Pros
Interesting work; good access to technology companies at almost any level. Respected brand and reputation. Remote office culture provides flexibility on where to live, eliminates commuting Salary for analysts is good, although large component is annual bonus Benefits are good – very good Demand for analyst skills is increasing: good analysts are very highly sought after and difficult to find – often many unfilled reqs on the web site for research analysts
Cons
Senior management overly focused on goosing the stock price and maxing out their options; their short-term, accountant-led philosophy is taking the easy way to revenue growth by driving more salespeople into the market. In the process they are hollowing out the brand proposition of the company which is the quality of research. This will last 2-3 more years before the wheels fall off the bus and clients begin to push back. Incredible amount of bureaucracy for a company this size; poorly thought out and poorly implemented processes. Almost impossible to get anything done quickly and efficiently. Analysts work in an almost call-center like capacity: demands from client inquiries, consulting days, Gartner events, and sales overhead (see below) impacts quality and depth of research. Churn and burn sales culture (30%+ turnover annually) results in poor client experience; analysts constantly working with new salespeople that don’t really know the job. Sales reps focused on transactions rather than building a client relationship, results in mis-match between expectations and ability of the company to deliver, esp. with SMB clients. Work load: Constant and increasing demands for travel, client inquiries, publishing, primary research. Travel is ~ 30% overall but lumpy so approaches 75% in some quarters. No career development; no personal or professional recognition internally to Gartner (although clients and vendors have a high regard for analysts in general – more recognition externally than internally); minimal increases in base salary, title changes, promotions, etc.