Pros: - Great compensation and benefits, especially after you've been there 3 years. - Lots of opportunities for different roles and responsibilities. - Great place to work on big problems. - Good people, good culture.

Cons: - Can be overly bureaucratic and slow to make decisions. - Easy to get typecast or stuck in a particular role. - Lack of transparency about decision making. - Can be very paternalistic toward employees.

Pros: Opportunity for senior leadership, with accountability for a business unit or multiple product lines.

Cons: Sometimes it becomes more important who you know than what you know.

Pros: I loved working for a company that provided excellent customer service. I felt proud of the products we sold and knew that people really put their energy into doing the best possible thing for the customers. From the chairman down, this was how the company operated. There was never any question about that.

Cons: There is an unusual culture of politeness, but not in a way that is productive. People nodding and smiling did not mean your idea had acceptance; outside of the meeting, people nodding and smiling could work vigorously to defeat the idea. The lack of openness and vigorous debate was unusual. The compensation at the executive level has a highly variable component based on the company's performance. People who had been successful getting internal "shares" tended to become more and more protective of their position and their turf. They had to continue to look good to get more and more shares and would actively undermine anyone with ideas different from theirs. I think this compensation model stifled innovation. People who rocked the boat didn't last very long; many of the people I admired in the executive ranks were eliminated during "reductions of force". There are antibodies to thought diversity that are really difficult to overcome. I'd thought I'd be a lifer, but lost my job after 15 years during the 2008 recession. Since then, I've had a lot more personal freedom than I experienced working at Fidelity, with a more rapid pace of personal growth both consulting and starting a company. I am far less secure financially, but am happy.