Pros
- You will work with some of the nicest, most genuine, and supportive people. This is what makes Commonwealth so great. - Work-life balance is awesome for most departments. You won't find many (if any) people working late. - Good 401k match, good insurance benefits, tuition reimbursement, etc. - You are highly supported (both financially and personally) if you want to pursue professional development (obtaining FINRA licenses, designations, attending seminars, etc.) - Very generous PTO policy that people actually use! And are encouraged to use!
Cons
-Unfortunately, things went downhill during the pandemic. SO MANY tenured people have left and Commonwealth feels like a different company. - The pay here is not going to knock your socks off. They use their large annual bonus (~20%) to try to make up for that and convince you otherwise, but a large bonus is not guaranteed. During the pandemic, our bonuses were smaller and we all took a pay cut. It's understandable given the situation, but just something to consider when they bring that up during the interview process. - Handling of the return to office was not ideal. It felt very rushed and we were constantly being inundated with the "Better Together" initiative. It felt like a gut punch after working so hard through a pandemic - heck, we even earned Commonwealth a JD Power Award while fully remote! There should have been more praise and recognition for our work instead of constantly being told we are not a good company while we are remote. - Even though they say they are shifting to a "hybrid" model with up to 2 days remote, you actually may not be allowed to work remote 2 days because it is at the discretion of your manager. Same with the "flexible" working hours. YMMV, it really depends on your department and your tenure. - Parking is super expensive for the San Diego downtown office ($180+/month). - The technology breaks down way more often than it should, and some of the client-facing systems look like they are from the early 2000's. - The company's partners are a bunch of older white guys. I know Commonwealth is working on their DEI, but there really needs to be more diversity of race, gender, and age at the partnership level. - This one was the deal-breaker for me: Unfortunately there is very slow career growth. Higher-level positions don't open up often, and you are left waiting a long time. This is why people leave. You can move up much quicker and make more money by jumping to a new role at a new company. If you're just using Commonwealth as a stepping stone in your career, this might be your place. But if you're looking to climb the corporate ladder quickly at one company, it aint it.