Pros
It's a large broker dealer institution, giving you exposure to world capital markets. There is a large spend on Tech in general, and the size of the department ensures you have access to new technology that would not be seen in smaller IT environments. Training courses are provided, something which not all companies take seriously. The wide variety of projects you work on means simultaneously working on a variety of technologies. You will come out of a job with them with new buzzwords on your CV. Opportunities for moving business product area in some cases. Large degree of independece in how you complete your work.
Cons
Poor morale, poor tech architecture, management not aligned with staff, frequent project change, High project failure rate, high staff turnover, low pay in Investment Banking IT terms. Management change their duties and structure frequently, giving the impression of a lot of office politics. This impacts on the importance of projects, which can change with little or no input from developers in the project itself. Disparate systems is also a negative in that you tend to be constantly firefighting old/existing systems instead of concentrating on greenfield development. The pay, even on promotion, is not reflective of the extra hours/weekends put in to the job. It is not even higher than inflation.
