I was at IBM for 22 years ... I started on June 10, 1985 and my last day was November 30, 2007. I joined the University of Toronto Faculty of Information Studies in January 2008. I took Dec. "off" to regroup and get prepared emotionally.
I must say it was a big decision ... something I tried not to think too much about but instead went with my gut. I don't have tenure and came in at the Associate level so only have 3 years to get tenure. I try not to worry about this too much but it lurks in the back of my mind!
I joined IBM right after my undergrad but I knew I wanted to be an academic. I had also applied for scholarships and grad school. I received a Canadian gov't scholarship (NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship) that was deferrable for 2 years to go into industry so I took the job at IBM to get some experience (it was in the area of compiler development). I left after 2 years to pursue grad studies (my masters) and my (wise) manager at the time convinced me to take an educational leave of absence. I remember his reaction, “Never say never, Kelly. Things change. You’ll change,” when I told him I was never coming back. When I finished my masters and started my PhD, I went into IBM to resign but they extended my leave (that was almost 20 years ago -- I don't think it would be possible today). After my PhD, I wanted to have children and at the time looking for a faculty job seemed like a stressful process. I was offered and accepted a great job at IBM, had 2 wonderful children, and worked for 13 more years taking advantage of excellent opportunities and jobs I was given at IBM. Then (all of a sudden), I realized I had spent half my life with IBM (!) and I decided academia was now or never so I applied for academic jobs (I had built a lot of contacts in academia in Canada through my work at IBM so that helped).
And, here I am! It's pretty exciting and scarey all at once! People ask me what I miss the most about IBM and the answer is always, "the people" but fortunately, as an IBM CAS Faculty Fellow, I have the opportunity to stay in touch with and continue to interact with many of those tremendous people.
Monday, April 14, 2008
My Decision to Leave IBM
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I, like you, was an academic who came to IBM, and ended up staying (for 23 years). I've also had the benefit of flexible work arrangements recently (permanent part-time), and things are working out well.
I really appreciate the people at IBM. For 20 of the 23 years with the company, I've been in market development, consulting, executive education, and had an opportunity to lead a First-of-a-Kind project with Research. Aside from the first 3 years in headquarters planning, I've had the opportunity to work directly with customers, so I have a good appreciation of what the work environment is like elsewhere.
People who don't last with IBM tend to have issues about being with such a big company, but I've found some absolutely stellar people to work with. It's taken for granted that IBM has smart people, but the best people are also customer-oriented and passionate. I can't imagine working on a routine job day-in and day-out where I would be penalized for thinking.
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