Pros
Great national recognition in the design industry. Meeting lots of different people who come from different work background. Work in different offices and project types (retail, office, campus, etc) if theres an opportunity. Bonus is good when you are there for a long time.
Cons
I was there a long time and worked in 3 offices, so I can say its not just a one office problem. I would give it 4-5 stars when I joined in 2000 to only 2 stars when I left in 2011 because it was less about design and more about just drafting and managing. They put in collaborating spaces all offices but don't want you to spend time just sitting talking about project with so tight deadlines. They tell you not to charge overtime because job is out of money but insist on deadlines so production have to work free weekends or into the night, but where are the managers. You don't see the negative because marketing department is always a step ahead with the next great thing. Theres competition between offices, and alot of picking favoirtes. I can say that cause I was a favorite in 2 of the places so not just sour grapes. I saw lots of senior people make huge mistakes and blame juniors. Promotions based on favorites for sure. When you are there you drink the Cool Aid and believe it. I decided to leave to see if other places of same size had less politics, and found several that were better.
