From Group Faculty to Dream Faculty: How Cisco Helped Me Discover My Path

Group school wasn’t a part of my plan. Really, I didn’t actually have a plan in any respect. I ended up at Diablo Valley Faculty as a result of it was handy, reasonably priced, and actually, I simply wanted a spot to begin. On the time, I wasn’t certain what I needed to review or how the subsequent few years would look. Most of all, I by no means imagined it resulting in a possibility I didn’t even know existed: interning at a Fortune 500 firm as a group school pupil.

My Cisco Journey Begins

After deciding to main in enterprise, I heard about Handshake, a college-centric profession website. With some design expertise already below my belt, I made a decision to provide my new profession a shot. After looking tons of listings, one job stood out … Advertising and marketing Specialist Intern at Cisco. To my nice shock, I used to be truly eligible to use! Quickly after, my cellphone rang. I used to be invited to take part in an evaluation middle consisting of a behavioral interview, a presentation, and a workforce train. With only one weekend to organize, I left with pleasure, realizing I did my finest. I’ll always remember the second I refreshed my inbox and noticed the provide letter. I stared on the display in disbelief. Me? At Cisco?

From the beginning, I knew Cisco’s early expertise advertising and marketing program, Amplify, was particular. What I found as soon as I joined was that its flexibility was a game-changer. Interns can return for a number of summers throughout totally different groups, and after your remaining summer time, you’re thought of for the full-time Amplify program. There’s a saying right here: “one firm, many careers,” and thru Amplify, I used to be getting a style of it. Plus, the assist system is unimaginable. Every intern will get a full-time Amplifier buddy, a mentor, a workforce supervisor, and a program supervisor. It actually felt like the proper match.

Discovering my Footing

At first, I felt on high of the world. Then imposter syndrome began to creep in. “Did they actually imply to rent me?” I used to be assured, but in addition conscious that I had much less formal expertise than my friends. Fortunately, my supervisor, Shonya, helped me regain my focus and acknowledge strengths that I couldn’t even see in myself. Cisco is a large firm however the tradition right here is so welcoming and encourages questions, that I began to thrive very quickly. Specialised trainings and interactive onboarding helped me rise up to hurry, and earlier than I knew it, we have been diving into the notorious intern-led readout mission. My workforce was tasked with presenting a data-backed optimization plan for Cisco’s paid-search efforts to a reside viewers of greater than 500 individuals on Cisco TV. I hadn’t even introduced to 50 individuals earlier than — how would I do 500? I used to be scared, however I knew my assist system had my again. When the day lastly rolled round, it was all the things I might’ve requested for, and a lot extra. (Shoutout to Yazeed, Ashley, Bella, Riley, and Brooke for being superb teammates!)

Discovering My Path at Cisco

Now, again for my second summer time, I’m on a brand new workforce, benefiting from skilled growth programs, and specializing in technique — the world I’ve found I’m most captivated with. The great thing about Amplify and Cisco is you can develop in new instructions, discover totally different roles, and discover the work that really excites you. At the same time as an intern, I’ve made actual affect by being perceptive and inventive in bettering processes. That’s why I like the place I work: Cisco sees your potential, invests in your development, and allows you to convey your genuine self to all the things you do.

Embrace Your Potential

Trying again, I can see simply how far this expertise has taken me. I’ve graduated from group school, returned to Cisco for my second summer time, and have been accepted to my dream faculty, UC Berkeley’s Haas Faculty of Enterprise. It feels surreal.

My story reminds us that expertise doesn’t all the time observe a conventional path; it’s all over the place, usually hidden in plain sight. With the correct assist, sufficient curiosity, and alternative, I imagine anybody can develop into somebody extraordinary. Packages like Amplify align completely with Cisco’s Goal to energy an inclusive future for all. My communication and group abilities have matured, and people vital moments even helped form my software to UC Berkeley.

When you’re contemplating making use of to Cisco, my recommendation is easy: embrace your distinctive path, observe your curiosity, and shoot for the celebs. As a result of typically, one surprising “sure” can change all the things.

Let’s embrace your distinctive path! Take a look at profession alternatives now.

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