Pros
High compensation to work ratio initially - particularly the annual cash profit sharing and vested deferred profit sharing. Tuition reimbursement used to be a good benefit, but now it is required you work for a year first before you are eligible. In addition, all classes need to be part-time/weekend/evening/online, of which there are not that many good programs for. Work-Life balance can be good, you can easily coast on 40-45 hours a week as long as you get along with your manager. If not, no amount of work will do anything for your performance, it's 90% subjective.
Cons
Lack of input in rotations/department changes, you are moved into roles that can be radically different from your previous department, and you receive little to no support during the transition as you are expected to be a self-starter and teach yourself the role (especially for management). Any training provided is informal and entirely at the discretion of your manager, if you get a bad one, they may outwardly offer support but not really give you anything tangible and then blame you for not doing well several months into your role. Lack of job security and transparency into performance - Your performance as management is highly subjective, hence your relationship with your manager and their manager will dictate 90% of how well you do. You will need to sell yourself and your work to your manager(s) and furthermore you get the sense that you are being compared to your peers, resulting in a somewhat toxic and cutthroat culture. Turnover is very high, more than half of management hires are gone within 2-3 years, mostly terminated without much warning. Once you get the sense that they are not satisfied with your performance as management, it is basically irrecoverable at that point. Performance improvement plans are non-existent. Lack of transferrable skills - You won't really learn much here except some basic excel/powerpoint skills. In addition to some basic soft skills for corporate communication. This does not lend well into finding another role. Outdated legacy software usage - The only modern application used are Microsoft Office and Outlook, everyday else is outdated and not transferrable to any other role. You will get a bit of leeway during your time as a MT, this is when you get the most support and the lowest expectations of you, relative to your high compensation. However, expectations will increase over time and will vary depending on the department. The only management hires that make it 4+ years play office politics very well and/or are well liked by their managers/upper management and/or are just plain lucky they got into rotated into "easier" departments during their rotations where they got along with their respective management. I would recommend the management development program for anyone looking for a well paying job during a gap year or anyone not intending to stay more than 1-2 years. Any longer and you are likely to be eventually terminated while not having learned much transferable skills.