I have always been attracted by the success stories about self-made men: sportsmen, leaders, thinkers, entrepreneurs… you name it. An interesting observation from those stories is that even though they all have different starting points and a route, they appear to end successfully. After reading dozens of different stories I have understood at least one very simple rule: there isn’t a golden route to success. You should focus on things that you really love and desire, and trust it will lead to happiness.
Besides people, I find the same success factors meaningful for the companies. It maybe sounds naïve, but I think the reason for Accenture’s success, the company I am working for, is different kinds of passionate people with various backgrounds, worldviews, and skillsets. As a combination of skills, the company itself is greater than the sum of its parts.
My passion towards success stories stems from the time when I was a small city boy, who had major dreams but minor circles. Reading interesting stories gave me on the same time desire and perspective to carry on with a can-do attitude. I realized I would be the sum of my decisions and write my own story.
After graduation, I was sure I would head to business school, but otherwise, it was all blur. Studying went well, but I was more interested in overall learning than university grades. The practical business fascinated me more than theory and therefore I decided to start my own businesses. I left Vaasa after three years of studying and ever since, besides my master’s thesis, I have focused on practise; first in banking and currently in consulting. In a way, I perceive my current position as a result of different choices I have made earlier – “connecting the dots” as Steve Jobs has said.
From my point of view, I want to encourage everyone to try different fields in university and listen to internal passion instead of making things that external factors wish you to perform.
Have an efficient and passionate winter!
Juuso Pelkonen
Management Consulting Analyst, Financial Services
M.Sc. (Industrial Management), University of Vaasa