Are you still giving it your all or are you just phoning it in? I've been at Cisco for six years and I'm already disillusioned with the company and how it treats employees. I stopped feeling the need to go the extra mile once I realize it'll get me nowhere. I wonder how those who've known the company at its best and now at its worse are handling it.
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I find it easier to let the throttle out these days.
I stopped feeling the need to go the extra mile once I realize it'll get me nowhere.
I tried a short stint recently; not even remotely that same company culture from the 2000s.
In the 2001 downfall headcount (employee plus contractor) dropped from 48K to 35K and the parking lots which used to be more than half full at midnight were almost empty by 7pm. Quarterly layoffs from very small to fairly large were the norm from that point forward. Why is this always news to so many people?
I originally joined in 1995 when there were fewer than 5K employees. Back then and through 1999 the company was growing exponentially, morale was high, every single employee got stock options and the stock was splitting every six months. Those were the good ol' days!
Cisco was growing new technology by acquisition back then as well. Cisco’s persistent staff were just the people with the shovels and buckets following the horses in that parade and all the excitement was about massive money for objectively poor work by any number if quality metrics. It’s a good thing that people no longer get $10,000,000 for cutting and pasting a broken five line function 100 times in a year then spending another engineering year per branch to fix them.
still giving it my all...my DNA won't let me be lazy.
I'm 50, started 24 years ago. Received enough RSUs and options earlier in my career that I won't need another job when Cisco decides to get rid of me. I still work "hard" and try to stay motivated, but I of course know today's Cisco is a mere shadow of its former self. I work on modern tech to keep my days interesting.
Near retirement so phoning it in. Strict minimum. Didn't used to be that way.
I originally joined in 1995 when there were fewer than 5K employees. Back then and through 1999 the company was growing exponentially, morale was high, every single employee got stock options and the stock was splitting every six months. Those were the good ol' days! Since then I've taken the ER and have been LRd which was financially advantageous. I returned after both because I missed the people and the culture, it felt like going home. Things have certainly changed and morale is very low, but at this juncture in my life I don't want to pound the pavement, so I will stay as long as I can.
I had a very challenging and rewarding career at Cisco for almost 18 years. Absolutely put in all effort. The reward was there for the first twelve years. The options and RSUs from those years, I now realize were a financial blessing. My last six years at Cisco were different, the company evolved with a change in overall work ethic, work politics, and baloney culture shifting away from a "strive for technology excellence" product culture.
The masses became work cattle, including myself, to accept mediocrity, baloney work politics, and an overall shift away from technology leadership through true innovation. If you can relate to this statement, and feel like you don't belong; you probably don't. I stayed for the wrong reasons, money and holding out for the LR package.
Was it worth it? Yes. Only because of the early options and RSUs from my first decade. Without those I would not have stayed. Luckily they paid off.
I would say, if you have the hunger to do more, and do not like the work baloney; do not loose faith in yourself to push and look elsewhere. After my LR I was amazed at how much is out here, the key is believing in yourself, truly trying to understand and work aggressively on new technology, and don't be afraid to take a chance.
My advice: life is short, push yourself, believe in yourself; if it doesn't feel right...move on.
Regret is the worse thing to be left with in wasting your time, especially when young and early in career; with lots of energy.
Go for it.
56, still working, but could retire any day; because of my first great decade at Cisco.
Regretfully never coming back, even as a contractor. I tried a short stint recently; not even remotely that same company culture from the 2000s.