Support Analyst Review

To IBM as a whole, I would give the full 10 stars as I have thoroughly enjoyed their side of things from the additional opportunities, to the value of their employees to them. For the placement however, I was based on a third party client site and did not enjoy it to the same standard. Unfortunately for me here, I felt that sometimes being the 'Intern' makes you more susceptible to the less enjoyable workload, so to speak.

In regards to higher managers and Task Managers, I felt extremely valued and knew that I could go to them for advice or support throughout my placement. I was provided with more opportunities during my placement, and felt extremely valued. In regards to the client site, I guess it comes down to the same thing about workload and the 'Intern' stereotype. I dont think this is the same for everyone however, as from speaking to other interns, I think they felt a bit more valued.

Always, all the time. Management in IBM are honestly amazing and extremely supportive. Those looking over the placement scheme are incredible. You get the independence you want, but know that they are around if you ever need. They provide you with more opportunities within IBM, and network you with the correct people for future career paths.

Working for a client is hit and miss. Some days you can have little to do, but others you may be completely stacked out and dont know what work to drop enable to compromise. Not saying this was the same for every intern, as i dont think it was - but for me personally, being one of the longest people around I would find that I would be given a lot of the 'rubbish' work that no one wanted to do a lot of the time, with last minute deadlines. As a result, I cant say this was enjoyable.

On my first day, I was thrown in at the deep end so to speak, and was given a lot of responsibility. I found myself practically running a team on the project and making all of the decisions daily. I felt that sometimes depending on who was around I was treated as being 'inexperienced' due to age, I guess a sort of stigma attached, but around the majority of people I felt like I was part of the team, and not just someone new.

Although some of the above may seem like the placement wasnt completely enjoyable due to some experiences, I feel the skills learned are those for life, and as such invaluable as you learn to cope and adapt at such a young age. Staying in IBM was something I hadnt considered after this placement, but it changed my mind, as the skills you develop and build are something you cant compare. In IBM, it seems that as long as you have a viable reason for something, they back you and dont say no, this is evident throughout. Nothing compares, IBM should be rated highly for this.

Extremely informal, surprisingly. Atmosphere was amazing, like a community where you could speak freely and have a laugh with colleagues, but at the same time knuckle down and work when required. Extremely professional, which you wouldnt think goes in hand with the informality, but surprisingly nailed it. Imagine a school with a chilled out teacher, its like that, really. As long as you get the work done on time and to a high standard, youre given the perfect balance.

As stated before, the Management side of IBM itself you cannot fault. The effort put in to meetings, emails, notices, everything is unmatched. Extremely well organised and a high level of effort put in to make our IBM experience as good as possible. Down to the client account side however, it was a bit hit and miss occasionally. Cannot fault IBM as a whole though.

Being on a 12 month placement, personal training on client sites is somewhat limited, as you're only in essence 'there' for 12 months. I guess its going to be different for everyone, as interns not on client sites so much may be more inclined to be given personal training and development, as their work can be used for any profession.

Oh 100% appealing and something to look into. As a result of the placement and my overall IBM enjoyment, I applied to continue with IBM and their job prospects. With IBM being so big, every job has the potential to be completely different. Their values for their employees are something you cant fault, and another reason I was inclined to stay on.

Being based on a small site on an external project, i was not around many placement students and so it was somewhat difficult to socialise with the bigger picture of fellow placement students. Everyone you meet is really nice though, and you can easily message them even if you dont know them that well and socialise. Social scene was definitely there, just not so much on my project.

Not very expensive at all. I lived at home and in a commutable distance from my work place. IBM as a company seem understanding if travel is an issue, and from what ive seen they tend to accommodate quite well when required. Any travel away from base location was expensed without hassle

Cant say I went out much with work colleagues due to age gap etc. Not many placement students where I am directly, but there are a lot of gatherings for the wider community of placement students at different times of year, enjoyable if you attend and definitely worth it if you work everything correctly.

Yes. Many wider IBM projects/giveback things to get involved in. Something I enjoy a lot as there is always something to do, and immediate managers were understanding of other commitments and never failed to work around me, providing that I notified them in advance. Its a bit like uni really, if theres ever something youre interested in, theres something in IBM that can accommodate this for sure... and if not, then you have the tools there to start something up yourself.