Pros
Sometimes hard work will pay off. Some studios are closer than others. Sometimes you'll meet a good leader that will take the time to mentor you. It's a great place to meet people and when you leave everyone will want you to work for them. There are a lot of training programs outside of the day to day grind (of course all on your own time). The staff is pretty diverse but perhaps that is just another method of saving money for the company.
Cons
Cons mainly impact a certain kind of person, depending on the cards you are dealt, you may find you fit into some of those cons. Such as : - being introverted - being female or a minority - having a thick accent - not being a self-promoter (does not reflect actual capabilities) - if you need guidance in order to learn - If you do in fact work hard, but do not self-promote These are the kinds of traits that can cause huge hurdles for you. The reward system established is skewed towards loud and proud types. If you are a female, you absolutely will be limited, especially if you are under one of the various studios lead by the 'elite'. It is even crazier when you consider licensure doesn't mean you will make a decent wage. There are plenty of licensed females that are well below their pay grade. It's not the kind of place that will train you, and not because they don't want to. There are a few good people that understand the value in training. It has more to do with project management. Projects are generally too constrained by time to allow for that. It's most disheartening when you find those people that have been here 3-5 yrs (sometimes more) and do not have the skills they would have acquired at any other firm. There is some senior staff that do very little, which can be very debilitating.
