Pros
I've really enjoyed my experience at BRP. Some of the main pros are as follows: 1. Diverse project experience - at many consulting firms, projects tend to be longer, limiting the amount and types of projects you can realistically work on during your tenure. Blue Ridge has given me very valuable experience in several industries in a short amount of time due to the tendency towards 4-8 week projects. 2. Growth-oriented, exciting work - following on the above point, the work that BRP does tends to be quite interesting. You're not going into failing companies and trying to reduce headcount or increase operational efficiency; you're helping companies analyze and sometimes implement growth opportunities. The work is practical, varied, and rewarding. 3. Great coworkers - Almost everyone I've worked with is extremely smart and driven, while simultaneously being more friendly and grounded than the typical consultant. 4. Work-life balance - This varies a bit depending on the project (as with any consulting firm, hours can be long), but travel is generally less and the pace of work is generally more sustainable than other consulting firms. My typical week is ~50 hours, with only occasional weeks over 60 hours. 5. Geographic flexibility - The ability to live in any of 13 or so cities is really helpful. I also really enjoy working from home, but realize this may not be for everyone.
Kontras
1. Movement towards longer, implementation-oriented projects - some people may see this as a pro (implementation generally brings in more money, after all), but I'm skeptical. These projects tend to require longer hours and more travel (often weekly), and I find them to be less interesting than our typical growth strategy projects. 2. Competitiveness of certain benefits - While I generally think we're pretty well compensated on a salary/bonus basis, we lack certain benefits that are standard at many established consulting firms. There's no 401(k) match, for example, and vacation/paid time/parental leave is less competitive than it could be. 3. Lack of diversity - There are very few women or people of color, particularly at higher levels. Moreover, many of the more senior folk have very similar backgrounds. I worry that there is a certain amount of groupthink and lack of dynamism that may eventually impede BRP's growth.