Pros
-Fantastic group of very intelligent, diverse colleagues who are more than willing to teach newbies the ropes -Good way to quickly build your resume and gain exposure to lots of different working styles and work environments, not to mention a good 2-year BA program for non-business undergrads looking to try something different or get a launchpad into the corporate world -Amazing support tools and services--access to massive internal knowledge database and teams of industry/function-specific experts, incredibly smooth support services (e.g., HR, IT), helpful ways to make consultant teams run more smoothly -Non-hierarchical environment on most working teams--junior members of the team are expected to freely provide their opinions during problem-solving and even run client meetings
Cons
-Long hours that aren't always necessary--no matter what anyone says when you start, you will be asked to suffer through long nights and occasional weekend work -Politics are still an issue--the people who perform best and get the most opportunities are those who go out of their way to kiss up to senior leadership...if that's not your personality, be prepared to miss out (either not getting "cool" projects or getting lower ratings) -Staffing model is inflexible--if your region is limited in projects overall or at least in industries that interest you, it's very difficult to gain visibility into what other U.S. regions or international offices have available -Program rules change often (e.g., staffing processes, travel and expense policies, your ability to get an office)--your experience will be different from what other consultants tell you during recruiting, partly because it's based on chance (the people you work with) and partly because policies change often