Pros
+The people you work with. The research and sales people are top notch, not that management would notice. + The recognition you get in the industry. Almost everywhere I went and everywhere I have gone since, people knew the Forrester name. + Getting to learn about some of the really cool things that are happening in technology.
Cons
- The business model is changing and management seems to lack the foresight to understand that the syndicated research model is dying. Listen to some of your own research and analysts in the Web 2.0 space. Instead of trying to hold on to a dying model, reinvent the industry. - Forrester recently laid off 5% of its work force in a quarter where they performed better than the year before and the company had over $200 Million in cash. Some of the people laid off were obviously hitting their targets and making clients happy, so it wasn't for performance or client reasons. It was simply a knee-jerk reaction that competitors had recently had layoffs, so the Street expected the same from Forrester. Forrester lost some really good people. - The company is completely beholden to Wall Street and vendors, and is managed as such. Which means you focus Q to Q and be damned about any long term focus. The company would be in a much better position now if it were still a privately held. - There are a lot of clueless middles and upper management who should not even be in management positions. Expect to be given lots of really stupid feedback and instructions. - You are hired as an analyst but are really a consultant. As an analyst, you are told the most important thing is your research. The truth is that if you are not bringing in consulting revenue, expect to be shown the door.
