present, our comfort with slides, and our presence in front of a group.  I kept the final presentation in the back of my mind the entire summer, remembering key slides that I had produced and insights that I had contributed to the team.  I wouldn’t say that I was night-before-a-big-game nervous about it but I definitely wanted to make a good impression.  However the office did a little something to take the edge off…let me explain.

The week prior, the recruiting managers called a meeting of the SAs and ACIs.  Apparently, we had to fill out some paperwork to ensure a smooth departure.  As we entered the conference room pens were passed out and they put up a deck with an agenda that included a few HR items.  Then the head of the office walked in with some folders which he slowly passed out.  Now I knew something was up, I mean, if this really was just some HR paperwork, I can’t imagine that the head of the office would really take the time to come speak with us.  Then I saw another Partner and Manager out of the corner of my eye, further elevating my suspicions.  We were instructed to open our folders and there were the words we had all been waiting for.  All I remember was seeing “Congratulations” and then everyone started cheering.  All 5 SAs and all 5 ACIs had earned offers, definitely not a common occurrence.  They brought us champagne and introduced us to the office at an office-wide meeting later in the afternoon.  It truly was a great feeling and, as I alluded to above, definitely made the Final Presentation a little less stressful.

So now I was left with big decision, one that I was no doubt very fortunate to have but a big decision nonetheless.  Did I want to sign my name and return to Bain after graduation?  Or should I take another shot at recruiting and see if I like something else better?  Was I ready to become a Bainie, or did I have another calling?  Well let me save you the suspense (as well as any more of these rhetorical questions which is actually pretty lazy writing in my opinion).  It actually wasn’t a tough decision for me at all.  I had a great time this summer from running meetings to rafting in Central California, preparing decks to performing on stage, it’s no exaggeration to say that it was so much more than I expected.  So at my final presentation, in a way that will remain a Bain internal secret, I perhaps not-so-humbly accepted my offer.  I’m proud to be a Bainie and I can only hope that my 4 other SAs, some truly amazing talents in their own right, all join me back at Bain LA next year.