Company: J-P-Morgan
Date: 2018-01-18
Overall rating: 4/5
Employment status: current
Experience level: Senior

Mobility opportunities, career growth aplenty, but overall work culture is just OK
Pros: I was able to work my way from a temp data entry job to software tester to business analyst with no college degree or background in computer science, mostly through hard work. Getting noticed coming from where I did took a little while, but once I made my first big step my career trajectory really took off. All the tools you need for career development are provided and mobility is encouraged and celebrated. All you need is the desire, and a little talent. In my line of business, we have gone away from a command-and-control management style towards autonomous teams, and while the road to get there has been a little bumpy, and we aren’t all the way there yet, overall I think the trend to empower the employees had been positive. Generally speaking, my managers serve an admin role but are also supposed to be coaches. Some are better than others at this role, and I do see a little bit of resistance to this change.
Cons: It’s easy to feel lost in such a large, global company. As an entry-level employee it took me years to understand what opportunities were available to me, and what the path to Associate or VP looked like. But perhaps that’s due to my unique path more than anything else. Practices vary wildly depending on which line of business you are in, so cross-team collaboration is always challenging. Transparent communication is preached but not always followed. Culture is hit-or-miss, as some teams I have worked with have had a really good vibe, and others make work feel more like just punching in the time clock everyday. As with any large company, your experience will vary depending on your management team and peers.