I wonder how many here are stuck at Cisco simply because they don't want to leave their comfort zone? How many are lulled into that "better the devil you know than the devil you don't" feeling? This is not an accusation - I'm describing my own situation and wondering how common it is. And does anybody know a way to break out of it?
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After 21 years, I was worried about moving on. Cisco is like a bad marriage where you are afraid to leave because you think the outside world is worse. You have to try so that you can get your self confidence back. At my new job, I feel respected and no longer worry about the annual layoffs. There really is a better world out there. Just do it. Of course, it’s better to interview while you still have a job so that you don’t feel pressured to take the first opportunity.
" If your full-time job at Cisco is stuck in 2001... it's a HUGE problem" --> why did you not exit that job ten years ago? I have personally changed jobs inside Cisco five times. Some folks grow attached to obsolete technology till the LR bell rings and end to the show.
"I really don't understand folks employed at Cisco who keep repeating you can't acquire new skills at Cisco."
Obviously you've never worked on a legacy product, or in a department using tools from 2001. If your full-time job at Cisco is stuck in 2001... it's a HUGE problem
I really don't understand folks employed at Cisco who keep repeating you can't acquire new skills at Cisco. What's stopping you from learning something new? We have access to literally thousands of hours of very relevant content across various leading online learning platforms. Many of these courses come with practice labs you can use and reuse as often as you want. Or is the problem that you find it hard to apply those skills in the context of a Cisco job?
Gratitude???? What a bunch of BS!!!! The truth for all employees, if you are white or older than 50, count your days!!!! We could have sued Cisco!! We thought long and hard about it, but we moved on!!!! To say 20 years ago I thought Cisco was the greatest, is an understatement. Today I regret I ever worked here!!! I've been gone now 2 years. The news wanted to talk to me about all of what happened to me. It's best, like I said to move on!!! Do yourself a favor, get out and go elsewhere!!! To say I hate Cisco is an understatement!!! College recruit's I hope you read this!!! Stay away from this toxic Company!!!!
As to my comfort zone, I'm definitely stuck.
And having worked as a consultant and an employee at various times over the past 23 yrs, the devil you know is better than the devil you don't. Typically, when a contract was not renewed, or I was laid off as part of a site closure, the first job I found was with a company I didn't like but had looked good during the interview process. Then I'd find a better company and quit the bad one and stay with the good one until the contract wasn't renewed or I was converted to an employee and later laid off in a mass event. Wash, rinse and repeat.
Over the past 23 yrs, my role was always tightly focused on one area and many of the companies, like Cisco, functioned in a very siloed environment. In the past 5-10 years, this concept of "DevOps" has come along and merged the Developer and System Admin (or Ops) roles. In my roles as a Sys Admin, it was always very focused on one area: storage, networking, server, application or database, so I had to switch between them to get those skills while the others atrophied because I couldn't use them. It's made it difficult to try to leave Cisco because I'm not a jack-of-all-trades in both development and ops.
I'm actually very comfortable at Cisco, and it would take a lot to make me leave. A big reason why I don't leave is because I'd rather get LR'd and take that severance package on the way out. I always try to interview around this time of year and hope that I get LR'd while having an offer with equivalent or better pay lined up!
Speaking from experience, the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence and you don't always appreciate something until it's gone.
I was in a sort of “comfort zone” until I realised I couldn’t take it anymore.
The feeling I had when I left was unbelievably good.
New company is not perfect, but life is much better. So it all depends if you put life before work or viceversa
I don't feel stuck. I'm still enjoying what I do here. My job pays very well, flexibility is enormous and I enjoy an excellent quality of life. Why would I do just like everybody else and join a company like AWS where you're nothing but a pawn making the richest man on the planet even richer? There's nothing wrong staying in a place you feel comfortable. Just don't become complacent. Make sure you keep learning. Cisco gives plenty of opportunities to learn and practice any technology - we have access to Udemy and many other sources of continued education. I manage several teams and encourage every team member to keep their skills up to date.
I enjoyed many very good years at Cisco and have nothing but gratitude for the opportunity Cisco gave me and the life it made possible for my family and I. I made the very difficult decision to leave and find a challenge elsewhere to develop new skills and if I am honest, I was feeling stuck in my last year at Cisco. I created a new CV any tested the market. Within 3 weeks of leaving, I had 3 offers, all significantly better overall, not just base pay and OTE but overall benefits. That is not to say Cisco is bad in any way in terms of overall package, it is still very good, but I would urge anyone feeling stuck, please go ahead and update your CV, contact folks in other companies who could refer you and you may be pleasantly surprised at the response any what is out there. I do get annoyed at all the people who complain about Cisco and do nothing about it. Cisco is a great company and does what it needs to do to manage the business like most other companies, remember you always have a choice, no one is forcing you to stay here.
I started feeling that way midway through my tenure at Cisco. That’s when I realized I had two options: 1. Stay and milk the system in a role that was extremely stable and earned decent money (albeit with no real ability to build new skills). 2. Choose to leave on top and challenge myself at a major tech company, where I could bring more value to my skills & resume.
I chose option 2. And it came with life changing $$$$$$.
I'd like to introduce myself, my name is mud.
I got LRd a while back. The thing I noticed immediately is how brilliant Cisco benefits were. I've got a new job. Money is basically the same. BUT we had it quite comfortable at Cisco. Great benefits. Bonus was largely considered part of salary you were that likely to get it (subject to how well the business was doing etc.).
A lot of comments on this site are so negative about Cisco. Believe me, be glad you work there and regret it if you get LR'd.