Company: IBM
Date: 2008-07-18
Overall rating: 4/5
Employment status: current

The elephant keeps you warm and cozy, just not rich.
Pros: Work/life balance is excellent.  IBM has a large mobile workforce and its very common to handle all of your work, calls, etc. all from the comfort of your home office.  Showers are optional.  Large company allows you to work for a new 'company' with every job change. So for example, you can work in one role for 2 or 3 years, then take on a new opportunity and you will feel like you are starting with a new company all over again.  New names, new issues but you keep all your benefits.  Pockets of the company have excellent, intelligent people.
Cons: Very centralized management team.  You have to be here for 20 years to become an executive with a VP title.  IBM has a lot of internal 'grow your career' materials and systems, processes.  But at the end of the day it's who you know.  If you are well networked, you might advance but IBM's culture only allows for 20 year veterans to take on VP titles.  And just because you 'survived' for 20 years doesnt mean you deserve a turn driving the ship.  There are often far more qualified middle managers and non-managers who would be more effective executives as they are closer to the business.