Company: PwC
Date: 2009-09-09
Overall rating: 4/5
Employment status: former

PwC has lots of strengths and top notch benefits but work/life balance isn't realistic
Pros: There are a lot of high-caliber people working at PwC and the Dallas office had a good feel overall. There are definitely opportunities for someone who is committed to putting in long hours (>60) and likely a fair amount of travel.  Training is very good both on-site and online.  Attention to career advancement is also prominent along with an emphasis on coaching and an unbiased review/promotion process (managers from other offices collaboratively reviewed one's performance reviews).  The benefits were among the best I've seen.  I worked in both the internal staff side and the external audit side and would highly recommend taking a job internally.  Customer-facing jobs are where the longest hours and highest levels of stress are likely to be found.  For someone out of college and willing to put in the work it can be a great launch pad to move into industry.
Cons: I worked there over six years and have mostly good things to say about PwC.  If you're married and have a family as I had when I started in external audit expect it to be difficult with the long hours.  Even if you have the talent to progress it won't be without sacrifice.  The PwC partner, who was a Christian man who I felt cared very much for his family, told me that success there was not without some serious sacrifices time-wise.  People who progress and are attracted to the prestige and sense of committment are often workaholic type-A's.  Sometimes managers who are abrasive, difficult and unempathetic are promoted since they're willing to sacrifice their personal lives for career.  There were managers who were very good as well but they were conflicted about the committment needed to advance.  It's also not uncommon for very young people to be running large audits and their maturity can be lacking.  A young twenty-something with little to no real industry experience (and at a high bill rate) advising management doesn't make a lot of sense.  But in all fairness I worked with some talented people right out of college too.