--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was going to visit IBM for six months…" description: "\"I was going to visit IBM for six months as a visiting scientist. Now, six months is a lot of time, so I came with a whole list of projects that I might..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96d/wietse-venema-23563_ibm_i-was-going-to-visit-ibm-for-six-months_92103.jpg" --- # I was going to visit IBM for six months as a visiting… ![“I was going to visit IBM for six months as a visiting scientist. Now, six months is a lot of time, so I came with a whole list of projects that I might want to work on.” quote by Wietse Venema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96d/wietse-venema-23563_ibm_i-was-going-to-visit-ibm-for-six-months_92103.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96d/wietse-venema-23563_ibm_i-was-going-to-visit-ibm-for-six-months_92103.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96d/wietse-venema-23563_ibm_i-was-going-to-visit-ibm-for-six-months_92103.jpg) > “I was going to visit IBM for six months as a visiting scientist. Now, six months is a lot of time, so I came with a whole list of projects that I might want to work on.” [Wietse Venema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wietse-venema/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A scientist plans a six‑month stint at IBM, but anticipates the duration is ample enough to pursue multiple research projects. **In simple terms:** Strategic use of time for research Key Takeaway Leverage extended visits for broader impact Themes productivity research planning career development collaboration goal setting Mood optimistic determined Type advice observation When to use this quote - academic sabbatical - industry fellowship - cross‑institutional research Key Concepts time management project selection institutional resources Practical Applications - proposal development - network building Questions to Reflect On - How can you maximize a limited tenure for multiple goals? - What criteria guide project selection for short‑term stays? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientist/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Vacation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vacation/) ## Related quotes > [My dream was to grow up and get a job at IBM, like my dad. That seemed like a logical dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/my-dream-was-to-grow-up-and-get-a-job-at-ibm-like-my-dad-that-seemed/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [IBM decided they were going to enter the copying business in 1968.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rock/ibm-decided-they-were-going-to-enter-the-copying-business-in-1968/) [Arthur Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rock/) > [At IBM, if we kept our same leadership for 36 years, we'd be bankrupt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-howell/at-ibm-if-we-kept-our-same-leadership-for-36-years-we-d-be-bankrupt/) [Scott Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-howell/) > [The manuals we got from IBM would show examples of programs and I knew I could do a heck of a lot better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-knuth/the-manuals-we-got-from-ibm-would-show-examples-of-programs-and-i/) [Donald Knuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-knuth/) > [In December 1989, my mother died very suddenly, and that sparked a re-evaluation of what I was doing, and I realized I was mediocre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-mckelvey/in-december-1989-my-mother-died-very-suddenly-and-that-sparked-a-re/) [Jim McKelvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-mckelvey/) > [IBM was the original contractor for much of the computer interface design on the film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-trumbull/ibm-was-the-original-contractor-for-much-of-the-computer-interface/) [Douglas Trumbull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-trumbull/) > [ Like IBM, the company \[Microsoft\] seems to have been spooked by the federal antitrust action against it and became increasingly sclerotic and less inventive. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-manes/like-ibm-the-company-microsoft-seems-to-have-been-spooked-by-the/) Stephen Manes > [I grew up in Dallas, and my dad works for IBM, so I grew up in the environment of Silicon Prairie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-michael-foster/i-grew-up-in-dallas-and-my-dad-works-for-ibm-so-i-grew-up-in-the/) [Scott Michael Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-michael-foster/) > [IBM has had a long partnership with Siebel, JD Edwards and Peoplesoft, so from a partner perspective, this is a good move by both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-graham/ibm-has-had-a-long-partnership-with-siebel-jd-edwards-and-peoplesoft/) [Stephen Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-graham/) > [I've been a Mac guy for almost my entire adult life. I wrote my first college papers on a typewriter, but by the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/i-ve-been-a-mac-guy-for-almost-my-entire-adult-life-i-wrote-my-first/) [John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/) > [IBM has taken our valuable trade secrets and given them away to Linux.