-Consensus meetings: Takes 20 people once a year to go through a committee process for decisions about promotions and raises among non-PPDs (Partners, Principals, Directors). Your counselor is not your boss, but this person goes to the consensus meetings to advocate for you. Counselor is not in your project work stream. Your project manager is not your boss nor your counselor...hard to tell who is in charge
-Micromanagement from project managerswho are too scared to let their staff grow and make decisions on their own
-Typical trend of this decade: the managers are not leaders, do not inspire you to perform above the average. There is a big difference between management and leadership that these managers do not get.
-Because of the ratings process, you have to "network" but it comes down to whose ego you stroke.
-No control of your career even though the company says you have control. Be prepared to put on a project you never interviewed for or wanted to do (they could at least ask).