Pros
Cisco is a great place to work for many reasons: 1. As an employee, you are considered a valuable resource. John Chambers, our CEO, often refers to us as the "Cisco Family", and the company tries to treat everyone like they are a family member. 2. Flexible work environment: I often telecommute several times a week. I really only have to come in when I have collaborative face-to-face meetings with other engineers. As long as I'm being productive and adding to the team, I've never been hassled for working from home. 3. Cisco benefits are competitive. Not only do they offer the major financial benefits, but they also pay for my cell phone, home phone, & internet connection. I also have been given lots of opportunities to try out products in my home. 4. Great work/life balance. I insist on working only 40 hours/wk and not checking my email on the weekends. I've gone 3 years with no complaints on that. I often duck out of work early or come in late for doctors appts or other family affairs. My manager and Cisco as a whole is very insistent that you do what's best for you and your family first.
Cons
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. Cisco often competes against itself, which can be frustrating at times. This is why you probably shouldn't get too attached to one product or technology, cause you probably won't be working on it for long. You will often walk a fine line between quality and time-to-market.