Pros
AGC is a typical work hard, play hard environment where your growth trajectory is completely your own. There is a lot of oversight and even some micromanagement when you start off, but being a 20-something out of college you really can’t expect anything less in a high pressure environment where the learning curve is steep. My advice is to push through, earn the trust of the Partners and colleagues quickly so you can gain more autonomy / responsibility on the entire deal lifecycle. The no task is too small attitude, that AGC teaches you, sets you up for success within and beyond AGC as you transition. - Volumetric business model = lot of deal flow = a lot of learning = accelerated professional growth - High level of exposure to Partners / CxOs of clients / BoD members = ability to have meaningful conversations with veterans in the industry - Openness to let you dig in and own the work - Work across and within verticals to gain broad and deep sector familiarity/knowledge - Collegial environment and people first culture; no reluctance on mgmt.’s part when you have to take time off / extremely fun annual and semi-annual outings and dinners - Little emphasis on face-time (except for weekend hours, which too has become considerably better in the last few months); this doesn’t mean you can slack off, but rather the focus is on the work getting done and done well with hours at work being only a secondary concern - Pretty good work-life balance for an investment bank that close 25 – 30 deals on a yearly basis
Cons
- While assisting on sector projects is extremely helpful as a junior banker in getting landscape and sector familiarity, it sometimes interferes with deal work. Also the lack of paid research resources makes this process more difficult - Lack of admin support could sometimes over-extend certain banking resources - Management could do a better job of recognizing talent internally, especially in offices that are not HQ