IBM vs Startup
Hey everyone,
I'm deciding between two offers at the moment. I originally got the IBM via CbD in the east coast. I found out recently that I also got an offer from a startup on the west coast. The compensation is better at the startup, but I do find consulting interesting (did consulting internship this past summer at a big 4). Is it worth negotiating with IBM? Since i would be part of a program, I'm not sure how much of a compensation raise I could get. I come from a CS background.
Also, does anyone have thoughts about what IBM is like? I know consulting involves travel, but I'm not too aware of IBM's clients since I know them more as a tech company.
I have not started at IBM yet, but I will be working there in the fall. I was faced with a very similar situation. My ultimate goal is to end up in VC and while I know that others reading this post will say, "No brainer, why don't you go work for the start-up?" I decided to go with IBM because after speaking with a large amount of people, I learned that they are heavily restructuring their CbD program and I think that with these new changes I could prosper here for a little bit and then move to a startup or different tech company afterwards. I know that IBM is NOT regarded as a prestigious firm whatsoever and that it is a tech company doing tech strategy, but in todays world I think that learning tech strategy and transitioning would work well for me. I don't know who you are or what your goals are, but I am still doing some pro bono work for the startup and plan to keep in touch with them over the next year so that if push comes to shove I will have done my 1 year and can leave without paying back any bonuses.
I was able to renegotiate my salary for some more on the base which is nice.
Overall, I think that you can't go wrong considering that there are a lot of people outside of this forum that would kill for a job at IBM or a job at the startup. Think about your goals and how you want to get to said goal. For me, it will be a winding road, but I think with determination I can get there.
IBM is a top 10 consulting firm. It's not as prestigious as McKinsey but CbD is a well regarded consulting firm, on par with companies like KPMG, EY (non-Parthenon) etc. Personally, I would almost always suggest a big name brand on your resume before a startup. If you wash out of the startup or the company fails, it's hard for the next hire to evaluate you. If you spend a year or two at IBM and then move to a startup, the consulting experience at a well known and regarded tech firm very much increases perception of your resume.
Edit: It's also much better if you go to B-School down the road. It's really fucking hard to get into a top business school with startup only experience. Big name consulting--->startup is an infinitely better story. I'd honestly take the consulting offer with lower pay in a heartbeat as my first job out of school. It's lifelong branding. In 15 years everyone will still know what IBM consulting is. Your startup might be 10 years dead at that point. The IBM name will drive interest from recruiters and hiring managers far longer than the startup is likely to. Of course, in the .0001% that you land at a unicorn this all changes; but that's the risk.
IBM consulting is very similar to other top consulting firms in terms of travel and lifestyle; expect to be on the road four days a week unless you're on a local client. Their clients are typically F500 companies and mostly F100. They have a big focus on tech but you'll be working most likely at the division head to C-Suite level on strategy; so senior level executives. There is also a good chance that you'll rotate in house with a client at one point for an extended period. Generally, after two years, consulting firms/corporate America will value the consulting experience and to a lesser degree tech. At the same time, they're a known tech name which can help with the startup path. As an aside, they have well publicized partnerships with some other major tech firms (such as Twitter and Apple), you may have the opportunity to roll onto one of these partnerships as well.
There's a lot of information that is important to this decision that you're not telling us... What kind of startup? In what space? How many people? How legit are the founders? Series A, B, late? What kind of role?
There's a huge difference between being an Eng/PM at a well funded startup in a growing space and being an operations person at some random company.
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