Pros
Cisco is a great place to work. Coming out of college I was looking for an employer that would not only be financially rewarding in the short term, but also a company that would add value to me as a person and a worker. As such I was extremely pleased to be accepted into the Cisco Sales Associate Program, a year long training program that provides technical training, teaches sales skills and business acumen. The training was excellent and I feel well prepared now that I'm in a full time sales role. The pay's great, the opportunity for Cisco and it's employees is incredible, and I'm looking forward to a bright future ahead of me with Cisco. Most compelling however is the quality of people I work with. I've been thoroughly impressed with the diversity of experience and strong wills within the sales organization. All in all Cisco's a great place to start a career and I couldn't be happier.
Cons
Needless to say the great rewards are a result of great demands. This means often working long hours, particularly as a new salesman. However, I wouldn't rate it as excessive or unreasonable given the position. In addition to demands on time, they demand results. This means occasionally employees are let go for underperforming, and some people are uncomfortable with such quantitative metrics. Moreover, if you're not too interested in technology and what it can do for businesses, schools, governments, and individual's lives, then obviously Cisco's not the place to be. I would imagine as well that when Cisco was primarily a route/switch vendor it was harder to get excited about the technology, but now everyone from Jack Bauer to Michael Scott's using our stuff.
