I recently received an offer from IBM to work as a data scientist, and I was wondering what to anticipate, how much I would be paid.
Hey scientists,Job boards, such as IBM’s career page, can provide insight into the type of work data scientists do at IBM and the skills they seek.
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I have friends at IBM (India). IBM can be a fantastic fit for recent graduates or early-career professionals. My buddies have competitive basic compensation, but their stock options and bonuses are terrible.
Having said that, they provide excellent mentoring opportunities (I believe the portal is called Your Mentor), and they do attract experienced data scientists. So take advantage of these possibilities and network like crazy. My buddies who joined right out of college worked for 1.5 - 2 years before switching to product-based companies. The only person I know who works there does so because they plan to further their education. They are preparing for competitive tests on the side, and the WLB of IBM suits them while earning money fairly well
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I did for 2 years along side a cohort of approx 40 other DS ranging from undergrads to PhDs.
IBM casts a wide net and allows their pools of new hires to sink or swim. If you have a solid understanding of hot ML applications (RNN/DNN/CNN, back propogation, gradient decent, PCA/FA, to name a few popular methods…) you’ll fit right in and learn a lot. The company generally has a lower bar of entry than other fortune 500s and will allow you to develop.
The downside is, many of my cohort settled for non-ds support tasks that pigeon holed them in to dev or project manager roles. Some didn’t mind the shift tbh and are making a good living regardless.
All in all, if you want to stay on the DS path, network and force your way onto project teams via technical know-how or shadow ops. Otherwise, you may find yourself doing a number of support tasks. Its what you make it. I know it sounds harsh but IMO, most people who have a negative sentiment of IBM were pushed out of their intended career path because there were people who did their job better. IBM has a lot of fat to trim but their management is smart enough to find the gold eggs when they come across them.