Several Consultants and some Partners at my office began at the Associate or Senior Associate level. This is very encouraging to everyone because it shows that if you work hard within the company, there is no limit to how far you can go. If you don't work hard, you will stay at the Associate level or the Senior Associate level for years. This is a pure merit based company, which I love.

You don't have to do the 2 - 3 years and then business school route. You are not forced to exist the company after three years. Although a lot of consultants to leave for business school, many often come back and rejoin the company.

Consultants move up very quickly within the company. You can expect to be promoted twice during your first 2-3 years at the company. The opportunity to learn and grow from the managers is always there and I feel the actual experience you get is the best part of the job.

I have found that the culture is very collaborative and open. Everyone feels comfortable being themselves and I am good friends with almost everyone at the office. The Partners make you feel comfortable and valuable. They have an open-door policy and I feel comfortable walking into their office at anytime.

Promotions at Putnam are taken very seriously. You must earn the trust and respect of everyone you work with in order to get the promotion. On average, an Analyst will be promoted to Associate within a year. From Associate, it takes about two years to make it to Senior Associate. The majority of the Consultants have an MBA; however, you can make it to Consultant without having an MBA.

Your promotion process in the firm is all merit based. They do not give you a specific time fram (like most other firms) of when you will be promoted. If you work hard, you will be recognized for your efforts and be promoted accordingly. You do not need your MBA to get promoted to Consultant status. Like I said, all merit based.

I have one thing to say. Promotions do not come automatically. They come purely based on performance. I absolutely love this because you really get the sense and feel that if I work harder, I'll get promoted faster within the company.

Growth is pretty standard here. I came in straight from my undergrad and was promoted to Associate Consultant in just one year. After two years, you'll know if this is the right place for you and the right industry. They do not have an up or out mentality, so your job is pretty stable.