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darl-mcbride/ibm-has-taken-our-valuable-trade-secrets-and-given-them-away-to-linux/) [Darl McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darl-mcbride/) > [And so when I moved to IBM, I moved because I thought I could apply technology. I didn't actually have to do my engineer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginni-rometty/and-so-when-i-moved-to-ibm-i-moved-because-i-thought-i-could-apply/) [Ginni Rometty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginni-rometty/) > [IBM has research and development; so do Microsoft and Nike and even Jose Andres. But there hasn't been enough R&D on feeding people in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ibm-has-research-and-development-so-do-microsoft-and-nike-and-even/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is no America. There is no democracy. There is only IBM, and ITT, and AT&T, and DuPont, Dow, Union Carbide, and Exxon. Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-jensen/there-is-no-america-there-is-no-democracy-there-is-only-ibm-and-itt/) [Arthur Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-jensen/) > [IBM Plus Reality Plus Humanism = Sociology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-wright-mills/ibm-plus-reality-plus-humanism-sociology/) [C. Wright Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-wright-mills/) ## More by Wietse Venema > [Qmail out of the box works fine, so people will want to use it regardless of licensing restrictions, even when the software does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wietse-venema/qmail-out-of-the-box-works-fine-so-people-will-want-to-use-it/) [Wietse Venema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wietse-venema/) > [Like all software, Qmail can survive only when it keeps up with changing requirements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wietse-venema/like-all-software-qmail-can-survive-only-when-it-keeps-up-with/) [Wietse Venema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wietse-venema/) > [The Postfix security model is based on keeping software simple and stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wietse-venema/the-postfix-security-model-is-based-on-keeping-software-simple-and/) [Wietse Venema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wietse-venema/) > [Writing software that's safe even in the presence of bugs makes the challenge even more interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wietse-venema/writing-software-that-s-safe-even-in-the-presence-of-bugs-makes-the/) [Wietse Venema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wietse-venema/) > [One bug in an SMTP server can open up the whole machine for intrusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wietse-venema/one-bug-in-an-smtp-server-can-open-up-the-whole-machine-for-intrusion/) [Wietse Venema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wietse-venema/) > [However, writing software without defects is not sufficient. In my experience, it is at least as difficult to write software that is safe -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wietse-venema/however-writing-software-without-defects-is-not-sufficient-in-my/) [Wietse Venema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wietse-venema/) > [Most of the effort in the software business goes into the maintenance of code that already exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wietse-venema/most-of-the-effort-in-the-software-business-goes-into-the-maintenance/) [Wietse Venema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wietse-venema/) > [At the time the Sendmail program had a very poor reputation with respect to security, with four root vulnerabilities per year for two successive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wietse-venema/at-the-time-the-sendmail-program-had-a-very-poor-reputation-with/) [Wietse Venema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wietse-venema/) > [The challenge with Postfix, or with any piece of software, is to update software without introducing problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wietse-venema/the-challenge-with-postfix-or-with-any-piece-of-software-is-to-update/) [Wietse Venema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wietse-venema/) > [Lack of documentation is becoming a problem for acceptance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wietse-venema/lack-of-documentation-is-becoming-a-problem-for-acceptance/) [Wietse Venema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wietse-venema/) > [When I write software, I know that it will fail, either due to my own mistake, or due to some other cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wietse-venema/when-i-write-software-i-know-that-it-will-fail-either-due-to-my-own/) [Wietse Venema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wietse-venema/) > [Postfix keeps running even if one Postfix process dies; Windows requires that someone restarts the service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wietse-venema/postfix-keeps-running-even-if-one-postfix-process-dies-windows/) [Wietse Venema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wietse-venema/) > [This will surprise some of your readers, but my primary interest is not with computer security. I am primarily interested in writing software that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wietse-venema/this-will-surprise-some-of-your-readers-but-my-primary-interest-is/) [Wietse Venema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wietse-venema/) > [Windows