A Company with a positive Impact
Pros
I started my career in the CSAP program, coming directly from University. From the beginning I had tremendous support and felt the positive vibe in the company. You are always encouraged and empowered to find own solutions. I have always felt an incredible amount of trust - which let you simply grow. But if you ask for help - there will always someone available to help. The culture is very supportive - not only on the professional, but also on the private life. Being a mother myself it helps to have a home office and flexible working hours to balance family and Cisco. Cisco deeply cares about giving back - every employee gets additional 5 days annually for local giving back activities. It is so inspirational to get this opportunity.
Cons
This culture works probably not for everybody. You have to have a sense of purpose for yourself and drive your own projects. If you prefer to have a detailed description and predefined steps what you have to do - Cisco is probably not the right company for you. In order to be successful you have to be self motivated, creative and the courage to succeed. And since you are so empowered - it can also be difficult to limit yourself to healthy work hours. You will be encouraged to care for yourself naturally - nevertheless there is no "clocking in / clocking out", hence there is always something to do - and you need to be able to set yourself healthy limits.