Thread regarding Cisco Systems Inc. layoffs

I found, what I thought was a nice, employee role post LR. I was writing documentation that should have been written a long time ago, mentoring my co-workers on macOS because the company was moving from Windows PCs and on-prem servers to a mix of PCs and Macs and AWS cloud servers. Most of my team was very new to Linux and had never used a Mac but suddenly had to start creating iPad/iOS and Android apps to replace proprietary client terminals with cheap tablets and apps for the customers to download and use.

My first performance review was how I wasn't performing up to my job title, yet I had a director who constantly bypassed my manager to give me low level work to do, and would frequently stand at my desk while I did it, all because she couldn't find the low level guy they paid to do that work and she wanted it done "right now". I told my manager that he and his boss, the director, were not performing to the level of their titles because he wasn't managing and she was micro-managing instead of directing. I had an interview by then end of the week and a job offer within 2 weeks. Since this company didn't allow rollover of vacation, I had most of my two weeks left and burned it all at the end of Dec and came into work on the first work day in Jan of the new year and gave my two weeks notice. I was promptly told "no thanks, here's the door" and a check for what should have been those last two weeks was mailed to me while I was already starting my new role.

Sometimes you hit the jackpot and sometimes you just c-ap out. Don't be afraid to leave the c-appy ones looking for the jackpot.

You realize that Cisco is essentially a cult like scientology. Certainly not a technology company.

people seem miserable on this site

One think we must acknowledge is Cisco treats its laid off employees really well. I don't think any other company even comes close to it. You have access to all systems for 3+ months. You can find a job internally in that time frame. They treat you like a regular employee until that time. So if you were unhappy and miserable with current team and management, don't judge entire Cisco using the same lens. The connections you make at Cisco will later be your future referrals for many other good opportunities. My point is, just because your current team treated you like sh–, don't throw away entire Cisco.

its been very sobering post Cisco, there you were high level consultant that customers love to see visiting, take them to dinner, buy them drinks, donuts (str—ers) etc. Companies now rake you over coals for buying a 4 dollar bottle of water traveling, per diems, and if you tell someone you are ex cisco, they assume you are an id–t. I dont tell anyone anymore I worked at cisco, especially Amazon, they hate cisco talent, think your experience is a joke. Good ole days of partying all night at CX or LIVE are over, it was fun while it lasted....

The best part about LR from these tech companies is that when you find a job at an employer that cares, you question everything you have done over the past XX years. My former employer would never have meetings with you to get an honest opinion of how things were going, project status/priority. or anything. In my new position, we have monthly meetings with the CFO with honest discussions, honest follow up, and honest feedback. There may be different points of view, but what was discussed is always looked at from different perspectives. It took 4 months to finally trust and open up in these meetings. Nothing like that ever happened at a tech company. Unless your are bootlicker or hiney kisser, you were a trouble maker. Not so with my new employer.