Pros
I feel lucky to have found a job focused on alternative investments in Seattle. There are not a lot of investment companies in Seattle, especially as large as BlackRock. BlackRock is "the largest asset manager in the world", as upper management likes to remind us. I am learning a lot about the operations and accounting of investment portfolios and how to work with multiple vendors that do the detail work. Its a very interesting job.
Cons
The majority of people in my department are not happy. They dislike management, feel underappreciated and want to quit. I have been working here for about 6 months, and have already seen 3 employees quit w/ long lists of grievances. Each week I dread that someone else will give their 2 week notice! Maybe I'll be next :-(