Always on the Go at Big Blue

Every day is packed with meetings and demos for this Bentley grad who works in software product development at IBM

Suzanne Olivia Minassian
Workplace Solutions Domain Engineer
IBM Software Group, Cambridge, MA
MBA, McCallum School of Business, Bentley College 2004

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I'm a Workplace Solutions Domain Engineer at IBM in Cambridge, Mass. As part of a software product development team, I manage product requirements by working with clients, analysts, and experts to strengthen the product's position and differentiation. As the external communicator to customers, press, and analysts, I deliver product demonstrations through talks and Webcasts to audiences worldwide, including client presentations and conferences.

I received my MBA degree from the McCallum School of Business at Bentley College in May, 2004. My internship at IBM Research led me to my current role in product development. I interned for two years through grad school, and someone who saw my résumé suggested I consider the role.

The best way to get your foot in the door at IBM (IBM) is through internships. They provide access to many resources in the company and allow you to meet employees in different divisions. It's great for finding out what role is right for you (see BusinessWeek.com's Recruiter Q&A, 8/19/05, "Big Traits for Big Blue").

Here's a typical workday for me:

8:00 a.m.—I'm out the door and on my bike, laptop strapped to the back. It's a 15-minute ride to work, crossing over the Charles River from Boston into Cambridge. This is my favorite commute.

8:30 a.m.—While my e-mail is multiplying, I grab a cup of coffee. Typical e-mail includes meeting invitations, news on product development, questions from sales teams and business partners about product capabilities, and requests for customer demos. I also get mail from our team in China letting us know the result of their day's work and presentations to review.

9:00 a.m.—I turn on Sametime, our internal chat program. If we didn't have Sametime, my e-mail would probably be doubled. (My team is distributed through Massachusetts, some in North Carolina, and many in China!) Questions, requests, and can-you-join-a-conference-call-right-now are the normal pings...

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