There are no safe jobs when revenue is flat, profit is down, and red hat has to be paid for. But let's also get real, even if you stay you're facing declining benefits, and nothing resembling a raise, let alone a COLA. At best you'll tread water, at worst you're losing buying power...and in either case, assuming you have marketable skills. You're missing out on significant wage growth.
A short but an accurate post by @XZtIANc-2nsm . Couldn’t agree more.
"In today's work environment, you need to learn all you can at your present job and eventually leave to leverage "this knowledge" for a better position and pay elsewhere. If your [sic] sitting back waiting for good things to happen, you're delusional. "
100% correct. I'm reading through these and as an ex-IBMer it infuriates me. IBM has been feeding the layoff monster for more than 20 years now, since 1992!! Anyone who is "shocked, just shocked" about IBM's propensity to layoff really hasn't been paying attention at all. An ENTIRE GENERATION of IBMers has now come and gone since then.
I was 54 when I left IBM for greener pastures (a sports entertainment company) and I have never been happier. I'm now making 30% more per year than what my salary + pitiful bonus at IBM was in 2015. This year, I earned an 8% bonus on top of that. If you have skills and some motivation, you can do it. Especially if you are "whip smart with certifications galore and industry credentials that are a recruiters dream" as the above poster said.
Get your skills together, keep learning, sharpen up the resume and get the heck out. Find a company that doesn't do annual layoffs in droves. There are plenty out there. Stop whining and just leave IBM already.
@Y1rV "Most IBMers are complacent people who don't like change." This is 100% incorrect from my time @IBM.
Most of the people I worked with were whip smart with certifications galore and industry credentials that are a recruiters dream. We worked quickly and efficiently and change happened all the time. During my years there teams were reforged almost every quarter. Product alignment and focus were changed so quickly it was hard to keep up. I saw zero complacency instead the targets were moved to often. With to much work and not enough workers. Many of us get really good jobs with Amazon, Google, Microsoft etc. when we are RA'd.
Our product are outdated because management doesn't prioritize them. It gets new marching orders so often we can't settle down. Change happens to fast at the working level of IBM because it takes so long to work through the massive layers of upper management that by the time we "get it" the next plan of action has already started.
IBM has a lot of challenges, complacent people are not one of them.
Spot on mate. IBM is a stepping stone and nothing else.
In today's work environment, you need to learn all you can at your present job and eventually leave to leverage "this knowledge" for a better position and pay elsewhere. Period. If your sitting back waiting for good things to happen, you're delusional. Today companies do not provide pensions, rarely enhance your benefits (actually the opposite happens) and do not have any upward mobility plan for you other than your current position. Even the military will recognize efforts and promote you if you’re doing your job. So, as I’ve said on this blog many times, you must always be looking for your next job and next work challenge which most likely will be had at some other Company. I didn’t write today's "working rules" … those are the "working rules" of today.
They were spot on too. Most IBMers are complacent people who don't like change.
Just look at our IBM products and tools to see how outdated we are.