Cisco is a great place to work but only the tough will survive and thrive
Pros
Cisco has no technology religion. We thirst for innovation and continue to adopt new technologies and development process. We learn from the very best in the industry, and we are willing to change. You will find disruptive patterns everywhere while working at Cisco, whether in technical areas or process related areas. You will not get bored because everything is continuously on the go. Those who are resistant to changes or are uncomfortable with trying new things should not apply.
Cons
There is a lot of pressure on individual contributors to get "visible" because of the annual ranking process. The process has a limited quota for top performers, so every year, management fights with each other to promote their own team, and individual contributors step on each other to get ahead. Ironically, Cisco greatly promotes teamwork and collaboration. However, with this limited quota ranking system, teamwork is just a slogan. Only the naive will believe and practice it.