Pros
Honestly, I was hesitant to start my career with Capco because I hadn’t heard much about it, especially compared to other bigger consulting firms. In the end, though, I'm really grateful I started here.
First of all, for most Capco people, the job is fully remote (especially for non-New York office folks) + has great work-life balance. Weekends and evenings are protected at Capco. I got the typical consulting experience and pretty much the exact same skillset as my peers at bigger firms, without losing out on a vibrant life outside of work. The few times I did fly out to the client site were made sweeter by the fact that 95% of the time I got to stay local and build a great routine and community in my home city. Capco also has fun perks like a $50/month wellness benefit (I used mostly for gym memberships and the occasional massage, too). Also, the free DoorDash Dashpass membership through Capco is very useful. The Capco Charlotte office is cozy, and it's a nice place to come into when you do want to go into the office. P.S. - The New York office is in the Empire State Building, and the Chicago office is in the Sears Tower!!
Secondly, there is a genuine entrepreneurial spirit here, so if you want to create some new initiative you can! There's not a lot of red tape you need to cross to start something (I started a monthly community forum or lunch & learn series). You can give feedback or express a desire for something that doesn't exist, and Capco is nimble enough to let make changes, or let you run with that new initiative! I think it was a bunch of Associates who originally started the annual Capco ski trip over a decade ago, and that tradition continues today - I definitely recommend going on that trip if you can! Very fun.
Third, mentorship. My coach here was incredible. I could tell she really cared, and she supported me as a person even beyond just what project I was on - I was on 8 different projects during my 4 years here (in a range of longer- and shorter-term projects), which gave me a ton of exposure to various sectors of financial services. If you show an interest in a particular domain or topic, like AI governance or fintech services for the underbanked, say so! There are plenty of opportunities for thought leadership in those spaces. Folks like your coach or others with more experience in those areas will be willing to get you plugged into the business development there. Connect with leadership; I found that, by and large, they're more than happy to help you out.
I'm moving on to a highly ranked grad school program after this (with folks from the Big 4 and MBB anyway, lol, so you really can end up in the same place), and I think that my experiences at Capco played a great hand in that.
TLDR: don't knock it till you try it!
Cons
I think that the bench can be difficult to navigate at times - as it is with any consulting firm. During my tenure with the firm, there have been different leads and guidelines on how to report efforts on the bench and how to get on a new project, so it seems that Capco is taking in this feedback already and trying to make the bench experience better.
I think that though the Charlotte office and others are growing, there's still a bit more emphasis on New York for the Capco US business. I imagine that will continue to change as the population outside of that office grows.