Company: Deloitte
Date: 2014-12-11
Overall rating: 3/5
Employment status: former
Experience level: Junior

Sink Fast or Swim Far
Pros: I worked at Deloitte Consulting, in the US Federal practice. Deloitte employs lots of talented young and experienced professionals, and has an impressive array of corporate qualifications to draw from. This can be helpful from a learning and exposure perspective as you start your career. Personally, I progressed through the company rather quickly, and found several mentor figures who I was able to learn a lot from and who definitely had a positive influence on my career.
Cons: I felt at times the culture rewards people who appear to be working hard, rather than those who actually make the most meaningful contributions. A matrix-style organization sounds good, but in practice leads to one where your entire career progression depends on networking and who you know (in other words--nepotism). Deloitte calls it "manage your own career." I call that sink or swim. 

Also, do not underestimate the size of Deloitte, nor the amount of bureaucracy that comes with that. I spent a lot of time fulfilling corporate requirements that were not relevant to my day-to-day activities for the client. 

Finally, I observed unhealthy/unsustainable approaches to work/life balance, in particular among senior management.