Pros
The name, the prestige, the benefits, the global depth and integrity of the brand are all pretty significant. John Mack is a great leader, full of integrity, experience and insight. I wish I worked on the institutional platform or asset management. Hopefully the grass is greener over there. A majority of the persons I work with are well informed and intelligent. Senior management has a clear understanding of what is going on in the market. The sheer size of the company can pose a problem coordinating so many people, but that's inevitable at any large firm.
Cons
The GWM Platform is out of touch by at least 20 years. There is a clear disconnect between working in the front office and doing the back end jobs. It is difficult to develop useful skills to leverage in other areas of the firm without getting pigeonholed into one job function. The GWM platform is out of date and functions poorly. You can really tell it's still Dean Witter with a fresh layer of makeup over it. It seems from my limited time management has sent out a lot of the dead wood and the people I work with now are intelligent to a point I feel they are over qualified. Operations is extremely boring and it adds insult that it is in Jersey City, a very miserable place. Once given the opportunity to do something more productive in another division and in Manhattan I feel I'll have a better sense and appreciation of the firm.