Pros
Unbelievable benefits. Great name brand. Some of the largest projects on the planet. Training opportunities. Great learning experience. Diamond status on all airlines and hotel chains.
Cons
1) The pressure to deliver is very high and becomes more every level you go up. Keep in mind your engagement has to be profitable first and help the client second. Managers and Senior managers have stolen deals from me in order to make their numbers (and make mine look worse). This is common. 2) Your partner will either make your life at EY great or a living hell - choose wisely. 3) Since EY is an audit firm, independence is a big deal, and a real pain for most employees - you will probably have to sell 1/4 of your portfolio within 30 days of hire. Strange things will happen because of independence - like you are not allow to talk to another vendor from the client (like Google, Apple, HP etc.) because EY is their audit firm. Makes for very strange behaviors. 4) Churn is very high because of either people leaving or through the annual performance reviews. Up or out. My theory is that this also helps keep costs down by reducing the older (and more expensive workforce). I wouldn't directly say that there is age discrimination because the EY lawyers would refute that. What I can say is that I heard that people who came on board near 60 had to sign an agreement that they would retire by a certain age. I spoke so someone who came to EY via acquisition of a 200 person firm 5 years ago. The person said that he was one of 3 people still at EY from the acquisition. 5) If you really want a career in management consulting - google "what's the life expectancy of a Big 4 partner" (67 vs average male in US of 77)
