I started working at IBM on 6th August 2003. I’m feeling nostalgic as my eighteenth anniversary approaches, so wanted to write about what I’ve been doing all this time.
I’ve been a back-end developer, a support engineer, a tester, a consultant, a (terrible) front-end developer, and much more.
I’ve worked on proprietary software, and I’ve worked on open-source software.
I’ve worked in a large open plan floor, I’ve worked in cubicle bays with half-a-dozen people, and I’ve had my own office.
I’ve had roles that were fully based at Hursley. I’ve worked from other IBM offices in the UK. I’ve been based at customer sites for months. I’ve had overseas assignments. I’ve had roles that meant travelling to somewhere different every month.
I’ve worked in teams so small they all fit around my dining table for dinner. I’ve worked in teams so large that we needed several coaches for the team social trip to London.
I’ve worked in distributed teams with team members around the world in four different time zones. I’ve worked in teams where we were all in the same office together.
I’ve worked on software that was first released in the 1990s, and I’ve worked on the first releases of brand new products.
The point I’m making… it hasn’t felt like the same job for eighteen years.
