Pros: - Put IBM on your resume; it may be impressive to some recruiters.

Cons: - Compensation is under the average in the Bay Area. - No room to grow. - The higher the level of managers, the less software knowledge they possess. - Healthcare insurance is one of the worst packages across the US. I had to pay triple the price to get one-third of the benefits compared to my current employer's offers. - Managers can call you anytime they want, even at 5 AM on Saturday or Sunday mornings. - Layoffs occur at least four times per year. Ginni Rometty increased IBM's income by laying off people, with the stated reason being to hire more new talent. - If you are a good engineer, do not ever apply for a job at IBM. IBM isn't worth even one cent to your career. - Free coffee only from 2 PM to 4 PM at the SVL site? One of the worst coffee services in the Bay Area.

Pros: Great benefits, comfortable environment, work-from-home available, and lots of opportunities.

Cons: Promotions can be hard to nail down. Not working in an office can impede promotions.

Pros: Looks good on a resume, but do not look to this company for any long-term employment. If you work in sales, you can be in a position to earn a lot of money. If you are in the technical ranks, you will have exposure to some interesting technologies. If you are interested in management, you could make a good career at IBM if you can learn to manage upward, never make waves, never challenge directives issued by managers above you, and always tell managers above you that they are doing a terrific job. If you are in the technical area, you can tell your manager you are accomplishing goals that you are not reaching, as they do not seem to check unless you do something that may make them look bad to their manager.

Cons: Technical people are treated as if they are a dime a dozen, while managers are thought of as non-replaceable, regardless of whether they are competent or not. The current philosophy within the company is to manage upward. Do not challenge directives, regardless of how dumb they might be. Do not make any kind of waves. As managers, they surround themselves with people that will only agree with their positions and ideas. There is no medical coverage for any family member unless that family member existed before the company dropped covering any new family members (wife, husband, child). The retirement plan is non-existent unless you qualify for the previous retirement plan (and few do). The technical people are considered a necessary evil and are encouraged to look for jobs elsewhere after a few years so that they do not have to pay technical people what they are worth. The lower managers are poorly trained in management and not involved in what their employees are doing. Most are looking out only for their careers and could care less about their employees or the products being produced.