Cisco

The amount of information available internally to facilitate personal growth as a network engineer is amazing. Cisco will foot the bill , provide resources internally for training, and recognition for for CCIE certification. Additionally, you'll have the advantage of being able to work with some of the best engineers in networking within the entire industry and you'll be challenged to excel. There aren't many opportunities in the entire country similar to working here.

The cost cutting and process-oriented overhead have perhaps gotten a little too extreme, and there's a bit of confusion as to which direction the company is headed. Small perks such as sodas in the break room and home internet connection being paid for really gave a sense that the company still had a bit of its startup flair. I think the dismantling of those programs, while adding additional time-consuming processes, has had a detrimental effect on Cisco culture.

The management structure should be rearranged so there aren't multiple layers between engineers and senior managers.

A concrete vision needs to be communicated down the development ranks so everyone is in lockstep with corporate goals.

Additionally, increased investment needs to be made in development and QA.

The sales force is focused and does an excellent job competing and winning, but the engineering side of the business seems to have stalled.