Prós
To name a few, the wide variety of clients and the ability to take on responsibilities early on, consistent access/mentorship by the leadership team, a clearly-defined but customizable career path and great training/ support. Even though it's public accounting, I don't feel like I have to choose between my family and my job - I can flex my time and the leadership team trusts me to prioritize. I've seen a lot of positive changes in my 10 years at BKD from when I started, most of which have come from employee engagements surveys/ ideas from internal employees. No mandatory rotations means I can keep my family in one place, but we're big enough (and continuing to grow) that I could move if I wanted to. The ability to choose my specialization rather than be told where the firm needs me has been and always will be a selling point for me. For accountants, we're creative and strategic in how we innovate and I'm glad to be a part of it. BKD also really helped me to develop as a professional supporting my efforts in the community/ on local boards, etc. Non-discretionary Profit Share is 5% annually - better than a 401k match to me.
Contras
Standard cons with a pubic accounting firm - longer hours ahead of peak deadlines and an every-changing knowledge base in the industry can be stressful to keep on top of. While compensation adjustments seem to be in line with market standards overall, I'd like to see a performance-based bonus for certain milestones.
