Accenture

Great career model allows for a fast track to management if you are a top performer.

Tons of training available, along with mentorship to help you advance.

Great benefits and the compensation is good if you are in consulting.

Super flexible work hours and a focus on work/life balance. (You still work 50 hours or so, but you can space that out to make time for the things that matter most in your life).

Really fun people to work with and a great atmosphere, even in the midst of crunch time.

As a software engineer, I don't understand how anyone stays here longer than 2 years. The starting salary is nowhere near market value, and the PTO is half that of other internal workforces.

But in general, it's tough to give a fair review because every client you go to works out differently. You might end up on a project with really challenging work and cutting-edge technologies, or you might end up on a project that is slow-paced and pedantic. You are truly rolling the dice when looking for your next project because what is discussed initially in interviews (to get on a project) is not always what you get once you roll onto the project.

• Consultant is just a fancy word for contractor. As such, you may end up at some pretty cool client sites but with no access to any of the perks or entertainment you are surrounded with. You are basically a second-class citizen for the rest of your stay.

Pay your programmers and analysts more, or they are going to leave. This may mean recruiting less or making the interviews tougher (I wrote no code in my interviews), but I truly believe that Accenture is too great a company to be used only as a stepping stone.