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The Cisco offer that Changed My Life

Ruben Fonte
November 22, 2022

Back in the 2000’s I was living in Brazil and finishing High School. At the time, I knew I wanted to pursue engineering; however, I had no money or the means to achieve this goal of mine. But that did not stop me!

I was young and ambitious, so I decided to work as a courier and save the money I was earning to complete Cisco certifications such as ‘Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks’, ‘Building Cisco Remote Access Networks’, ‘Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Network’ and ‘Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP)’.

You probably are wondering why I invested all the money I had in Cisco Certifications. Cisco was always a reference to me because of its talented professionals who drive the tech market with new innovations and trends. I was motivated by the credibility and strategic position that Cisco has in the technology field. I admired – and keep admiring – everyone who works at Cisco, and my end goal was to be part of the team someday.

After finishing these certifications, I quickly had an offer to work at a large service provider in Brazil. I dedicated 16 years of my life to this company, and during this time I became an Electric Engineer and completed two major Cisco certifications: CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert) Enterprise and Service Provider.

All those years brought me great experiences and learnings. However, I was ready for a new challenge, and I applied to an open position at Cisco Portugal. After 22 years, I’m proud to say I’m a Cisco employee working as a Customer Delivery Architect at CX Centers Lisbon.

Joining Cisco and Moving to Portugal

Now, let me briefly introduce you to my dream journey at Cisco and, of course, in Portugal. Moving here was easy, considering how amazing this country is – beaches, weather, safety, culture, friendliness of the people – and all the help and support Cisco provided me with the paperwork.

The team in charge of my relocation scheduled a few meetings with me to ensure I had everything I needed to start my life in a different country. It felt great to arrive in Portugal without any pending issues – I could focus completely on starting my life and a new job here.

During my first week, Cisco provided me with extra support – from setting up my new laptop, introducing me to my new team and organization to sharing some very useful and practical guides with information about the country, housing, cost of living and general relocation topics.

Portugal is an amazing country. We have loads of sunny days during the year, beautiful beaches, places to practice sports and let’s not forget the amazing food. Overall, it’s a great place to live and work – in fact, Cisco Portugal just won for the second year in a row the #1 Best Place to Work in the country.

All my peers come together and help each other to provide the best possible solution for our customers. My manager is phenomenal, and I am part of an inclusive, eclectic Professional Services team – with teammates from Russia, Spain, Morocco, Portugal, and Brazil, which made me feel even more welcome and understood.

It’s been a year and a half since I joined Cisco Portugal, and I can still feel and see how fantastic and dynamic this company is. I’m excited to see what is coming next in my journey here!

• Customer Experience (CX)