Be wary of Operations if you are Commercial or Opinionated as that wont be rewarded and you'll soon be frustrated
Pros
Great name and brand in the industry A lot of hardworking and smart colleagues who you can learn from Plenty of lectures, initiatives and guest speakers If you are junior your underpaid but if senior you are overpaid
Cons
Lives off its name and so knows most people are scared to leave No Independent thinkers just Yes men/women on the Operations side Juniors are worked extremely hard with the hours to match but underpaid compared to other companies particularly on the bonus side. Most junior staff don't have experience outside GS as they came straight from University to Grad Scheme so think the Intense culture is normal. External hires notice immediately that a lot of people have drunk the Kool Aid. Great if you are senior but if junior on the Operations side your career is not in your hands but the ability of your manager to promote your work well upwardly which means progression not meritocratic You basically spend your day as a call centre for the revenue generating functions so expect to pander to them no matter how junior they are. Remeber they own the PnL!!!