Company: IBM
Date: 2012-08-01
Overall rating: 3/5
Employment status: current
Experience level: Senior

Great place to learn, not-so-good place to earn
Pros: 1. Solid foundation on processes, learning, systems thinking. This is particularly important for someone who is starting his or her career. Or if someone is moving in from a small company. IBM provides the necessary appreciation of how large corporations need to work, the linkages between different functions. 
2. Scale of work - depending on your role in the company, you get opportunities to paint on a really large canvas
3. Work from home. I am torn on this one. On paper, and for most roles, this is such a great thing to have. Particularly, for working mothers, PWDs etc. However, this also tends to mean that work never ceases - whether you are at work or at home.
Cons: 1. Poor Salary -- IBM takes people at lower salary, and then pushes them even lower every year. The annual increment is marginal (if at all) and much below the inflation levels. If you work for IBM for a few years, you would have a salary way behind market parity, thanks to years of being undercut.
 
2. Slow career progression -- goes hand in hand with salary. Dont be surprised to see your freinds and peers outside IBM in much senior positions, while you have hardly made any progress in your career ladder at IBM.

3. Stifling bureaucracy -- one of those companies where 1 employee has 3-4 managers, each bringing additional complexity and reporting.