Pros
Whether you are a Full-time Financial Representative, or a part-time College Intern Northwestern Mutual provides an experience that can help you 1- decide if the industry is right for you, 2- helps you determine what specialty or niche you are most suited to work in, and finally you have a leadership team and back office support staff that helps you every step of the way.
Cons
This industry is not for everyone. For the right person it can be a dream for the wrong person a nightmare. people who do not have a strong economic base or those that can't take the financial risk of not being able to make "significant" income for at least 6 months should consider whether or not this career choice is suitable for you. For College kids I think that that the Northwestern Mutual internship provides that best experience for a college person to have if they foresee a career in finance post education. if you don't like working with people face-to-face and or can't handle rejection, or have less than stellar follow-up skills this career will eat you alive. This business is all about creating business opportunities through enduring relationships that can last for generations. Probably the biggest barriers to success for new people coming into the business is: 1- lack of financial feasibility (Northwestern actually helps off set this with a 4-6k stipend and a training allowance plan that helps new reps smooth cash flow) 2- fear of "selling" to friends and family (if you don't believe that you have something of value to offer people by helping them with their financial security ( believe it or not we do provide people value) than either you don't understand what you have to offer or your opinion of yourself and personal integrity are out of whack)