Opportunity for FAST career growth, but at a price...
Pros
For someone looking to grow their career quickly, EY provides excellent opportunities to do that. Because the organization is always changing based on what the market is up to or current regulations, there are a lot of growth opportunities. There is a lot of structure throughout the entire organization. Benefits are great, with opportunities to purchase supplemental life insurance and legal plans. 3 weeks vacation, higher than average compensation, opportunities for performance bonuses, strict annual review process and salary adjustments (no one was EVER overdue in providing an annual review). Abundant opportunities to collaborate with some of the smartest and hardest working people in the industry. FLEXIBILITY, FLEXIBILITY, FLEXIBILITY!!!!!
Cons
The expectation to perform is higher than at any other place I've ever worked. There is very little room for less than perfect. The culture at the top of the organization is very "old rich white guy", especially the Midwest leadership based out of Chicago. The leadership in the Chicago office is very old school micro-management and in the down economy someone was always pointing the finger, trying to cover their backside. Reduced sales figures and poor performance of sales initiatives were not just the result of the down economy, someone must be to blame for why a particular service hasn't sold. The expectation that you will do whatever it takes to get the job done is ALWAYS there. If one wants to get promoted, they must be willing to work whenever it's required, even if it means being up in the middle of the night to take a call with someone in China or leave a sick child or drive through a blizzard to make a meaningless meeting. One must be very determined to advance their career and continue to move up. There's a saying, "Up the chain or out on the street". So, for someone just looking to do a great job at one thing for a long time, there's really no place for you unless you desire to be an administrative assistant (these folks are treated VERY poorly, most are unhappy and there is very LITTLE respect and appreciation for their role). This mentality can be particularly challenging for working mothers, desiring a consistent family life. I started out my career here working 40 hour weeks and over the course of 8 years ended up working 60-80 hour weeks on a consistent basis. Which lead to terrible burn out. One must be in the "inner circle" to be noticed and get the good opportunities. If you are on the outside, be worried - very worried. I've rating the culture and values very low, because the messaging from the organization preaches the best culture and values - it's on every bit of promotional material within the company. The messaging is a dream for an employee, but it is very seldom the reality of what happens once you have been around a while and take off the rose-colored glasses.