Pros
Great benefits and health care coverage; however, my boss would never let me use them. I could never get out of the office for a doctor visit, so the benefits really weren't worth it. I left the firm with the maximum number of vacation days I didn't have time to use. I guess at least I get paid for them when I leave.
Cons
Every negative rumor you have heard is true. This is a sweatshop. Employees are shuffled around like interchangeable pawns in a chess game. The hours are TERRIBLE even though the people I interviewed with touted the company's "work/life balance". I was told that they only pay 1/2 time for overtime to discourage overtime hours. Not true. I have seen people who web-surf most of the day applauded for the long hours they were putting in. Appearances are everything and you can plan on 50 hours a week as a minimum if you are lucky enough to join a group that is well-staffed. I was micro-managed (though that will depend on your division) and in looking for a new position, found that in Utah, experience with Goldman Sachs actually HINDERED my job search - significantly. The years I spent here have been worthless to me. Their roles are highly "specialized" meaning that you learn nothing about the broader industry and are basically a ticket puncher doing the simplest menial tasks until they figure out a way to automate your role and you are moved to man another conveyor belt. When I asked to work only a 10 hour day ONE day a week for personal reasons, I was repeatedly NOT accommodated. You can completely forget about any medical accommodation for hours, though they won't hesitate to give you a footrest or seat cushion. They may support you in theory, but not in practice. Turnover is very high (they lure you by saying that it's a competitive environment for the brightest minds and that only the best endure - not reality) and I know several people who have chosen to be unemployed rather than continue to work at GS. I worked for Operations for 2 years before moving to the Investment Management Division. Within one year in the Investment Management Division, I got over 25 "farewell" emails from people leaving the firm. The firm is lowering it's hiring standards wherever they can and in most of the hiring discussions I witnessed, the only basis for a decision to hire was whether or not the most senior interviewer "liked" the person. They are hiring from all different backgrounds and experience (which they explain as "diversification") and grade point average do not matter anymore. This is no longer the organization that hires "the best of the best". In New York, you are hired if you are from the right family with the right contacts. In Utah, you are hired if they like you. No skill needed.