Company: IBM
Date: 2015-11-23
Overall rating: 5/5
Employment status: current
Experience level: Senior

Career Progression & Global Opportunity
Pros: I've been very happy with my career progression since joining IBM in 2003.  I've done six jobs all in the same function.  Each time I moved to a new role that I sought out for my own development.  IBM makes internal opportunities available to everyone, and the company allows people to demonstrate they "have what it takes" to do the job.  I've been promoted four times since joining, and I'm now leading a large organization where my team is having an impact our growth priorities.

I've also had the opportunity to travel the world and live abroad with IBM.  That was one of my goals when I chose to work for a global company.  My first overseas project was in India, which was structured as business travel for 4 months.  A few years later, I put my hand up for a move to Europe.  I spent two years in London with my family, which allowed us to visit most of Europe.  And I just returned to New York after spending two years in Japan, which was one of the best cultural experiences of my life!

Other things I value:  I work with incredibly smart people.  The company embraces diversity.  Great work is recognized & rewarded.
Cons: The company has changed so much over the years, many people don't understand today's IBM.  Clients are mostly medium to large sized companies, so the typical person on the street is likely to have an outdated impression of IBM.  Many people still associate IBM with laptops or hardware.  But we've become more about services, software, cloud, and cognitive computing.