Pros
The people are great, generally very supportive and friendly. If junior staffers find one or two senior staff that they can build a strong relationship with, it will open many doors (including some exciting professional opportunities)! At its best, working for CRA is an ideal first job for someone with an economics and quantitative background who is still debating their long-term career plans. It can be a great opportunity to learn in a fun and friendly environment, while preparing for the next step in your career. Plus, alumni have a great track record of going to top-tier graduate programs in business, law, public policy, and more!
Cons
A junior staffer's experience is entirely dependent on the practice group, and sometimes also on the office location and specific project teams. For example, some practices (i.e., Energy, Life Sciences) generally offer opportunities for significant professional growth, advancement within the firm, client interaction, and significant ownership of project work - all while building industry-specific expertise and maintaining generally good work-life balance. However, in other practices (i.e., Antitrust & Competition) this is more uncommon and difficult to achieve. Growth opportunities are limited after the first two years. Work-life balance can be non-existent at times (with some offices being far worse than others). The bonus compensation scheme is a black box, and incentives across the board are misaligned for junior staffers. Late-night and weekend work is often expected of junior staff, despite not receiving any additional incentives apart from being told "people will notice you working hard." Project staffing is ad hoc and dependent on a semi-official junior staff "scheduler" in each office to volunteer their time to try to create some order and balance. Due to the flat and unstructured hierarchy, expanding your responsibilities beyond the second year is entirely dependent on finding someone who is willing to delegate to you. Without such a patron, the job can turn into a meditative plug-and-chug. Meanwhile, supervisors are unable to provide concrete support and guidance, as they often don't work directly with their supervisees. At its worst, if you stay more than two years, the job can be extremely frustrating as you struggle to find opportunities for professional growth and maintain a semblance of work-life balance, all while hoping your annual bonus isn't completely deflated by the one or two slow weeks you had a few months ago.