Finance profile
name: lauren haugen
company: accenture®
job title: it consultant
what does your company do?
accenture is a technology outsourcing firm. we provide services to clients related to technology and business solutions to improve and streamline processes. accenture sends employees all over the world to various clients (companies) to them out on a specific project that accenture may have expertise in.
what specific role do you play at your company?
i am a project manager currently staffed at best buy® corporate in richfield, mn. i manage a technology project including the budget, margins, resource allocation, etc.
what are some things you do in a typical work day?
i will ensure that i have the appropriate resources on a project, track the budget, project margin, track progress of the project, and report status to leadership and the client.
what are some of your favorite parts about your job?
i enjoy the people i work with as well as the opportunity to be challenged and learn something new on a daily basis. i find that a lot of corporate jobs attract people that like to work hard but also socialize after work and get to know each other in a personal setting.
what are some of the biggest challenges of your job?
the most frustrating parts of my job are working long hours and working in stressful conditions. throughout the lifecycle of a project (say 9 months), there are months where i feel that i work too many hours and months that my work-life balance is better.
what project(s) are you most proud of?
we successfully implemented new features into best buy’s return system to allow bestbuy. com purchases to more easily be returned at a best buy retail store location. additionally, customers can now pay via paypal in the store as a result of my previous project.
what educational background is necessary for a career in your field?
a bachelor’s degree in anything really! i think the company prefers if you have a finance or technical degree, but there are music majors and english majors that work here as well. your major and gpa will get you an interview, but it is all about the interview and who you are as a person after that.
how have your personal financial decisions and goals influenced your career choices?
i made a financial decision to invest in education (college) which cost a lot of money but also allowed me to get a better job. i wanted to have a job that could support a family and my desire to travel throughout my life. however, it's more important to be happy and content in a job than it is about making money.
what are some of the most common mistakes you see people making when they're managing their finances?
taking out too many and too large of loans! i recommend living as frugally as possible after college to pay off all school loans. also, if you have a credit card, always pay it off on-time every single month. get in this habit immediately.
what do you think the most important aspect of managing finances is?
ensure you understand all of the small print. understand the terms of loans and keep a spreadsheet about how much money you have, how much you want to save, how much you expect to spend each month, and so on, so there are no surprises about where you are financially.
do you have any advice or tips for someone who is learning to manage finances?
ask lots of questions! don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions. also, look up to people that you respect and ask them how they manage their finances and what they recommend. the best thing to do is to take an interest in it and track as much information in a spreadsheet as you can.
what advice do you have for someone interested in a career in your field or in a career in finance in general?
get out there and conduct informational interviews to understand more about the opportunities and to build the key contacts through networking that are needed to get a job.
what advice or tips does lauren haugen have for people who are learning to manage their finances?