favors multi-threading, which means that a service is implemented by one single process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wietse-venema/windows-favors-multi-threading-which-means-that-a-service-is/) [Wietse Venema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wietse-venema/) > [I don't expect an overnight change of all desktops to what the US Military used to call B3 level security. And even that would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wietse-venema/i-don-t-expect-an-overnight-change-of-all-desktops-to-what-the-us/) [Wietse Venema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wietse-venema/) [Explore all 25 Wietse Venema quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wietse-venema/) ## More Ibm quotes > [My dream was to grow up and get a job at IBM, like my dad. That seemed like a logical dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/my-dream-was-to-grow-up-and-get-a-job-at-ibm-like-my-dad-that-seemed/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [There is no America. There is no democracy. There is only IBM, and ITT, and AT&T, and DuPont, Dow, Union Carbide, and Exxon. Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-jensen/there-is-no-america-there-is-no-democracy-there-is-only-ibm-and-itt/) [Arthur Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-jensen/) > [IBM has research and development; so do Microsoft and Nike and even Jose Andres. But there hasn't been enough R&D on feeding people in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ibm-has-research-and-development-so-do-microsoft-and-nike-and-even/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And so when I moved to IBM, I moved because I thought I could apply technology. I didn't actually have to do my engineer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginni-rometty/and-so-when-i-moved-to-ibm-i-moved-because-i-thought-i-could-apply/) [Ginni Rometty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginni-rometty/) > [IBM has taken our valuable trade secrets and given them away to Linux.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darl-mcbride/ibm-has-taken-our-valuable-trade-secrets-and-given-them-away-to-linux/) [Darl McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darl-mcbride/) > [I've been a Mac guy for almost my entire adult life. I wrote my first college papers on a typewriter, but by the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/i-ve-been-a-mac-guy-for-almost-my-entire-adult-life-i-wrote-my-first/) [John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/) > [IBM has had a long partnership with Siebel, JD Edwards and Peoplesoft, so from a partner perspective, this is a good move by both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-graham/ibm-has-had-a-long-partnership-with-siebel-jd-edwards-and-peoplesoft/) [Stephen Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-graham/) > [I grew up in Dallas, and my dad works for IBM, so I grew up in the environment of Silicon Prairie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-michael-foster/i-grew-up-in-dallas-and-my-dad-works-for-ibm-so-i-grew-up-in-the/) [Scott Michael Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-michael-foster/) > [ Like IBM, the company \[Microsoft\] seems to have been spooked by the federal antitrust action against it and became increasingly sclerotic and less inventive. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-manes/like-ibm-the-company-microsoft-seems-to-have-been-spooked-by-the/) Stephen Manes > [IBM was the original contractor for much of the computer interface design on the film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-trumbull/ibm-was-the-original-contractor-for-much-of-the-computer-interface/) [Douglas Trumbull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-trumbull/) > [In December 1989, my mother died very suddenly, and that sparked a re-evaluation of what I was doing, and I realized I was mediocre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-mckelvey/in-december-1989-my-mother-died-very-suddenly-and-that-sparked-a-re/) [Jim McKelvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-mckelvey/) > [The manuals we got from IBM would show examples of programs and I knew I could do a heck of a lot better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-knuth/the-manuals-we-got-from-ibm-would-show-examples-of-programs-and-i/) [Donald Knuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-knuth/) > [At IBM, if we kept our same leadership for 36 years, we'd be bankrupt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-howell/at-ibm-if-we-kept-our-same-leadership-for-36-years-we-d-be-bankrupt/) [Scott Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-howell/) > [IBM decided they were going to enter the copying business in 1968.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rock/ibm-decided-they-were-going-to-enter-the-copying-business-in-1968/) [Arthur Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rock/) > [IBM Plus Reality Plus Humanism = Sociology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-wright-mills/ibm-plus-reality-plus-humanism-sociology/) [C. Wright Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-wright-mills/) Browse all 135 Ibm quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was going to visit IBM for six months as a visiting scientist. 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