Meet Jessica, a Strategy and Consulting Intern in Accenture

Bio:

I'm a final-year BESS (Business, Economics and Social Studies) student at Trinity College Dublin. My path so far has been varied, I previously interned as an Assurance Intern in professional services, and I'm now interning in Strategy and Consulting at Accenture. Over time I've been drawn more toward strategy, consulting and the growing role of AI in business, which is exactly what I've loved exploring this summer.

Length of your internship and when you began: 12 weeks, starting June 2026

College course: Business Economics and Social Studies (BESS)

What drew you to this company when you were seeking an internship?

Having already had a taste of assurance in my previous internship, I wanted to explore different industries and types of work before making any big decisions about my career. Accenture stood out straight away as it was somewhere I could experience a real range of areas rather than being tied to one path.

What really sets Accenture apart is their reputation for being ahead of the curve with AI. Most firms feel cautious or slow in that space, whereas Accenture actively embraces it. That mix of breadth and a forward-thinking, fast-moving environment was what drew me in.

Can you describe a typical day in your role? 

There genuinely isn't a typical day, which is something I've come to love. One day I'm building an interactive artefact for a client pitch, the next, I'm assessing AI tools for the team, doing platform training, or working with colleagues over Microsoft Teams.

I hadn't expected much responsibility so soon, but to my surprise I've had hands-on, client-facing work early on, which I really enjoy. It's great to see so many different sides of the work this early in your career. The social side has been a lovely bonus too: everyone is so friendly and welcoming, and it makes coming into the office something to look forward to.

Did the scope of your work change as the internship progressed? 

My scope of work changed immensely as the internship went on. I started with onboarding, compliance training and supporting tasks, one of my first jobs was a same-day migration of files and videos across platforms. From there it built up quickly. I created an interactive artefact for a client's Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)-level pitch in under 48 hours, which led to me being asked to design part of the client-facing deck itself.

I also built a webinar training simulator as a potential learning solution for developers, put together an assessment of enterprise AI tools for the team, and made an AI-assisted dashboard to turn a messy tracker into something everyone could use. What amazes me is that this was all within roughly the first month. Being trusted to take on that kind of work so early has meant a really full, in-depth immersion into both the work and the people, and I'm genuinely excited for what's still to come.

What key things have you learned during this internship?

One of the biggest things I've learned is how to apply AI to real business problems in a way that creates value. A highlight was the AI Summer Series hackathon, where two teammates and I built an interactive fraud-alert triage tool, and won. We were up against analysts and presented to a panel of senior managers, so we worked under real time pressure and had to make everything clear and presentable in a short window.

More than the technical side, it taught me a lot about teamwork, communicating well, and dividing roles effectively. Beyond that, I've learned how consulting work is scoped and delivered, why it's so important to flag blockers early, and that what really stands out is spotting a problem and proposing a solution, not just completing the task in front of you.

Has this internship made you feel as though you’re on the right career path, or are you going be pursuing a different field afterwards? Why?

This internship has definitely been positive for me. Coming from a business and economics background, I came in wanting exposure, a chance to try consulting out before making any firm decisions about my career. Getting to explore so many aspects of the job has given me a much broader view of how to think about those choices, and it's shown me that consulting suits the way I like to work: varied, collaborative and always with something new to solve. I've come away genuinely satisfied and leaning firmly in this direction, though I'm aware there's more to explore before I fully commit, which is exactly the kind of clearer thinking I hoped this experience would give me.

How has your internship made you feel more prepared for working life? (Skills you have developed, lessons you have learned, tools you’ve become proficient at, etc)

In more ways than I expected. This was my first proper taste of consulting, and I've come out of it far more confident, both with using AI tools professionally and with communicating in a team and managing my own workload.

Building things like the fraud-alert tool and the CMO artefact taught me how to deliver something polished under pressure, and the webinar training simulator pushed me to understand a whole workflow well enough to turn it into something others could learn from. I've also picked up the things you can't learn in a lecture, initiative, adaptability, and how to turn a vague brief into finished work. It feels like a strong base to build on, and one I think will open up even more opportunities as my career goes on.

What are the things about this company that you would recommend to others looking for an internship, such as culture, benefits, workload, etc?

The culture in Accenture really stood out to me. We've been invited to so many great events, pitch golf, a summer party, a beach clean and a scavenger hunt. There's brilliant variety and they're genuinely good fun, not to be missed if you want to socialise and network. One thing that surprised me is that everyone at Accenture seems to know each other; even managers are so open to conversations and connecting. It's a lovely atmosphere, and not something I was expecting.

Accenture is genuinely ahead of the curve with AI, actively using it to work smarter, which, combined with its strength in tech, is a real draw. Accenture encourages us to upskill and provides support to do so, which benefits everyone: you build knowledge across different industries, develop a real range of skills, and gain brilliant client-facing experience.