Pros
Despite all of the negativity, if you're placed on the right project you have massive opportunity to "Learn by osmosis," meaning that you'll be working side by side tons of consultants with decades of experience. And you'll report directly to them, with no one between the two of you. If you have experience, you're golden. Don't be caught up as a Junior. One of the great things is that you get to really choose your own path, and you're given the freedom to do so. Somewhat. That's terribly destructive to a Junior who needs direction and mentor-ship.
Cons
Where do I begin? - No pay raise/promotion DESPITE being promised huge opportunity during vetting process. I'm not the only one; others at much higher levels are confirming that NO ONE is getting raises/promotions. - Low pay and very little chance of decent bonus pay out. - Peers at other companies are starting out at higher pays, and enjoy more challenging assignments which leads to an upward spiral or raises, promotions, and more recognition. At HCL, no one gets recognized. - HCL and Axon merged several years back. India stayed off of America's back for a while. That's all starting to really change, and only getting worse. Word on the street is HCL is gearing to become an MSP: Managed Service Provider, since this is the typical Indian model. - Where are the SAP projects? They all seem to be disappearing at this company. Executives cry out that all companies are seeing similar trends. Yet, great sources at Accenture, InfoSys, and CapGemini tend to tell me the opposite is true.