If you want to succeed here you can forget about maintaining a work/life balance. There are too many great people working here so in order to stand out you will need to make a lot of sacrifices, and there are very few roles here that permit you to drag your feet. Depending on your role, be prepared to jump on your PC at 3am and resolve issues.
Career progression may be plentiful but do not expect to retire here. Things may have changed, but Lanware was an accelerator. You get in, you work hard, you give it your all and then you get out. It seemed to be a 3-5 year cycle. You advance so quickly here that you have no choice to get out, as the benefits are almost non-existent and the compensation is below average (when compared to similar roles in the same industry). I nearly tripled my compensation in my next role, and I didn't have to work anywhere near as hard.
Management seem to think you can hire and retain the best (we work exclusively with FS clients) while paying the same rate (or slightly higher) than your average run-of-the-mill MSP out in the sticks. Let us not sugar coat it – it is unacceptable. You spend 20 hours a week studying, researching and sitting exams (in your own time) to be in the top 1%, then you work your 37.5 hours, plus 10h+ overtime, only to be paid the same as some laid-back lump in the sticks? No thank you sir! It should be noted that Senior Management were well aware of this, and were proud to shake the hand (and sometimes hug!) their leavers, knowing that they paid their dues, gave it there all and deserve to find a bigger role in the big bad world. So kudos to them for respecting and celebrating their leavers.