Morgan Stanley Reviews

I have been working at Morgan Stanley as a contractor for more than 3 years

Pros – - experts with core technologies (IBM MQ, Java, .NET etc.)
- high availability and real-time applications challenges
- strong financially

Cons – - too many distributed teams
- SDLC not mature enough

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Morgan Stanley full-time for more than a year

Pros – You can learn the latest technologies as you use them.
Nice and friendly work environment.
Working with talented people

Cons – Busy as there is a lot of work load.
Since there are many talented people around you, you need to think on your feet to be successful.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Morgan Stanley as a contractor for more than a year

Pros – Great atmosphere to work in. Lots of teamwork and collaboration. You get to own your projects and have a sense of being part of a larger team.

Cons – As with all large companies, there is a certain level of "process" that must be adhered to - especially being a large investment bank.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Morgan Stanley full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – I came through the graduate training program, which for me was a big selling point. I received three months of solid training and it nicely prepared me for the kind of work I am doing now. Over the last few years I've found lots of opportunities to take on new responsibilities and become more involved in the business of a large IT division at a bank. The senior managers that I have interacted with have been of very high quality and they operate on an open-door policy.

Cons – Pay has gone down over the last few years but expectations have not. Working with global teams over long periods of time can be challenging.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Morgan Stanley as a contractor for less than a year

Pros – Pay is ok. Many different technical skills are needed

Cons – Many supporting activities as a developer

Advice to Senior Management – Give more challenge projects to regional office

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Morgan Stanley for less than a year

Pros – It is really hard to find anything positive about these people

Cons – They use schema of several U.S. companies in order to avoid paying taxes in Quebec and they will try to involve you in these almost illegal activities
Horrible working environment – the worst personal relationship and attitude i have ever seen
Mega geek culture
Significant lack of professionalism at all levels
 Contractors beware! Do not risk your credentials – all you get would be pain, frustration and you will attract the attention of revenue Quebec and the authorities

Advice to Senior Management – They have a lot to learn .... starting from basic behavioral norms like decent language and respect

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

I have been working at Morgan Stanley full-time for more than a year

Pros – Some travel, if you have the right profile and are at the right time of the year.

Cons – Very bad work balance. Frequent (read common) 80+ hour work weeks.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Morgan Stanley as a contractor for less than a year

Pros – Latest technology, bright people, learn alot about the investment banking industry.

Cons – Very hectic, quick turn-around time for many tasks, deadline driven, very fast paced. Need to really know your stuff.

Advice to Senior Management – Have a training or orientation period of about 2 - 4 weeks for new employees to get assimilated into the Morgan Stanley culture and become knowledgeable about the finance and investment banking industry.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I have been working at Morgan Stanley full-time for more than 7 years

Pros – flexible working hour; lots of internal opportunities

Cons – too many organizational changes from senior management

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Morgan Stanley full-time

Pros – From the moment you start working at Morgan Stanley you will be impressed by the number of top talent they have at the firm. For a large multinational bank, their technical systems are impressively agile and up-to-date. The employees clearly like working there and hardly suffer from a stagnation in skill-building. I was constantly challenged to push myself harder every day. So unless you're a cruiser, you might want to seriously consider Morgan Stanley Montreal as a very viable tech shop to work in.

Cons – Since the Montreal office is purely a tech shop, you will be separated from the business units. If you're looking to work closer with the business you will find it an uphill battle here, but not impossible. You'll probably still be on the phone with them (often way longer than you'd ever want to), and eventually if you build a strong enough case for it, you may be sent to business offices around the world (perhaps even relocated permanently), but it can take a while for any of this to materialize.

MS has become noticeably stingy since the financial meltdown (even compared to much smaller firms), so expect some budgetary politics to play in, including, infamously, the painfully noticeable drop in annual compensation.

If you're a pure techie, you may also find yourself doing so many things that are not part of your core interest, e.g. filling in lengthy documentation meant to gain senior mgr approval on any changes. Sometimes you may be wearing far too many hats, as well.

Advice to Senior Management – Don't skimp on compensation for IT! You will have higher staff turnover and lose talent.

Spend more effort on making the office a fun place to be. A lot of the time, it's the new grads who show any social initiative. It would be nice to have senior mgrs do the same.

Make business training more available for IT and encourage more cross-functional training.