I was so proud to say I worked at Cisco. Now I just change the subject when people ask where I work. The place has turned into such a train wreck I can’t even defend it anymore.
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It is funny in those Cisco live events that they pat everyone on their backs and talk up everything in technology and products. They think they are Apple or Google.
What is even good there? Only bad culture and politics.
also, people deal politics to squeeze people out in any way, but act cute still
I'd brag too if I worked 6 hrs a week. When people ask what I do I tell them my title:
"Dynamic Project Resonance Coordinator: Public Customer Stakeholder Division - Operations Manager"
When they ask what that entails, I name drop (first and last names) then tell them my job is...."To leverage our synergistic capabilities and drive transformative value propositions, we must strategically recalibrate our sales methodologies, fostering a dynamic ecosystem that not only enhances customer engagement but also catalyzes unprecedented market penetration through innovative thought leadership and agile response mechanisms."
Really I just copy and paste emails. Sometimes make a spreadsheet.
www.bullsh-tjob.com/title/
2005 - "I Work at Cisco. Best job on the planet!"
2010 - "I work at Cisco. no, not the food service company. that's Sysco. Cisco with a "C". It's actually a good job. good pay, good benefits."
2015 - "I Work at Cisco. we sell cloud. pretty good job"
2020 - "I Work at Cisco. yeah, Webex is just like Zoom but just harder to use"
2025 - "I Work at Cisco. we now have layoffs every quarter, 6 month comp plans, AI slop mandatory training, United Healthcare Claim Denials...hey. a jobs a job"
Here in tech town, we see lots of NetApp, Google, and such gear being displayed by their workers. But not a single "Cisco" logo in sight. Where have all the "Cisco-ites" gone? Oh yeah, they're all in Bangalore bashing out to bollywood musicals and slurping slum shots.
@b9 so true.
The days of being proud to work at Cisco ended +20 years ago. It's like someone being proud to work at Xerox or Kodak.
if you think discussing your employer, whoever it is, is a brag, you're a d0uche. 'what you do' for employment is not 'who you are'. you need some hobbies to talk about, nobody wants to hear about your job....ever.
As a tech person, wearing a Cisco polo shirt is essentially a sign on you saying “I’m technically useless these days and have been deskilled”
The McDonald's of tech.
So true! I was so stupid that I even brought a Cisco shirt when I joined. Now I have a lot of Cisco T-shirts and some jackets. I no longer wear them in public because of they all carry the Cisco logo which really embarrasses me. After all, Cisco pays my bills and nothing else.