I worked at PwC for two years, and consumed 1,000 cups of Flavia coffee in my cubicle.☕️
Have you ever had Flavia coffee? It comes in a bag and tastes like chalk (that came in a bag).
Instant heart burn and regret (the coffee, not the job).
Like, how SAD is this coffee set up?
As a man child straight out of college, who had no idea how the economy worked or how businesses actually “made money”, the most valuable things I learned were not related to finance or the markets.
I learned how to be a professional.
Here are some underrated (and at the time, under appreciated) skills the Big 4 taught me:
How to get into work before your boss.
How to write a concise email.
What “business casual” dress actually means.
How to pack for a business trip (you don’t need to pack both black and brown shoes, you know).
Why you don’t need to check that bag.
How to conduct yourself at an event with alcohol present.
How to dial into a conference call on that spider web rotary dial thing (OK, maybe this one isn’t that useful anymore).
The number of Brooks Brother shirts I sweated through while trying not to F’up the passcode with 12 people watching… I still hear that rejection tone in my nightmares.
I’m forever grateful for learning these skills, which they don’t teach in college.
I wouldn’t call myself a huge proponent of big professional service corps, or really any place with a linear hierarchy of promotion, or cookie cutter roles.
So I left.
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