True meritocracy; strong focus on talent development; no politics
Pros
- True meritocracy -- Your scope of responsibility / success here is largely dependent on the impact and business outcomes you are capable of producing, not on how many years of experience you have or whether or not you've "paid your dues" in lower level analyst jobs if you've shown that you are capable of handling more. Really great environment for young professionals who want to grow fast and be at a firm who is willing to take bets on them. - Ongoing focus on talent development and evolution -- I've been here for over 5 years, and have consistently gotten great coaching and mentorship from my managers. From what I've been able to tell from my friends' experiences at other companies across a variety of industries, the level of investment Bridgewaters puts into stretching and pushing its people is unparalleled. - Surrounded by some of the smartest people I've ever met -- Every day is dynamic and challenging as a result. You're never really allowed to get away with lazy thinking, which has pushed the quality of my own thinking to improve vastly over the years. - Refreshingly open culture -- You don't have to deal with BS office politics, you don't have to constantly wonder what your boss and peers think of you, and you're encouraged to fight for what you think is right. To be clear, all this means you have to put your ego / defensiveness to this side, and have to be openminded to the fact that what you think is right may not actually be right. A culture like this is definitely not for everyone, but it's fantastic for those who share these values. - Strong community with deep caring and truly meaningful relationships.
Cons
- Biggest challenge for me has been that it's been hard for me to be able to step away from the intensity of the day-to-day to ensure that I am balancing all the other aspects of my life well. It's not actually an hours worked thing -- it's a being able to shut my mind off from the various threads going on at work thing, which I think is a combination of my own personality and the intensity/pace of working at BW (i.e., I am pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to advance to the role that I have today had I attacked my job less intensely). - Not a con for me personally, but the key thought that I can't emphasize enough for those who are considering applying to Bridgewater or are going through the interview process -- push hard to make sure you are getting an accurate picture of the culture and how things actually operate in the day-to-day. Ask lots of questions, etc. The culture is really fantastic for those who are looking for that type of experience and journey, but can be pretty unabashedly terrible for those who aren't.