IBM

Opportunity - So much opportunity to do more than just your job. There are passion projects, giving back to the community, working with schools, internal groups, and external groups. My development job at IBM is a very small amount of the work I do. I do more for IBM outside of my lab/office, just in external giving back and working with outside organizations and groups.

Work-Life Balance - I think it's termed "integration" now, which I prefer. I've raised three kids here. It's never a perfect balance, but that's ideal because I get time to work when I need it, but also time to drop kids off at school, go to kids' sports/games, and help with homework. I do work a lot, but it's driven by me. There are tons of projects and things I do when the kids go to sleep or on a quiet evening because I love to do this stuff, and that's just me.

Community Outreach - There's a huge sense of giving back at IBM. IBM has a portal for registering volunteering and giving back, and gives grants to organizations you work with. IBM encourages and gives us a lot of autonomy on this, so there's no real limit to how much you can work outside of IBM giving back to the community, as long as it doesn't interfere with your business commitments. They will provide computing/tech resources/educational kits to help support it.

Mentoring/Networking - The most underrated feature of IBM is mentoring. As a senior engineer, we're encouraged to be mentors to junior engineers. While it's not required, it's extremely helpful to have a mentor. It has allowed me to navigate and plan my career progression based on their advice and experience. Because you're in charge of your career, the mentoring is the perfect amount of coaching and self-accountability that I need to stay motivated and on track in my career goals.

People - People are awesome. I've worked with many people who work tirelessly with time they don't have to help me, or other people. I've worked with high school groups and helped people they don't even know within IBM who need help. The part that makes IBM's culture and values amazing is every single person you meet who is a living embodiment of them.

Overall - The thing I love about IBM is that there's so much to do. I'm never bored and always feel like I have an impact, but most importantly, I feel like my impact is greater outside the company, and helping make the world better by being me and defining how I can give back to my community and help others. Is the pay comparable to the other big companies trying to recruit me? No, but like Kingpin said, "It's not always about the money, Spider-Man."

-Big-

IBM is B-I-G, so there's no list of steps for things like career progression, establishing internal support groups (like a gaming group, for example), or how to establish a community outreach event. That's mostly because no one defines what or how you do any of that. The way it's done is different for everyone, so it's really up to you to figure out how to do all that.

-Money-

They pay well. Is it great? Not compared to the giants like Facebook, Netflix, or Google. I've talked to those companies just to know what a move would look like, and the money difference can be quite big if that's your motivation.

-Getting things done-

I'm not sure I would do anything different for this given IBM's size. IBM has a much more organic approach to starting things, getting things done, innovating side projects, and community outreach, etc. You can start groups and projects you're passionate about, but you have to gather the support for it. You can get support and funding, but you have to originate the idea and figure out how to make it work and do the legwork for it, which is great if you're a Type A personality and passionate about something. It also means you become the project manager, recruiter, and communications person for your particular cause, so it's easy to take on too much at times.

It seems like there could be better engagement with employees to make them aware of the services/groups in IBM. Some sites are much better equipped to do that, but smaller sites might need better tools or things to try to get people more engaged. The smaller sites feel much more "quiet" than the excitement of the larger sites, SVL/Austin for example.