Question for the Cisco long time vets, what is the longest you have gone in your career at Cisco without getting a promotion? 8 years, 10 years, maybe 12 years?
20 replies (most recent on top)
@rh nah just go work for CX. if you were grade 11 for a year, you're grade 12 now. don't need to worry about length of service, or performance, or anything like that. LC has your back
Over 18 years stucked at grade 11
I went 10 years without a promotion — it really came down to having the wrong manager. Mine was by far the worst: constantly using manipulation tactics to squeeze more work out of people without offering any recognition or reward. I should have left much earlier, but in the end, Cisco’s layoff package made up for the wasted time in that toxic team. Fortunately, I landed at a much better company afterward.
@rb are you a Cisco employee ? In case you care not, a grade 11 to grade 12 takes > 5 years at a minimum alone
If you started with level 6, and then it is possible to make to 11 around 5-6 years.
&
Anything above 11 as a engineer is almost impossible
So at Cisco, one gets promoted within the first 5, 6 years and then never ever till retirement?
Anything above 11 as a engineer is almost impossible unless you have factors working in your favor. Supportive manager and 2nd line, great performer and leader. Getting to a grade 12 as an engineer is very hard and getting to a PE is pretty much being able to such di-k
If you started with level 6, and then it is possible to make to 11 around 5-6 years. So, 6 -> 8, 8->10, 10->11, so at least 3 promotions. Above that promotion becomes gated on a lot of factors.
13 total years and only one promotion. I’m part of the current LR. Not bullsh*ting here. It’s very true like an earlier poster mentioned if you have a great manager and they leave or are cut you’re basically next on the list, as is my case.
Technical Leader is only Grade 11 or 12 as far as I know.
In ancient times I worked with many Engineer 4s in their 60s at Cisco. Back in the day the titles represented a level of ability, not how many months you sat in a chair. It's not like junior high school where everyone advances a grade each year regardless of whether they can read.
Since then Cisco added a hundred levels of Technical Leader and Principal Engineer where only a few Technical Leaders ever got the chance to do the job at that level and where Principal Engineers couldn't do the job at any grade from their own down to the bottom. Titles at Cisco aren't worth cr-p.
4 promo's in 7 years
Depends on your level. Grade 6, quicker. Grade 12, longer
Focus on sustainability and everything else will fall in place.
Focus on investing and your financial life post Cisco
truth
housing is such an important component to this
I work with lots of folks who are still renting even as they near the end of their careers
the rent-vs-buy arguments only work on like a five year timeline max...after five years...the longer you rent, the worse it will be
I was there 17 years and promoted three times. I was LR'd shortly after the third promotion. My old manager promoted me, and then I was moved to a new manager with whom I did not have the same good relationship. Be careful what you wish for.
I am retired in my mid-50s, mostly because of the 17 years spent at Cisco. I was an average individual contributor, but was fortunate to be around in the early 2000s and recieved some more than generous pre-RSU (old style stock options). Throughout my career, I would cash out the options and RSUs and (each year) use the post-taxed profits to max out both mine and my wife's Roth IRAs.
Doing the Roth plan, plus doing some trading via the Cisco BrokerageLink 401k account, I was fortunate to build a good retirement.
The thing that people forget is once you leave your employer, for any reason, once you turn 55, you can tap into your 401k without the penalty. That's what we did, and just got some cheezy jobs for health coverage. Tons of places out there that will give you health insurance if you work there at least 30 hours a week.
I am proud of the work I did at Cisco, although it sounds like it has changed a whole bunch since my time. I was sad to go, but probably have added (hopefully) a good decade to my life, I was one of the 50+ hour a week workers (smart but not as smart as most).
You can do the same as above it you plan it out. Do not focus on promotion. Focus on investing and your financial life post Cisco.
In six years I had one promotion but it was just pushing me up a grade with no warning, almost like it was done automatically
I don't care because I promoted myself. I've noticed over my career that people in high positions actually work less. So I decided to work less. I get the same pay at the same level for doing half of the work. Cisco doesn't care because they are rebuilding my org (SBG) in Bangalore now and will just jettison me along with the rest within two to three years. We're all just running out the clock together.
14 years. Achieved all targets and goals but I’m not a brown-nose BS’er and my PPT is not so good.
Legally, you can't go 5 years without a raise, 15 years without a promotion.
You are supposed to switch companies every 3 or 4 years for a raise/stock grant
17 years. I was told at one point I was the wrong color.