I have not been here for as long as some others. Only about 3+ years now. I was hired at Grade 11, presales tech. Since I got hired I proactively worked an average of 12+ hrs a day with BUs, CTO office, customers, partners helping sell solutions, hand-holding AMs, tirelessly professing internally for new upcoming technology- at least one of which is now being implemented - creating business and technical cases for new tech, contributed to patents, been awarded at GSX/Impact . But I am yet to know what it is that I need to do to get promoted?! There is no answer . I am not a reactionary type of a person . But I just thought of all the hours of genuine, proactive work that I have given to this company and had a look at what I received in exchange - a paycut ( same as everyone in sales I was told) in 2019 and some RSUs and a pay raise of 5% this year. But what about a career path? Does that exist here at Cisco ? My question is more for the people who have been here for a while - experienced folks. I was told that the career path will happen but I don’t see how and I don’t see a pathway . I have a feeling that I am expected to work this way till further notice till I either burn out or look for another employer.
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Stick around, there’ll be plenty of promotion opportunity once we’ve punted all the anti-vaxxers to the kerb in January.
Being non-white is one significant contributor. I know this because I have two peers in the company that got promoted for "equity" purposes. And they know this because they were told they got promoted for their race. This solidifies what I knew Cisco to be — a racist company that now looks at their employees skin deep.
If you want a grade 12 , then become a “Business Architect”. More worthless you are, better your career graph appears to be inside of modern Cisco. Talk ambiguous, uncommital mumbo-jumbo, scribble a bit on MIRO board and the Cisco mo--nic management will go totally bonkers over you. There was a time when people needed genuine technical skills to be somebody in this company. Now, the technical skills have been replaced by PowerPoint skills and MIRO board scribbling and total pack of any awareness of what Cisco does as business.
Cisco has become a anti-meritorious company. It's all about diversity, social justice, and feelings now. Of course, this will continue Cisco's decline into irrelevance. The "diversity is our strength" is nonsense. Having hard working, knowledgeable employees, who create satisfied customers is a company's strength, not some magic mix of racial diversity.
It's all about relationships, and diversity. I left Cisco as a grade 11, but tried for 5-6 years to get to grade 12, which I had definitely earned. A reorg happened and I ended up in another BU, which promoted two different people, with WAY less experience and impact, to grade 12....all because they were part of the long term BU family. It really disgusted me at the time. And then when gender diversity kicked in hard, the same thing happened again....multiple females in the dept got promoted to grade 12....and I was their mentor!!! How's that for a punch in the gut?
Heads up - go to Banana Leaf in McCarthy Ranch. Order exactly: Pad Thai, a half dozen Tsingtao's then ask to see the check. Put a star on the top right corner along with $100 cash underneath and when it comes back you'll get an official CDC covid vax card you can submit to HR.
The key is to keep your skills up, and switch companies every 3 years. Don't let Cisco determine your worth.
PA/DA at Cisco isn't worth it. Just get over it. For a technical role you end up being a politician. 10-15 years ago the Cisco DSE was the premier field engineering role in the industry. Those days are long, long gone.
If you aspire to be a technical leader in the field then find a role at a smaller, more nimble, aggressive company. Remember how Cisco SE's were told to be the ones who "lead the room"? Well lead yourself right out of Cisco and to the career you want and deserve.
I am in the same boat. Watched TC’s webinar today about PA/DA career path. Everything he and Matt said a DA needs to do ( business, public speaking, VT…) , I have been doing for the past 2 years at least. Guess what ? I am still Grade 11 and my management does not care - why would they when they have me doing the work of a PA for free on my free time?’ I need to get to Grade 12 before I can even comprehend becoming a PA/PE. Which means at least another 5 years of working 12+ hours and being ignored for promotions . I have been told by a PE that I’d do far better to look elsewhere than working myself to death hoping for a PA/DA path at Cisco - I do not ki$$ a$$ and hence I’ll never get there . Management pretends as if all this stuff I have been doing beyond my defined work hours is stuff I am supposed to do anyway. I am getting into the mode of updating my CV. If my management has not sponsored me so far I don’t see why they would do it next March . Enough Cisco loyalty . I’ll leave my name on the patents I wrote already and take my leave.
