Company: PwC
Date: 2009-07-13
Overall rating: 3/5
Employment status: current

Glass ceiling firmly in place
Pros: For a marketer in professional services, the brand recognition is unparalleled.  Recognition of marketing as a value-add function within the firm is better than (in my experience) within the legal sector. There's still a large element of intellectual superiority in place within the more senior practitioner ranks, but access to those ranks is pretty unfettered.
Cons: It's all about the politics. And the internal, go-nowhere planning. Actually making a difference to the way we position ourselves in the marketplace can be challenging, owing to the size of silos still in place within the organisation.
My main gripe, though, is that the opportunity for professional development is slim to nil, and for promotion is similar. In five years with the firm I have had zero professional development training - that's always the first budget to get cut - and promotion, for support staff, is not merit-based (despite lip service to that tune). So if you're great at your job and exceeding expectations, unless your boss leaves or you're prepared to move sector/line of service specialism (if there's a suitable role available, of course), there's very little place to go except out.