A good company to retire at, sinking ship
Pros
1) Chance to work with seasoned engineers who are good at what they do. 2) Large company, relatively stable 3) Well structured, many support groups SI, DevTest, Diags, EDVT, Mechanical, Manufacturing, etc... 4) Good benefits, healthcare is best benefit one now.
Cons
1) Meetings about meetings 2) Management's lack of foresight in project planning 3) Cronyism, Cisco is an amalgam of many smaller businesses, due to acquisitions. Each group has their own culture and school of thought. If your group is merged with another group, and your group is not on top, attrition will ensue. 4) Innovation seems to be mostly due to acquisitions, this company is little r big D. Do not expect to do anything beyond the mold of the immediate project, unless you are in the upper echelons of the company (DE or Fellow). 5) A company a recent college graduate should not consider, growth is limited. A start-up or younger company would be better. 6) Pay is industry average. You can do better. 7) Senior management has mislead the CEO for years. They indicate the market is moving in a specific direction when it is not. 8) While age discrimination is not permitted, the management finds ways to make it happen. Over 60 and chances of being fodder for the headcount reduction increase. 9) The days seems to flow seamlessly by. Each day seems more and more like the last. Before you know it, months of time have passed into the abyss. 10) Due to stress, people have experience heart trouble. I have gone though 2 anxiety attacks before the age of 30. Heart medication is likely to be required by your doctor, should you even be a first line manager. 11) Cisco is becoming more and more like a Chinese-owned company. 12) Management has a propensity to not tell the truth. They have and will continue to mislead the ICs (non-management employees) about their prospects for advancement and the direction the company is going in.