Hours are long and the commutes are (often) long. Culture is hierarchical and often seniority based. Groupthink, consensus, backroom deal making (rather than op

Hours are long and the commutes are (often) long. Culture is hierarchical and often seniority based. Groupthink, consensus, backroom deal making (rather than open argumentation which is the norm in the states), and not rocking the boat are priorities. But you're basically never going to be fired and generally speaking companies do genuinely seek to "take care of" their people in ways that US companies no longer do (but used to, many decades ago). It's a highly frustrating environment for a restless high performer, but for the mediocre college grad I don't think it's a bad deal at all. They grew up there, know the culture, and have been trained/educated to navigate its waters.