Growing Up Cisco: From Cisco Baby to Cisco Collaboration

I grew up at Cisco. Not many of us can call ourselves “Cisco Babies” – but I think I qualify. 

My mom, Nicole James, has worked for the company since 1998. I was just six years old when she started working here andI have fond memories of spending my summers hanging out in her cubicle and begging her to let me help create her PowerPoint presentations. 

21 years later and not only am I still living with my mom, but we are both working at Cisco! And, in case you’re wondering, I’m creating my own PowerPoint presentations now. 😊While I always fostered a love for technology, the majority of my life was primarily focused on sports, specifically basketball – and that’s where I thought my career was headed too!

I played basketball competitively for 17 years and was a collegiate player at both Oregon State University and San Jose State University, with the ultimate dream of becoming a professional basketball player. Unfortunately, that dream ended due to a career-ending injury that resulted in a bone and cartilage transplant in my left knee.

Suddenly, all my plans for my future were changed forever.

The injury forced me to retire from basketball at the age of 22 and ended a major chapter in my life. I was at a crossroads. Equipped with a degree in Business Finance from San Jose State University, I leveraged my network and found my way home to Cisco.

Sometimes you can’t see what your future has in store for you when you’re working on one dream – I never would’ve thought I’d be working at the company where I spent my summers! I feel lucky to work for a company like Cisco where I was allowed to seamlessly transition from being an athlete with limited work experience to an industry professional at one of the most historic tech companies in the world. 

I started out my career in Supply Chain and now work in Collaboration. Working in Collab, specifically with Webex Meetings, has been such a fulfilling experience. Not only do I get to work on the engineering team that builds the best collaboration technology on the planet, but I also get to work with our marketing partners to help showcase its capabilities. I have not only gotten the opportunity to lead collaboration video production projects, but you can also see me featured in some of them too!

Speaking of videos, I have been lucky enough to travel all the way to Sydney, Australia to shoot an exclusive video showcasing our Cisco Sydney Data Center. It’s such an amazing feeling to have the ability to travel across the world, collaborate with Cisco partners on set, and take part in projects where I know I am adding value to the company. 

I love our dedication to work/life balance and am even continuing my education now too. I just graduated from the Santa Clara University MBA program. With Cisco’s flexibility and our technology – the ability to further my education while working has been a game changer. 

Loving where you work doesn’t necessarily happen for everyone, but Cisco has given me an incredible opportunity for a bright new future in technology.

Want to join us? We’re hiring. Apply now.