Pros: A very stimulating place to work. You are very well treated. You are paid well above market rates. It's very technical. A perfect job if you want to settle down and have some stability.

Cons: Work-life balance can sometimes be tricky, as there is a culture of overworking. It's certainly not a young startup. It's not a flat structure; it feels a bit corporate. Hours are long. I often simply feel bored.

Pros: Good training program for entry-level people. Quite a few smart people around. Great offices to work in: very attractive, good location, communal kitchen, lecture theatres, etc. The office in general feels quite busy and bustling. Lots of perks like free theatre/exhibition tickets, events, etc. Good amount of responsibility from early on. Good pay. Good name to have on the CV.

Cons: Lots of the codebase is pretty antiquated – Fortran code, old 1000-line C functions from the 1980s, etc. Lots of proprietary stuff you have to learn that isn't transferable, so you run the risk of getting a bit institutionalized. Also, Bloomberg often unnecessarily has its own little version of something (file I/O libraries, etc.). Senior management have their heads in the clouds and are fairly political. Many have been there since the dawn of time and have an outdated view of how the company works. They will push through initiatives that they have 'sold' to their superiors, even if they just don't make sense at ground level. One of those companies (and there are many) that sell themselves to applicants as having a 'flat' structure, when what this actually means is that hardly anyone ever gets moved up. There is also lots of bureaucracy and a culture of micromanagement – every working hour must be ticketed, accounted for, etc.

Pros: I really enjoyed the benefits and the growth opportunities that company provided. It was a great job where you get great appreciation for your skills and time spent. And first of all – the people. There are some great teams there. We were like a family together. We were not looking at each other like competitors, but like friends. You always get the help you need, and you are happy to provide help to others to help them grow and improve. Completely recommended as a first employer – you would get a lot of support and valuable skills.

Cons: Like with all big companies, it was hard to bring changes in. And when you give up, there are others coming who don't. And then you feel that they have achieved more in less time.