Pros
I never liked big corporations like Cisco before I joined. I had a bad experience with Motorola where it is next to impossible to move from your start job to another position and you are so narrowed that you can spend your entire career without learning anything new. This was really different at Cisco, things are constantly changing and you have lots of new things to learn. The benefit is good and if you are in the right group you will have a sense of belonging. The break room have lots of different types of drinks and coffee for those that work in the office but most people drink water or coffee. I am a remote work and I didn't believe you could work remote until I joined Cisco. Other than the usual suspects (ability to move to another position, raises and promotions). I will say Cisco is a good place to work.
Cons
If you are in the Customer Advocacy group you are required to have CCIE before getting promotion. The leadership are still stuck on the routing and switching world. A lot of the companies that Cisco acquired are in software or other things. This is bad for career growth. Executives talk about collaboration but it does not translate to collaboration at Individual contributor and manager levels. Different groups do not share knowledge and this is bad for business. In some business units VP level communication is lacking, and the few that come across does not include current project status or future projects and what the benchmarks are. If you are not in any of the major centers, your career growth is limited. Some managers still resist remote workers. Instructor led trainings are mostly done at the major centers and this require travel for everybody else. Imaging getting travel approval.
