My 3 Year Journey With Appian

Hi everyone. I’m Zach, a Senior Consultant at Appian based in Los Angeles. I am coming up on my three year anniversary and I wanted to share what my journey has been like for those considering joining our company.

Prior to Appian, I was located in Washington, DC working in the defense industry as a management consultant. I focused on process improvements and systems design. I was always adjacent to development, but I was never hands-on programming the systems myself. My education at George Washington University had focused more on implementation and so I yearned to get back into it. While I figured out my next move, I kept my skills sharp by mentoring high school students in the area in designing, building, programming, and debugging their entries in the FIRST Robotics Competition.

When I discovered an opportunity at Appian, I knew I wanted to pursue it as it offered the perfect blend of software delivery and consulting I was looking for. Being able to move back home to Los Angeles was an added perk too!

I knew roughly what to expect when I joined Appian. I was referred into the company by a close friend of mine. However, I was not prepared for how collegiate of an environment it was. Everyone was so friendly, helpful, and really eager to get to know each other. During my orientation and then Academy process (where I learned how to build Appian applications) I got to meet people from all over the world and I still keep in touch with them today.

The onboarding process quickly validated that I had made the right decision joining Appian. Not only was the potential of building an Appian application incredible- it was fun! I couldn’t believe how fast a solution could be put together and how limitless the possibilities were to what could be built on the platform. I couldn’t wait to get out into the real world and build solutions for clients.

Since being staffed on projects, I can safely say I have never been bored. The engagements I’ve been a part of have been centered around interesting use cases that directly contribute to making a business more efficient. So far, I have delivered solutions for account onboarding, finance/banking, and asset management. Each time I switch projects, my team changes, but the caliber of people I work with remains the same. I have also really appreciated how Appian has supported my career goals at every step of my journey by making me feel empowered and encouraged.

Outside of work, I really value the community our company fosters. #AppianLIFE may be a catchy hashtag we like to add to our social media posts, but it also really is a mindset. People enjoy grabbing dinner, going out and doing something fun, and just hanging out. Not only have I experienced this on my project teams, but we have a community in Los Angeles that liked to get together (pre-pandemic). We still chat all the time virtually.

Despite being a global organization, Appian really focuses on making us feel like we share a unified culture. The company makes sure that the experience is cohesive and consistent. I used to like traveling to the New York, San Francisco, and HQ offices to get to know more people and participate in company events. I felt right at home working alongside my coworkers in different areas. I also used to like traveling for events such as the Spring Getaway and the Holiday Party. I can’t wait for it to be safe enough to see my colleagues again. In the meantime, there have been many virtual events that I have participated in to feel connected to the larger organization. Whether it be an event as large as our Global End of Year Celebration or as niche as the Appian Peloton crew (see you Tuesday night for our weekly ride!), I always enjoy attending.

Looking back on my three year journey, I am very glad I made the decision to join the company. I have been able to work on fast paced, enterprise wide projects with teammates from all walks of life. I am always kept on my toes by the nature of our ever changing work by being a consultant and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I am excited by what the future holds as our platform is always being improved and our company is continuing to recruit exceptional people. Speaking of which, we are hiring! If you want to come work at Appian with me, please check our site.