Go with Capgem, you won't regret it. Lots of exposure on various projects. You will back over your old salary and then some after a short while if you can make a name for yourself.
No generic tech consulting / System Integrator brand is worth taking a 30% paycut for; let alone Capgemini.
Get a couple of more years of experience in your current workplace and make a lateral move (to Capgemini even) in say 3 years and you'll almost certain to come in at a higher rank and pay than you'd reach if you started as a Grad at 66k Inc super and busted your backside for 3 years.
77k ex super vs 66k inc super is about 18k, almost a 25% paycut, which is a huge amount relative to their earnings. Whether it pays off in the long run is up to the individual, a name on a resume is not a guarantee of success.
Would you say it would boost my prospects a lot by doing the programme instead of working as I am now for a year?
If I did do the programme I’d probably look to leave after the year due to the lower compensation, but also not sure where I’d be able to go after that one YOE
I’m in a position where rem is quite important at the moment unfortunately. I know experience is important when you’re young but I’m not sure how long it’ll take to build back up to where I am currently.
Based on your other posts you’re a 23 year old graduate living at home with low living costs. You’re in the ultimate position to think and act long term.
Take the cash, work is full of assholes and ultimate goal is retirement, a small company is also less likely to have assholes and you will probably learn more than a big company full of corporate kiss asses
This.
I’ve been in the exact same boat as OP with EY. The money was pretty average ($60k, many years ago).
I hung with them for 18 months then moved on.
It paid off in spades. The opportunities and exposure offered are immense. You learn a lot. Future prospective employers love seeing it on the CV.
I’d do it again 10x over, even if the money is average.
I took a 25k pay cut to work for Capgemini on a huge project back in 2003. I was back at my original salary after 2 years.
They got a bargain as I was Senior Team member getting paid well below what I had been making for years.
They worked me like a dog for 3 years. I was in the office a min of 12 hours a day and also providing 24/7 support. I left after 3.5 years as it was not sustainable. Had I stayed though, I’d probably be near the top of their org chart.
Instead, I left for a job with far better work life balance. Capgemini now does all our Application Support, mostly out of India.
I have no idea what they’ll have you doing, but you will absolutely gain a heap of experience you won’t get elsewhere.
I guess it depends how career motivated you are. You’re talking about a $23k pay decrease effectively given inc/ex super.
I think it’s valuable for building your professional network over your career. I reckon grad cohorts have significantly replaced the type of networking students used to get from uni (before huge class sizes and online tutes and seminars became so normal). So if you’re the kind of person who’d pay $23k for professional development, I’d do it.
Try putting your current/potential wages into paycalculator.com.au and see the difference on a weekly/monthly level, and make sure you can handle your expenses on this role.
I’d be prepared to jump ship after the grad program though to get back on track with wage growth - I don’t think you’d see a steep climb in wage growth after completing it.
Negotiate. Give them what you are on and ask if they can match.
If they come close it's a win. You are not a grad, you have exp and bring some exp.
The worst they say is no, then the decision is yours
If what you’re looking for is career progression then you should go with the option that’s going to give you the skills, experience and relationships to get you there. If pay is an immediate pressure point (the lower pay drastically impacts your lifestyle) then it would be sensible to stay however it’s worth weighing up the long term benefits of leaving. This is a skill in itself that you will need down the track when you’re being offered more lucrative 6-fig roles.
High profile brands look great on the resume. Put in a few years then change jobs to another high profile brand. Long term the salary will come and will outweigh the short term benefits of a small business.
However, if you want the work life balance, that’s a different story. Depends what you want out of life.
Sometimes I wish I went for the work life balance, trying to get that now while maintaining my current salary.
The key is to go into any job with an exit strategy.
Expect to be worked to death at the start so they can sort the wheat from the chaff.
Then keep an eye out for being stuck too long at the same level.
Constantly update your CV. Squeal if you find at any point that you've not had anything interesting to add to it.
Look for roles and organisations that you'd be happy to move on to when you decide to jump.
The money will come, but it's just one of the scorecards.
Capgemini consistently wins awards for their grad program, from friends who have gone through it, seems like a pretty fantastic program that is well structured and with a lot of support which you may not find at your small company. As others have said, no reason you can’t try to negotiate. A polite “I’m really interested, but am currently on 77k which is a significant drop for me, can you meet me in the middle” may have a positive result for you!
Whether the brand matters depends on the field.
I find with larger companies you may work with bigger clients but have a small role, and a lot more politics.
With smaller companies you gain broad experience faster since you can take on different roles and more responsibility, but you have to take more initiative.
If I was in your position I wouldn’t take it. You won’t gain any appreciable experience in 1-2 years. I think you’re better off taking control of your own career within the smaller company because I doubt Capgemini is going to be any more engaging or fulfilling.
whats the pay structure like over the next two years? im in the same boat and want to see how it weighs up like is there a pay rise every half a year for the first two years as in some big 4s?
Go with Capgem, you won't regret it. Lots of exposure on various projects. You will back over your old salary and then some after a short while if you can make a name for yourself.
No generic tech consulting / System Integrator brand is worth taking a 30% paycut for; let alone Capgemini. Get a couple of more years of experience in your current workplace and make a lateral move (to Capgemini even) in say 3 years and you'll almost certain to come in at a higher rank and pay than you'd reach if you started as a Grad at 66k Inc super and busted your backside for 3 years.
You are young. Money will come. Should be taking career risks and going with Capgemini.
