I have an opportunity to work for Cisco TAC supporting FW or ISE - $105k base.
Are they going to grind me to dust within months? I can handle the stress of being up to bat and expected to hit a home run.
But what’s the culture like? Are your peers helpful?
Thanks in advance
The sales teams are big problem. The take d-mb trainings for baby kids like the meddpicc to make better lies to customers and build fake pipelines in the sfdc.
Evertime we open case for customer, d-mb sales or the htom mo--ns only want code load for fix but no care about RCA!!!
We don't need TAC. Cisco products practically install themselves, the software never fails, and licensing is smooth as silk.
@4qnc+1nnASAhE Lol. TAC plays video games and nerf g-ns all day. All of Cisco announcements know they never answer customer emails. They ask for show tech’s the customer already sent then disappear for three days.
TACs is hard work. Have to do real work in TAC not sitting around on golf course all day like sales do talking BS all day. Sales big part of problems at Cisco. Sales are BS has-been guys.
If you think yourself very childish and immature, and don't want to grow and just want to remain like all of those fossils who stay at Cisco for 15 years, 20 years, or more, you s/ work at TAC CX Centers. If not, just stay away. It's not for someone who has lots of motivations or career-mindset.
it is a great place to start, I was there for six-plus years and made me who I am today, it was a great feeling to receive a high bingo with a customer-written essay on how I saved his day, but shouldn't you have asked this question before applying? it takes a lot of effort and time to decide on a person
It depends where you are in your career. It can be a great or horrible opportunity. There are not many places to grow technical skills quickly and usually many people taking advantage of time to study/pass CCIE.
Make sure you are working for a growing business. And do your research. Worked in ops above TAC. TAC are considered easily cut resources during downturns if there is any wiggle room at all to throw them extra cases.
Most of the TAC folks seemed to communicate with each other well and try to help out where they could.
If you have a different option outside of Cisco I would recommend taking another option, but if it is all you have offered so far, spending a couple years there, sucking up training, and having an exit plan is okay.
It’s fun and you have a set daytime schedule plus overtime opportunities. Enjoy the grind.
If you enjoy normal blood pressure readings, avoid taking this job; avoid it like the plague.
I wasn't a religious person before working TAC. Then I developed serious blood pressure and anxiety issues. I denied I had a problem and kept working. Finally after a year or so, my wife begged me to go to the Doctor. They put me on enough medication to calm down a horse. I started counseling; and I went through all the responsibilities and typical schedule. They told me no wonder you are stressed, you are doing the work of several people.
I went to a different doctor who told me he had many other Cisco employees with same condition.
I say I wasn't religious, because someone up there was looking out for me; and I ended up leaving TAC for then working for the two best Managers at Cisco that I ever worked with.
My stress level went down 75% after leaving TAC. I was blessed to find something else.
Wishing all those working TAC good health. Take care of yourselves.
Before signing ask if your health insurance covers mental health. If not , you will pay the price , thinking about it you will anyway pay the price of joining.
Sadly tac is not what is was 10 years ago, let alone the old timers who had the glory years when tac engineers were actually empowered to do the right thing.
Now get ready for bots to control , err help you do adulting stuff
it is not just stress and load (and it hits hard, especially in FW/sec)
For me it was treatment of TAC engineers as some d-mb basement IT nerds by rest of company (even if average tac engineer is much more educated and intelligent) and if you happen to have d-mb a-s manager, he will treat you like mo--n.
But if you dont mind that, it is ok-ish, but again "if you can manage stress"
I saw lot of burnouts, mental breakdowns, ruined health in TAC.
Also you will come to hate big portion of world for their d-mbness :D
I got my career start out of college working TAC as a contractor on the 6500 Chasis Switches with Sup2 and Sup720’s. Customers suck and are d-mb, refuse to do anything you tell them that will fix the issue. Then 6 hours later on the P1 call they finally actually do what you told them in the first place and it fixes the problem. I’ve thrown so many phones across the call room floor. Annoying customers got put on hold while I went on smoke or lunch breaks.
The pro was that you get trained on a lot of deep break/fix knowledge that becomes gold for the next job to hire you. They have cheat sheets and actually invest in you to train you on all the problems and solutions and more. I’d still go back and do it all again.
It can be stress. The Indian peoples make trouble if you not of them.
Run.
Depends from team to team. And thus product to product you will be supporting. Fasten your seatbelt ;)