Work Update

Many of you have been asking about work, and I have continually refused any communication with the intention of updating you all at once. So, here goes.

Started work on Monday, but so far it's been pretty light. I basically spent the first 2 days filling out paper work and taking care of admin tasks such as setting up a bank account, getting my phone and blackberry working, and getting my Visa squared away. I'm staffed on a project with a mining company, but the case hasn't officially sold yet so we're having a very soft start. So yes, for now I have avoided the big T (sorry, this will only make sense to Bainees). While the mining project may involve some travel to the middle of the desert, I will hopefully be in the Sydney office most of the time. Also, the manager is known to be one of the best in the office to work for (he recently won a worldwide award for mentorship).

The Sydney office is very very different from the Boston office. It's located in a skyscraper that has some of the highest priced real estate in the entire city. Bain occupies the 22nd floor, and has great views over the Sydney harbor and the Opera House. The biggest difference from Boston is that the office here is very open. While some might argue that the Boston office is open (with it's low cubes, glass offices, and internal stairwell), the Sydney office takes the term "open" to a whole other level. Basically, there are no walls, or cubes. Everyone sits at tables, and if you stand up, you can see everyone in the office (~100 people). Only partners have offices, and they are located farthest from the windows (equivalent to where the managers sit in Boston). The managers here sit against the windows, and they sit in cubes. The other weird thing is that there's no sectioning between positions. So, AC's, Consultants, TSG, Graphics, HR, and EA's are all mixed in together. The result is that there is much greater inter-job socialization here than in Boston, but you can never tell if you're talking to an AC or a TSG guy. One of the best things about the office is the kitchen. They have a full service kitchen here, fully equipped with fridges, an oven, and a dishwasher. There's even some woman that comes around and washes your coffee cup when you're done with it. Cereal, cookies, crackers, fruit, and juice are all provided free, so you never go hungry here.

Ok, this is getting long, so I'll post again once my actual casework starts up and I have some clue of what I'll be doing.

One last thing - does anyone actually read this besides my parents and my sister?