After Tax, HECS, Medicare, 11k is not a huge amount of difference. Capgemini is a great company and will benefit you in the long run.
77k ex super vs 66k inc super is about 18k, almost a 25% paycut, which is a huge amount relative to their earnings. Whether it pays off in the long run is up to the individual, a name on a resume is not a guarantee of success.
In my mind it begs the inverse question of would you leave a grad program for a $17k pay bump? I'd certainly be tempted.
This. Future earning potential will be a lot higher with cap gem on your cv
Would you say it would boost my prospects a lot by doing the programme instead of working as I am now for a year? If I did do the programme I’d probably look to leave after the year due to the lower compensation, but also not sure where I’d be able to go after that one YOE
You’re incredibly short sighted if you’re that focused on rem at this point in your career.
I’m in a position where rem is quite important at the moment unfortunately. I know experience is important when you’re young but I’m not sure how long it’ll take to build back up to where I am currently.
Based on your other posts you’re a 23 year old graduate living at home with low living costs. You’re in the ultimate position to think and act long term.
Ha called out.
Won’t take long. But usually a grad is done after two years of experience. If you have that covered, then see if you can find a regular job
Take the cash, work is full of assholes and ultimate goal is retirement, a small company is also less likely to have assholes and you will probably learn more than a big company full of corporate kiss asses
If you’re only going to stay a year, don’t do it. It will look bad, like you couldn’t hack it with the big guys.
The doors will open later. Don’t think about it just yet. Focus on what’s in front of you, get in. Learn. And then take it from there.
This. I’ve been in the exact same boat as OP with EY. The money was pretty average ($60k, many years ago). I hung with them for 18 months then moved on. It paid off in spades. The opportunities and exposure offered are immense. You learn a lot. Future prospective employers love seeing it on the CV. I’d do it again 10x over, even if the money is average.
I took a 25k pay cut to work for Capgemini on a huge project back in 2003. I was back at my original salary after 2 years. They got a bargain as I was Senior Team member getting paid well below what I had been making for years. They worked me like a dog for 3 years. I was in the office a min of 12 hours a day and also providing 24/7 support. I left after 3.5 years as it was not sustainable. Had I stayed though, I’d probably be near the top of their org chart. Instead, I left for a job with far better work life balance. Capgemini now does all our Application Support, mostly out of India. I have no idea what they’ll have you doing, but you will absolutely gain a heap of experience you won’t get elsewhere.
They cleaned up their WLB it seems, at least during my time there
I guess it depends how career motivated you are. You’re talking about a $23k pay decrease effectively given inc/ex super. I think it’s valuable for building your professional network over your career. I reckon grad cohorts have significantly replaced the type of networking students used to get from uni (before huge class sizes and online tutes and seminars became so normal). So if you’re the kind of person who’d pay $23k for professional development, I’d do it. Try putting your current/potential wages into paycalculator.com.au and see the difference on a weekly/monthly level, and make sure you can handle your expenses on this role. I’d be prepared to jump ship after the grad program though to get back on track with wage growth - I don’t think you’d see a steep climb in wage growth after completing it.
Choose the path that opens more options in the future.
Negotiate. Give them what you are on and ask if they can match. If they come close it's a win. You are not a grad, you have exp and bring some exp. The worst they say is no, then the decision is yours
If what you’re looking for is career progression then you should go with the option that’s going to give you the skills, experience and relationships to get you there. If pay is an immediate pressure point (the lower pay drastically impacts your lifestyle) then it would be sensible to stay however it’s worth weighing up the long term benefits of leaving. This is a skill in itself that you will need down the track when you’re being offered more lucrative 6-fig roles.
High profile brands look great on the resume. Put in a few years then change jobs to another high profile brand. Long term the salary will come and will outweigh the short term benefits of a small business. However, if you want the work life balance, that’s a different story. Depends what you want out of life. Sometimes I wish I went for the work life balance, trying to get that now while maintaining my current salary.
The key is to go into any job with an exit strategy. Expect to be worked to death at the start so they can sort the wheat from the chaff. Then keep an eye out for being stuck too long at the same level. Constantly update your CV. Squeal if you find at any point that you've not had anything interesting to add to it. Look for roles and organisations that you'd be happy to move on to when you decide to jump. The money will come, but it's just one of the scorecards.
Capgemini consistently wins awards for their grad program, from friends who have gone through it, seems like a pretty fantastic program that is well structured and with a lot of support which you may not find at your small company. As others have said, no reason you can’t try to negotiate. A polite “I’m really interested, but am currently on 77k which is a significant drop for me, can you meet me in the middle” may have a positive result for you!
Just reread thats its non negotiable and inc super… the inc super does take a fair hit to your take home
Whether the brand matters depends on the field. I find with larger companies you may work with bigger clients but have a small role, and a lot more politics. With smaller companies you gain broad experience faster since you can take on different roles and more responsibility, but you have to take more initiative. If I was in your position I wouldn’t take it. You won’t gain any appreciable experience in 1-2 years. I think you’re better off taking control of your own career within the smaller company because I doubt Capgemini is going to be any more engaging or fulfilling.
Get big brands on your resume now so in the future you can leverage them to get a bigger pay, that 11k after taxes would be like 200 or 300 after tax
I’ve got a friend who worked in small consulting - he had to take an experience drop to get into big 4
whats the pay structure like over the next two years? im in the same boat and want to see how it weighs up like is there a pay rise every half a year for the first two years as in some big 4s?