Pros: Work-life balance is good.

Cons: No cons in particular, good.

Pros: You are encouraged to collaborate and seek visibility, even externally. Some employees can even work from home or in a remote office. Managers are generally open-minded and encourage asking tough questions and challenging the status quo. Industry leader. Still a growth company. Compensation and benefits are excellent. For instance, the medical and dental package is second to none and much better than most other comparable companies. “If you are uncomfortable with change, Cisco might not be the place for you. There are significant leadership and strategy changes as we adapt to different markets. Many projects we work on are started and stopped haphazardly by product marketing or senior leadership.”

Cons: Many things in the new hire process are unorganized for new employees. I particularly dislike the 2+ week overhead trying to get initial items set up. Expectations for corporate culture may be put on badges, but I am not feeling the type of camaraderie that I had, nor the new employee immersion expectations that occurred for my last job with "Big Chip Inc". It's starting to feel like more people are there putting in their 9-5 instead of being there because they enjoy their work more. Then again, I am biased, and so is my viewpoint of being a Software Engineer.

Pros: Not as hectic as startups, but not the easy-going, smooth ride as some people might expect. It is a decent mix.

Cons: They are less hard on you, though, even if you are slacking off. They are not as quick to put people under performance review, so your growth is in your own hands, ultimately. Also, the raises that employees have received in recent years have been subpar.