IT Specialist Review

Working in a technical team. Maintaining 50+ Servers and 300+ virtual machines. Also managing an offshore 3 person team, training them and overseeing their day to day tasks and guiding them through tasks which they are inexperienced with. Administrating Windows and Unix based operating systems for customers. Coding in C++, HTML, Bash, Ruby and Python to automate specific tasks and reduce the amount of human intervention required. Investigating new technologies and moulding them into an offering which IBM and its customers could use.

I have completed several qualifications and gone on multiple courses whilst at IBM. Agile, Comptia Security+, Prince2 Practitioner, ITIL Service Manager foundation - As well as the in house IBM training and my Level 3 Diploma. There is also a wealth of e-training available on the IBM intranet. I estimate to have completed 1000+ hours of formal training over my 3 and a bit years at IBM. This is in addition to all the in job learning I've done. From having no Unix experience to now being able to administer a range of Unix based operating systems.

The in house training IBM provides is very good and taught me how to interact appropriately with clients. The amount of training available and the quality of the training itself is good. I was lucky to be placed in a good team where I have the flexibility to try out a range of different tasks and roles, but if you're not as fortunate then you're encouraged to move between projects and teams to get a good mix of skills and experience.

I very much enjoy working in my team and my day to day environment. I sometimes dislike the large scale company aspect and feel that you can get lost within the size of the company and abide to certain aspects which are not relevant to yourself, but then this downside is counteracted through the security of a large company and also the amount of flexibility you can have in your day to day role.

The first few months / year are very structured. Regular meetings with your manager and regular training. As your time in the company and experience increases, the structure is less regimented and you're expected to instigate certain things yourself. If you need help, there are plenty of people willing to assist and there is a wealth of internal IBM education which you can refer to at any time. I think your experience can vary a lot depending on what team you work for, I was lucky to get one which was very flexible and allowed me to progress within the team.

Help is always available if you need it. There is a structure of a 'training manager' and also your own team / day to day manager. Most of your interaction will be with you day to day manager, but if you need specific training help then your training manager can either assist you or direct your request.

My team are very supportive and have taught me all the information I need to do my day to day job. I am aware of where to go to get assistance and I would say that there is generally a positive attitude to helping each other out. At the end of the day if someone is better trained, they are less likely to need help in the future and are less likely to make mistakes.

My salary has increased gradually over my time here. Although some of the increases were more spaced out than I would have liked, I am now on a competitive wage and feel like I have not missed out by not going to university. It more than meets my costs and I am looking to move out and buy a house very shortly.

There are multiple opportunities outside of work. I went with IBM to the corporate games and played rugby representing IBM. This was a great way to meet new people and it was also subsidised by IBM. We are also encouraged to do 'giveback' which is often volunteer type work in the local community, I am currently involved in a program with a local school, teaching students basic interaction and presentation techniques.

Yes

It is a good place to start a career and the benefits of working for a big company with a big training budget is a good alternative to Univeristy. I have been able to build up my experience and skills whilst being paid for it and without incurring a huge debt. I saw the apprenticeship scheme as an opportunity to get my foot in the door of the corporate world.

Have an idea of what sort of job / role you would like to go into. Have an idea of the sort of progression you'd like to do. Don't limit yourself to one location and be willing to move around if needed. Spend a lot of time on your CV and then double and triple check it.