Pros

You get a chance to sink your teeth in to really big programs right from the get-go, and gain experiene here that you could not get anywhere else

Cons

The often mandate over time or require you to travel internationallly on short notice. Sometime notice as short as 12 hours. They offer no compensation for travel or overtime, andwill sometimes book your trip for you befopre they even ask if you can go, to really put the pressure on you.

Advice to Senior Management

Get a handle on program management... You really need to build in this area of expertise. Learn how to manage the customer, understand contracts before signing up, learn how to schedule and track progress as opposed to mandating dates with no real plans to get there. Keep contingency plans at al times, because it is certain that at some point every program will experience some sort of change.