Intel vs. IBM: My experiences as an intern
Now that I have worked at both IBM and Intel as an intern, I can compare my experiences. I won’t touch on the differences in the teams I worked on, since I did like working on the DB2/VS team IBM, and I do like working at Intel on the LAD team.
First Day
At IBM, the first day consisted of going to the main campus (ARC), going through the paperwork for emdployment, and then proceeding to SVL (Silicon Valley Lab). There were approximately 12 people starting that day. Once I went over to SVL, we had lunch with the rest of the team.
Intel’s first day consisted of a full-out orientation about Intel, and general workplace practices. Everyone (approximately 100 people) lined up in the lobby at the JF3 (Jones Farm – building 3) campus to get security badges. Groups were then taken over to JF1 and given a packet containing paperwork for employment, and some other documents.
Orientation was 4 hours, including a quick lunch.
After orientation I met up with my manager and was introduced to the rest of the team. I wasn’t scheduled to get my laptop until the next day (why..?), so I was setup with a desktop a former employee had used. This turned out to be a good thing because now I have multiple systems.
Facility
Intel/JF seems to be quite a bit nicer than IBM’s SVL. The campus is newer in some respects, and houses more employees. There are two cafeterias at JF, and the food is of a higher quality than SVL. Lines are short around lunch time, and I’ve yet to have the credit card reader fail.
Transportation
IBM provided a shuttle from SVL to the Santa Teresa VTA station. The bus that came was much like a hotel/airport shuttle. 20 seats or so, it was never more than 6 or 7 people each time. Routes were, like Intel, only in the morning and afternoon (7-10, 4-7).
Intel provides a shuttle van, which holds 12 passengers and is kind of a pain to get into. As of recently, there have been far more passengers than the past (due to the cost of fuel possibly). I’d like to see it switch over to how IBM worked, with the airport-style shuttle. The intel drivers are very friendly though, I didn’t talk to the SVL shuttle driver much.
IBM provided a free annual VTA pass that was stuck to the back of the employee badge. Intel used to do this, but now only subsidizes $30/mo for the monthly pass for TriMet/MAX. Monthly passes for adults are ~$75, somewhat steep. MAX transit is efficient and overall rated better than VTA.
Equipment
IBM gave me a T60, dock, mouse, keyboard and a single power adapter.
Intel gave me a T43, dock, mouse, keyboard and two power adapters. My team got me a monitor and a desktop with a KVM. My laptop is relegated to a meeting device, or for taking home. I feel sorry for those that have to just use the slow T43 like I did. It isn’t really an acceptable development machine.
Environment
SVL was an all-office environment, where as Intel JF is completely cubicles. I prefer the high-walled cubes, since they foster collaboration yet do offer some form of privacy.
There are some other key differences, but I won’t discuss them here.