The consulting intern who turned down the full-time offer

This series is all about the real highs and lows of consulting—why people go into it, why they leave, and what they learn along the way. Today, we're excited to share Inés Fernandez's story: how a university internship at Deloitte led to a full-time offer from Accenture as a data science analyst—and why she turned it down to become an Operations Associate at 80,000 Hours, an organization that helps people build fulfilling careers working on some of the world’s most pressing problems. 

Welcome, Inés! How did you get started in consulting? 

Thank you, happy to be here. During my undergraduate degree, my university gave us the chance to do an internship semester. The way it worked was kind of intense: if you got an offer, you were expected to accept it—unless there was some unusual circumstance. The school wanted to keep strong relationships with employers, so they instructed us to be really careful about where we applied for the internship. 

That's a lot of pressure.

Yeah. I looked at the university's internship portal and saw an opening at Deloitte. I didn't know much about the company or the role, just that it involved actuarial work. I didn't really understand what that meant, but it sounded vaguely cool. So I applied, got the offer, and ended up spending six months there.

What was the experience like?

It was definitely a learning curve. It was my first time working in a corporate setting, having a manager, and being part of a real team. I improved a lot, especially in technical skills like Excel. But at the same time, there were parts of the culture that didn't sit right with me. Time tracking stressed me out. I realized early on that I wasn't sure consulting was a long-term fit for me. 

And then came the Accenture offer?

Yeah. In my final year of uni, I applied to a few consulting graduate schemes—not because I was super excited about them, but because they felt like realistic options. I already had that internship experience, so it seemed like a path I could follow.

I got an offer from Accenture to be a data science analyst. I accepted it verbally, but they told me they wouldn't confirm my start date until months later; it could be any time in the next financial year. That meant I might have a big gap between finishing university and starting work.

My parents were happy, obviously—it was a good job on paper—but after a while, the excitement faded, and I started to feel uneasy. I remembered how I'd felt during the Deloitte internship. It hadn't exactly been fun.

Did consulting feel like the safe option?

Sort of. I didn't have a clear vision for what else I could do. A lot of people in my degree were going into banks or consulting. It seemed like a good way to build "career capital," even if it wasn't what I was passionate about. So I went along with it.

What tipped the scales?

I had a call with a career advisor at 80,000 Hours. They said the Accenture offer was strong, so I should only turn it down for something I was really excited about. That made sense to me. I ended up applying to just two other opportunities. One was an operations role at 80,000 Hours itself. I got that offer the week before I had to sign my Accenture contract. It was close.

So you turned them down?

Yeah. I let them know via email. They wanted to schedule a video call about it, but I just explained that I'd found a role I was more excited about. A lot of people didn't really get it—like, why would you leave a stable consulting job for a nonprofit they had never heard of? But for me, it was the right decision. I feel much more fulfilled in the work I'm doing now, and what I’m doing actually matters to me.

Looking back, what would you say to your past self?

I'd tell myself to have more confidence in going for the things I really cared about. At the time, I assumed the prestigious high-impact jobs were out of my league. I'd been rejected from a couple of high-impact nonprofit internships before, so I thought those roles were too competitive for me. But that wasn’t true. 

Would you still take the Deloitte internship, knowing what you know now?

I think so. Even though it wasn't a perfect fit, I learned a lot. It helped me get other opportunities. And it gave me credibility—I know that’s a cliché, but it's true.

What I would change is how I thought about options afterward. I wish I had more trust in myself to go for roles that actually excited me. I defaulted to what felt safe.

It's easy for "practical" to become a way of avoiding what you really want.

Exactly. I didn't even let myself consider some things because I assumed they were out of reach.

Any tips for current interns in consulting?

First: don't panic if you don't know how to do everything on day one. No one expects you to. You're there to learn. Focus on absorbing as much as you can.

Second: don't assume consulting has to be your forever path. If you're on the fence, look around. If you can land a consulting internship, that probably means you can land other competitive roles too—maybe ones that feel more aligned with your values.

What would you say to parents who are confused about their kid turning down a job like Accenture?

I told my parents that Accenture was never the end goal—it was a stepping stone. By taking the 80,000 Hours role, I was just skipping the stepping stone and going straight into something meaningful. They didn't understand what my new job was, but I've always been independent-minded. I think they knew, deep down, that consulting wasn't going to be the thing for me long term.

Last question—what would you say to someone in consulting who's thinking about leaving but doesn't know how?

Apply. It feels like a long shot, but you might be surprised. If you got into consulting, you've already proven you can land a competitive role. There's no reason to think you couldn't do it again for something you care more about.