Cisco reviews

If you're not a local, relocating to San Jose can be confusing. Although Cisco offers relocation compensation, it'll be up to you to find a place to live for the next 3 to 6 months. "Corporate housing" is not offered for interns and co-ops. However, the Silicon Valley area has seen so many interns/temps that many neighborhoods/apartments offer short-term or month-to-month leases. This might not seem like a "con" (especially if you're a college student), but if your team needs you to stay until midnight to get something done, expect to do so (and expect overtime pay as well). Despite my short stay, I have definitely caught a whiff of the stagnating bureaucracy that can drive you, your project, and your co-workers nuts. But I suppose this is what happens in a "big company."

Promotions, especially when it comes to Director level and above are difficult to come by and is more a matter of who you know versus your accomplishments. Cisco does seem a bit top-heavy in management and that also prevents one from moving up more quickly. With any large company, there seems to be "fiefdoms" of organizations that have questionable reasons for existence. In other words, sometimes you're not so sure what function that organization was created to do and what value do they bring to Cisco in the big scheme of things. It becomes less and less clear on how one's day-to-day work applies to Cisco's Top Business Priorities so at times you might feel that you're not really making much of a difference.