Cisco

I have been with Cisco as a campus hire for almost 2 years now. It didn't feel like the company is fit for freshers, but it's good and manageable if you really want to pursue a career in the networking domain. This review is a bit biased since I have only seen the Networking devices business of the company and not other businesses like Collaboration, Security, Cloud, etc.

• Company culture is good. Not toxic or work-obsessed.
• Some good work in selected teams and projects (maybe 5% of total teams).
• Very employee-friendly in terms of PTOs, WFHs, Maternity/Paternity leaves, etc.
• Good work-life balance.
• Less workload in most teams (depends on the project or releases).
• Code reviews usually make you a good programmer, but it depends on the attitude of the reviewers.
• Managers are mostly good and friendly.
• Healthy food in cafeterias.
• Very good office environment and infrastructure.
• You will have enough time to pursue your hobbies or interests outside/inside of work.
• Good gyms and games facilities.

I've heard good things about other businesses under Cisco, but don't have firsthand knowledge of them. New projects and young technologies, etc., might be good.

In general, not good for people who want to grow in their career. All the points are from the eyes of a fresher.

• Work is mostly sustenance of legacy code and occasional feature addition.
• Less learning opportunities.
• Process oriented. Very difficult to get things done. Coding is only 10% of actual process to get the code or bug in.
• Most of the good work is usually done in the US and is moved to India for sustenance or continuation after success.
• Pay is not competitive. They try to give the minimum possible to make employees stay.
• US or abroad folks see India as a cheap labor market and have this attitude on a few occasions.
• Many senior folks stay because they can't go elsewhere to get this good treatment at this stage of their career.
• Many have become used to this slow environment and don't want to change anything other than getting more money.
• Managers are a bit obsessed about metrics like bug count, bug incoming, customer bug count etc., but not about the product as a whole since it has grown so large for its own good.
• Difficult for a fresher to get up to speed and start contributing since there are no proper documentations for old code.
• Mentoring may not always be a feasible/effective idea since there is a lot of history/legacy reasons associated with everything.
• Hike cycle has been very bad in my experience. They postpone 6 months to 1 year to give hikes and state lame reasons. When they do give, it's not up to expectations or market rates.
• They hardly give any stocks to non-senior folks as rewards.
• Promotions are given for good performers, but management considers experience as the biggest factor for grade change. Hence, it is nearly impossible to get promoted in 1 or 2 years even if you perform exceptionally.
• Company is so big, you won't get any visibility more than 2 levels in most cases. (I am 7 or 8 levels down).
• Less breadth of work to really show your talents. You will get used to the slow-moving environment and lose enthusiasm, especially when you are a fresher.

Treat employees well in terms of salary. Don't hoard cash and put everything in the company's bank account.