Company: PwC
Date: 2008-12-25
Overall rating: 4/5
Employment status: current

PwC is a place you'll probably love to work, but beware that they'll love to work you...extremely hard.
Pros: PwC is a great place to work if you want some free education while you work. The firm offers week long (off-site) training sessions specific to your line of work, online tutorials, teleconference seminars, IT Learning & Education, and numerous other "education" opportunities. Additionally, as you move up in the firm, there is coaching geared specifically for the management level and above.
PwC is also great for meeting people and developing a network. There are lots of knowledgeable, well-connected people there who are usually willing to include you in their circle of friends.
For the most part the leadership is part extremely qualified, treats everyone with respect (even new associates/new hires), and will recognize a job well done.
The firm tries to communicate clearly with its employees, and if anything, there is so much communication that it is impossible to keep up with it all.
More than anything, the people you work with can be the best part of the job.
Cons: I believe that management has been ordered to work new hires to death. Since pay is salaried and there isn't really overtime (maybe a spot bonus here and there), i think the motto is "milk them for all they're worth". As a new associate you will be told that you are expected to work long hours and to have a "utilization rate" of at least 80% according to HR policies. That being said, however, as a new hire a likelier story is that you should really be at 100% since other people in the office have utilization rates of up to 150% (or something ridiculous like that). If you have 8hrs of billable hours a day you have a 100% utilization rate, so you can do the math to figure out what 150% would be. "It's not uncommon to work 12-14 hours a day", according to many managers. And if you ask, like me, how does that leave time for the rest of your life?? You might get a similar answer- "well, the work has to get done". Work/Life Balance is a joke!

Also, the push on new hires comes from the fact that they have the lowest billing rate and budgets are ALWAYS tight. That can be pretty stressful.

So again, the biggest downside would be the long hours. VERY LONG HOURS. If you are okay with that for the rest of your life, and especially as a new hire, then PwC is the place for you. But be aware, for the amount of time you work, the salary isn't that high and the spot bonuses for overtime are weak to say the least.

The last thing is that sometimes credentials take precedence over proven abilities. So much emphasis is placed on PhDs and advanced degrees, but having those degrees does not necessarily make the person the best one for the job or even the smartest (it seems like every one at the office is always having to prove how smart they are!). I'm extremely proud to work for PwC and with the people there, because i think they really are very talented and bright, but sometimes it goes to their heads. Eh, most of the time maybe...