Cisco

Fast, aggressive workplace. Too much focus on operational issues and not enough on learning and skill development.

It will be hard to learn new skills and change jobs.

Anytime you change, you are placed at the back of the promotion queue. It's so easy to get pigeonholed.

I changed multiple roles and found that each time I was placed in the back of the queue. After a few years, I was a ridiculously lower grade, while they brought fresh people with unproven skills in at much higher levels.

Also, my manager gave me a high-level speech about innovation and doing things differently to grow, while people were coming in at a lot higher grade without doing any of these things. That is the biggest issue.

Instead of searching for "plug and play" talent, develop internal talent. You need smart, versatile people, not someone who can do a certain job because that person has done it 100 times before.