Pros
The financial industry isn't exactly the most stable place to be right now, but JPMorgan Chase has made good decisions in rocky times. They're in a better situation than their competitors, to the point where they can actually bail out other failing firms. The majority of my co-workers have been here for well over a decade, and that's nice to see in a time where job security seems to be a thing of the past. There's always something new to work on at JPMC (new applications, technologies, mergers and acquisitions, etc.), and no shortage of ways to grow within your own role, or shift to a new one. People make lateral and vertical moves here all the time, so moving to a position that better fits your skills is much easier than other places I've worked in the past. Senior management here is pretty darned smart. It's not the kind of place where you might look a few levels up the chain and think, "Sheesh, I could do their job." Here, it's pretty obvious that you couldn't. Their salaries are well earned; and throughout the firm, the distribution of compensation, responsibility, and appreciation is much more even than most companies for which I've worked. Across all the many lines of business, good people are appreciated, treated well, and paid well, here.
Cons
As a designer, I'm used to a more laid-back feel where dress code is concerned. However, this is a bank, and perception is always important. There are plenty of folks wearing jeans and polos in lower-level roles, but if your job falls a little further up the org chart, you'll do well to trade up for collared shirts, slacks, and smart shoes. T-shirts and shorts are right out. Fridays are definitely more casual, so save the jeans for the end of the week. Don't expect swanky offices, the newest hardware, myriad fringe benefits, or subsidized snacks. Jamie Dimon's philosophy for this company is to do more with less. Your computer might be a couple of years old when you start. The cafeterias are kind of expensive compared to other companies. Contractors sometimes have to pay to attend division functions. They may seem downright cheap at times, but here we stand, doing well enough (in a very rough economy) to acquire other highly-regarded firms. How can you argue with that? IT policies are also kind of annoying. It's a bank, so security is paramount. They don't limit Internet usage to a list of approved sites, but they do block a whole bunch of them. Don't expect to be checking your personal email, webmail, or social networking (LinkedIn is permitted) while at work... those ports and sites are locked out. The hypocrisy can be a bit annoying, though: they'll force certain software to be uninstalled, lock out flash drive use, or remove admin privileges en masse for "security reasons", and yet the company's standard web browser is (a fairly old version of) Internet Explorer. Nice. When you're one big exploit away from doom, who cares if you're using iTunes?