Graduating in May, received offer for Consulting Engineer position starting in August for $63k/yr. Seems kinda low... is it worth pursuing?
7 replies (most recent on top)
Do you have other offers? To me it sounds good for a new grad. But the sector you'd be in also matters. If you accept it, make friends, network, learn all you can, invest in the matching 401K, and always keep your eyes open for better opportunities. Hopefully your local team will be great, but Cisco the company has no commitment to you or your group beyond profit. They are in the business of buying other companies (they call it innovation) and, to offset these acquisitions, laying off employees in group/sectors that aren't making enough profit (not just losing money, but not making enough money). They will try to impress you with quarterly pep rallies where Chuck Robbins rides a unicorn over the rainbow, but at Cisco, job security is only in the newest promising shiny object. If you're working with that object it can be great. If you're in a slowing area, every quarter is questionable whether you'll make the next cut.
Forget Cisco, try Red Hat
That salary was about what I started at in TAC almost 9 years ago.... Cisco is not even keeping up with cost of living. As a side note -- I do agree with the previous poster -_ What you can learn from the job and the people you work with is more important than the money. You'll have plenty of opportunities to earn more once you have more experience.
Have another job lined up within 12-16 months if you accept the job offer.
Is Consulting Engineer part of Sales or is that a BE position? Hard to tell.
Advice from an old timer. The most important aspects of a job are the quality and quantity of knowledge you will obtain in that position. Money is important, especially if you have a ton of student loan debt, but it shouldn't be the primary factor on which you base your decision.
The same position two years ago started at $45k. Go for it.