Pros
-You get an annual all expenses paid trip to Orlando for MSL U. You have to sit through a couple days of continuing education seminar but you get your own hotel room and meals provided for. -occasional client events and parties, good chance to get out the office and see the sun and inhale oxygen. -occasional work sponsored happy hours, lunches etc. -when management takes the occasional time to stop acting like tightwads, they can be pretty cool. -New Grads:It's okay if you're starting out and looking for work exp as they hire anyone they can get their hands on since they're not only not a big 4, not even a top 100 firm. they'll pay you, and give you little holiday bonuses.
Cons
-Public accounting life is brutal, if you are looking for work-life balance dont go into public accounting. 8 hr days are short days. -understaffed for workloads. working hard is admirable, working your employees to death because you dont want to pay another salary is not, its cruel. the work eventually gets done, but staff are putting in 12-14 hr days regularly during busy season, for what? to keep the stereotype of public accounting true? hire more staff and lighten the workloads for your employees. maybe some will actually stick around -not much upward career growth, there are a few places they can promote you to but at some point you'll hit a road block. smaller companies, fewer positions. -MSL has high turnover, they will tell you they dont but they do. Just in the office i worked at there have been a minimum of 10-15 departures in the years i was there. MSL wont look at themselves and ask "what can we do better" they'll just claim the person was a right fit. newsflash no one wants to be a right fit for a noose. -those indoctrinated into the MSL culture will swear that MSL is great but those people dont have lives. -in short: MSL is a slave driver, and expects worker drones.