Thread regarding Cisco Systems Inc. layoffs

Basically everywhere is hiring right now. With inflation... buying up assets that will appreciate is the new game in town. That includes people resources. I'm in a similar spot and have gotten constant call backs (about 1/4 of the apps I've sent in. Usually I get 1/10th).

TAC is only going to get worse. Management doesn't care about thier people and is just trying to offload to vendors anyway. The teams are likely to get more and more crunched until they either burn out or quit.

“ Do try internal cisco job openings as well, in one of our internal cloud technologies : be it cisco meraki, sdwan, iot business units. Current job may have gotten monotonous, but resources such as yourself are invaluable and hope Cisco can retain you :) i'm sure you will find plenty more opportunities internally. Good luck.”

I actually tried exactly this, and was immediately marked for “do not consider” and I can only assume it’s due to staffing. Hiring manager was highly interested in me and even said can work around red tape, then this.

Mgr said she has no control, was marked this way by recruiter. My team is SEVERELY understaffed so it’s not a surprise they won’t let me out.

Guess I’ll try to leave the company

Do try internal cisco job openings as well, in one of our internal cloud technologies : be it cisco meraki, sdwan, iot business units. Current job may have gotten monotonous, but resources such as yourself are invaluable and hope Cisco can retain you :) i'm sure you will find plenty more opportunities internally. Good luck.

The entire labor market is really hot right now.

Take your pick of any customer support position out there - there are thousands upon thousands... All remote right now.

regex is basically fundamental of many things.

"Now you have 2 problems."

Like Mallory once Said 25 plus years ago... "There's no escaping here!"
Also applies to TAC

You can’t escape tac. It will be forever in your dreams and mind.
No matter what you do, one night you will have that nightmare of ringing phone, and staring at it waiting for someone other to pick up. There will be no one. You will reach phone chanting “i must not fear, fear is mind ki---r. I will let fear pass, and when fear passes, only i will remain”. Oh, yes, as well as guy from india noc that is calling on urgent basis asap.

"I don't like your attitude"

Well, toughen up and take it like a man!!

Yes VSE cr@p is a facade. The big c0w claiming capability running this sh!t show is destroying a good thing. RIP TAC.

I don't like your attitude, some older and solid tac may have the qualification to say that. for example, you mention you want to do network design, I mean case repo is a great way to learn. how many have you done? automation? how many signatures you have contributed? regex is basically fundamental of many things. cloud? did you take advantage of the free aws or redhat subs? I mean now tac indeed has problems, but yourself try become the solution not the problem. now in tac, new hires still can learn. and I can see now good tac indeed has the opportunity hired by good companies.

I find it very telling that MM has been at for roughly 3 yrs in her leadership role.

She forced her CX org to do these V2MOM's (Vision, Value, Methods, Obstacles and Metrics) from her leadership role on down to the individual contributors (IC's). The current training slide talks about it being an orchestra and everyone needs to play to the same music. But orchestra players don't all write their own music, the conductor provides the music to each section and/or instrument type. Why are IC's wasting hours writing their values and vision? That sh-t needs to come down from on high.

Once MM took over Operations as well as CX, the V2MOM requirement expanded to include them too. Now it includes the Security and Trust Organization. After 3 yrs of making her reporting chain waste manhours from June, when it starts, to Nov when everyone is supposed to have it completed, none of the other ELT have jumped on that bandwagon and make their groups do the same.

I recall a long time ago that all of Cisco used to do some sort of Vision, Strategy & Execution or VSE or something like that, but dropped it because it was more wasted manhours with little ROE when it really should be performed at the Director and higher levels and anyone below just told what they need to execute on.

TAC lost its way, as did the broader CX Center team, shortly after TB left. I think that he saw the writing on the wall. Namely, that MM doesn't understand or appreciate the value of the product that we provide and will not invest in it as a differentiator for Cisco.

When TB left, we lost our biggest advocate and the only senior exec that really understood what we do. I've worked here for over 15 years and have seen good and bad leadership, but never like we have experienced since MM took over. I sat in on one of Tom's ops reviews with MM and it was like watching a college professor trying to explain quantum physics to a dog. She just doesn't get it. Her comments were absurd. Her commandments made no sense and her total lack of respect or understanding was shocking.

This will not change with Thimaya. Frankly, nobody on the TAC/CXC senior mgmt team has what it takes to turn this around. Get out now.

If you are still young and in tac support run. The old timers know that what you are describing now is the eternal cycle of damnation and doom in the world of tac. It will not get better long term (sorry to scatter any dreams you had) , go cloud and see what options there are in the outside world.

Just do the basic technical certs from the three main cloud providers. I recently said goodbye to Cisco and it was a relief to put it mildly.