First... get over the idea that it will be based on merit
Brush up on your powerpoint. Become personal friends with your directors. As the saying goes: it's not what you know, it's who you know. You will not get beyond 11 unless you are able and willing to play the game. Same is true in all companies as you climb through the ranks. Not all people are wired for it...it's just the way it is.
I was hired at Grade 11 [..] I am yet to know what it is that I need to do to get promoted?
I don't have any precise numbers, but looking around me, I see 20% retire as Grade 10, 70% retire as Grade 11 and 10% retire as Grade 12 or above.
Grade 11 is for most a plateau. Sure, there are people who get promoted beyond Grade 11. In my BU promotions are pretty random. They are only loosely related to hard work.
But what about a career path? Does that exist here at Cisco?
Once you reach Grade 11, a career path does not mean promotions but taking over responsibility (and being proud of it), making an impact on the product (and being proud of it), getting raises slightly more than inflation.
I've seen plenty of extremely talented diversity & inclusion employees be ignored for promotions. These talented diverse employees threatened their bosses egos.
The unfortunate reality is that a business can only afford to promote a good number of people if they're experiencing growth. Because of the DEI promotions being forced on every manager, unless your business is growing substantially, you're just going to be treading water.
Most of it is all political. There are probably a few managers out there that goto bat for their employees regardless of their s-x and ethnicity. Unless you are the right s-x and ethnicity, you will likely not get promoted at Cisco to a grade 12 or higher, unless you have a manager that goes against the grain and fights for it. At that point your manager will most likely be forced out within 6-9 months.
@bqu Book author in EMEAR? There has been one in recent times that I am aware of. I agree with you about him if we are talking about the same person. Amazing person - would help anyone without any account interest . Works for Cisco wholeheartedly. He has got two things going wrong for him: 1) he is too loyal . 2) too modest , not the arrogant empty vessel type that get promoted in EMEAR and 3) ( well three things), he is an immigrant in Europe ( wrong skin tone) which works quite differently to being an immigrant in the US, - he will always be under employed . In Europe it’s the “locals” who are entitled to get the promotions. I told him so once point blank - if he does not move , he will never be moved unless on a fateful LR list. He would be far more appreciated in the US, not because he is an immigrant, but despite that.
Also watched the young nephew of a SVP get promotion after promotion. Different last names, only a few people knew the family connection.
@ymr+1dQ07Z10 thanks for that. I don’t know what is required. I know a guy in EMEAR, he is working here maybe a while longer than me. He is dynamite. You talk about writing a book, he has done that, guided me to write patents, has patents and papers himself , works all hours of the day and night - I asked him and he is still at the same grade 11 that he was hired at some 4-5 years back - no promotions. I look at him and I read your comments and I say to myself this place is a su---r’s paradise . They hang a carrot and wait for us to either burn out or leave or stay satisfied with what we get. I am really mentally halfway to quit and work for myself - I put in those hours for myself, I know I shall not be making less money and I will have the satisfaction of owning my own life.
It's all about relationships at Cisco. I've seen some truly incompetent people get fast tracked due to friendships with SVPs.
Manager-> Sr Manager-> Director-> Sr Director
This can easily be accomplished without one successful initiative.
Yeah, I hear you. You have to do something truly wonderful to get to 12. One guy in our BU had to write a ground-breaking book before he got principle. Just doing 12 hour days on customers, shows, POCs and RFI defense is just table steaks.
I have to grudgingly admit that the gender thing seems to help, I can think of only 1 female in our extended team that wasn’t promoted in the last 24 months.
it's based upon s-x, g3nder, and ethnicity