Pros
- FINRA licensing; depending on the role, you'll probably get a series 6 or 7 at entry level, (for the recent grads out there, a series 7 is really a necessity if you're serious about progressing in the financial services industry and is the primary benefit of starting at vanguard in my opinion - they have a training system and you will pass the exams, which is also a benefit to perspective employers who are far more likely to go for someone already licensed) - retirement saving; vanguard offers the means to pretty aggressively contribute to your 401k so if you are looking to catch up and/or retire soon and save as much as possible, they are probably a good option and benefits overall aren't bad - work life balance; 37.5 hour work week - if that's what you're looking for.. - training; they offer a ton of personal development opportunities in a wide array of subjects, which, while only occasionally useful in and of themselves, are a great way to break up the monotony of your day-to-day job. Vanguard did pay for my CFA level 1 testing however, for which I am quite grateful and education is probably the one area in which Vanguard excels. You have to start somewhere, vanguard isn't a bad place to do that in finance and, if you're a recent ASU grad like I was, you might not have many options in this field in AZ. My opinion is this; to each their own, but if you're like me and got out of college ready to swing for the corporate fences, learn what you can, get the licenses/professional development that you need, kill it at work and move on. There is so much to do in finance and, while absolutely enormous, Vanguard represents just a small portion of the industry. It's a good start, but you can do better.
Cons
- pay - work life balance; yes, also a con. get ready to work a lot of overtime at entry level if you're hoping to make ends meet and not default on all that student loan debt you probably have... - did I mention pay? *Serious word of caution though, while I heard that they may be moving away from this model eventually, whatever pay level you join at pretty much defines the rate at which your pay will progress over time (meaning, you if were to start at the bottom and work your way up, you will in every likelihood make LESS than the external candidate who got hired from outside for the same job - this is the main reason I left the company and no, it's not based on gender.. separate issue there as well in my opinion, though not in the traditional sense, additional color on that point to follow..) - career progression seemed to be more about time in job than results in job. You are not likely to outperform your way to a promotion by taking on extra work or projects outside of your normal role so just kick back and wait in line for that minor pay bump like everyone else, I'm sure your number will be called eventually... - very large company; roles are highly specialized (to maximize efficiency), which in my opinion makes for an exceptionally monotonous day-to-day, regardless of the role you're in. comes with the territory for large companies though - very strong, bordering on pervasive, corporate culture; the team leaders/managers almost have their own dialect ("speak to that," "learning opportunity," "engagement survey," and other various nonsense words that I assume are instilled through some kind of training process or perhaps outright brainwashing [sarcasm]. Having that 1:1 with your team leader is like having a conversation with Siri; artificial, shallow, and oh so politically correct. - almost abusive use of acronyms throughout the firm (there are literally hundreds, you won't know what people are talking about when referring to different departments for months) - gender bias; this could be a pro as well, which is why I saved it for last. In the financial services industry, there is a well evidenced male gender-bias, in pay as well as proportion. Refreshingly, that is not the case at Vanguard. There are a lot of girls who work there (not a con, obviously). Being the white, middle-class male that I am, never have I experienced a "glass ceiling" of any kind... until vanguard. Regardless of how you self-identify, save yourself some time and give up on those aspirations of making it into management unless you fit the mold of late 20s to early 30s blonde girl who majored in something like communications or interior design and stumbled into an accelerated management program (I think that's where the brainwashing occurs by the way). In all seriousness, it's truly uncomfortable to feel disadvantaged in such a manner, however slightly. I am now a staunch feminist. go equality.