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A gentle introduction

It’s just after six o’clock on a Friday evening and I’m on a busy commuter train travelling home – luckily I’ve managed to bag myself a window seat! (I may not be so lucky on the Monday morning travelling back.) You see the life of a consultant isn’t just about giving your all on a client site; it’s more about choosing a lifestyle – a lifestyle which commands dedication, commitment, and flexibility. My name’s Sham Mitra and I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you, as gently as possible!

I joined Capgemini’s Technology Services (TS) graduate scheme – the Business Technology Consultants (BTC) programme – in March 2008, and it was arguably one of the best decisions I ever made – choosing to read Software Engineering at Durham probably wasn’t a bad one either. During my induction I found out I would be going to work on the Aspire account, and before I could finish saying “I’m going to Telford” I found myself at the hub of one of Capgemini’s most high-profile, highly pressurised, outsourcing assignments the Hard Disk Encryption (HDE) project – the aim was to encrypt the hard disks of over 10,000 laptop computers owned by HM Revenue and Customs within three weeks. Calling this a baptism by fire could be seen as a slight understatement – the hours were long, the coffees were strong, and (well) no one really cared if you came into work the next day with your shirt un-ironed. But the great thing was I felt part of something amazing, something really important, and that in itself was enough to keep me motivated.

I’ve worked on two projects since HDE – one as an Implementation Co-ordinator and the other as a Requirements Analyst. And the great thing about Capgemini is there’s never a shortage of roles or things to be doing; one day you could be on a plane to Barcelona to work on the Cadbury’s account and the other you could be on the Eurostar on your way to Paris for some training. On the domestic front there’s always working on one of the world’s largest and most complex outsourcing contracts (Aspire) or spending time in an Accelerated Solutions Environment (ASE) helping our clients solve often complex business problems. If that doesn’t keep you busy enough then there’s always contributing to the Capgemini business, for example completing some work for your Affinity group (essentially an extension to the clubs and societies at university) or writing an entry for the BTC blog. I was fortunate and privileged enough to work with Carl Bate (our UK Chief Technology Officer) on an article entitled "The Incognito Banking Corporation and the Fairy Godmother 2.0"for the award winning global CTO blog – this, I believe, is testament to the opportunities available to all members of the BTC.

In my next post I’ll be opening up the debate on virtualisation and the rapid adoption of virtual reality in the corporate world. We all know of the success of SecondLife – even Capgemini has a presence here – and I’ll be asking the question what will the world look like in five years time?

Only another 30 minutes to go and I’ll be home…