I joined Cisco on the 18th August 2014, into the One Cisco Apprenticeship programme. I remember the day well and doubt that I will ever forget it, as it happened to be one of the most nerve racking days of my life. It was at this time that my fellow apprentices and I were told that we were “In the ‘B’ of the Bang!” For a while this didn’t really make sense to me but soon after that I ran out of time to ponder the meaning of this puzzling phrase. Fast forward a year and some months later, I am now writing about my experience with Cisco to date. At this time I had my long coming epiphany and finally understood the meaning.
A year doesn’t seem like a very long time to talk about, but a phenomenal amount can happen in a year when you commit yourself to personal development and improvement. I have been to 13 departments and met hundreds of people with a combined thousands of years’ experience in their respective fields of business, a fountain of knowledge that you will seldom find in any text book, lesson or video. It almost feels like I have developed a personal network with an answer to almost any question I could have. Along the way I have made some friends and developed a good foundational technical knowledge, all of this in a year that has disappeared. I feel like my eyes and senses have been cheated, but I know they haven’t.
I have just returned to the UK from a business trip to Krakow, Poland. There I was developing my understanding of Cyber Security, how it applies to business and our products alike. Whilst I was over there I was working with graduates from all over Europe, together we were experimenting and building our basic understanding of Security. Again upon reflection I am astonished with how much knowledge and understanding we all gathered in our short time there. It was also a surreal experience to work with my colleagues in Krakow, and even though they were graduates from university. Utilising the knowledge and experience I have gained in the apprenticeship I was able to help them with the application of their superior technical knowledge and apply it to business.
Over the next few months I will be sitting under the Regional TAC (Technical Assistance Centre) department of Cisco which is involved with providing solutions to flaws in our customer’s environment. Where the Regional TAC team differ from our normal TAC team is that it specialises in the latest technology that Cisco has to offer. I will have hands on experience with the latest technology that many people, especially my age, wouldn’t be able to get a hold of for many years to come. During this time my technological understanding of the respective technologies I will be involved with will grow exponentially. Another unique opportunity in the Regional TAC team is presented in the nature of the work, as the team only works with the latest technology offered from Cisco, I will also be able to interacting with Cisco’s BU (Business Unit) whom are responsible for developing the products that I am working with, which will hopefully lead to further understanding in that area of the business.
One of the most outstanding thoughts to me whilst writing this was thinking back and remembering past deadlines, goals and development opportunities that have since passed.; Although I am writing about the incredible opportunity I have been given and how far I have come, I can envision myself a year or even 10 from now, thinking back to this time and this moment and still wondering how it all happened in such a short amount of time! How did I accomplish so much in a year, 2 or 10? All of the elements combined I feel have accelerated, nurtured and developed me even faster due to the fantastic head start I’ve had on the One Cisco Apprenticeship programme. It has shown me the fast paced development people go through and definitely demonstrates the ‘B’ of the Bang!
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