Striking a Chord Between My Passions and Career at Cisco

This post was authored by Karthik Ravishankar, a recent Consulting Engineer intern on the Customer Experience (CX) Team.

I grew up in a small middle-class family, wanting to learn music, but money was often tight. My mom has a disability that makes walking difficult, so my dad was the only one who could work. Growing up, I banked on education loans for college, and my family expected me to make it big!

In college, I wasn’t really focused on studying at first. I was more into learning guitar and going to competitions with my college band whenever and wherever possible. We had a lot of fun together.

In my sixth semester, things started getting serious after the first student of our batch got placed. I realized I needed to give the distractions a back seat for a while, and aim to get a job placement.

That’s when I heard about Cisco Ideathon, a competition that challenges participants to develop creative technology solutions to real-world problems where qualifiers get internships with full-time placement opportunities at Cisco. I aspired and dreamt of succeeding. However, I was hesitant and didn’t feel like I had the confidence to crack it. I was ready to quit the Ideathon application process midway as I didn’t feel like I had the experience to answer the questions asked by the interviewers.

So, I met with my Cisco Networking Academy mentor and told him that I wanted to quit. He advised me, “Give it a shot. Show all of your efforts. There is still time to learn more. Do it for your mom and dad.” It was that moment when I resumed preparing vigorously all day and night, giving my fullest with the aim and dream of getting into Cisco and achieving the success my parents had always hoped for me.

When my mom’s birthday came along on the 7^th of August, I couldn’t even afford a cake. But then, at 10 AM, I received mail from Cisco that I was selected for an internship and full-time offer, along with a good compensation package. That day, I literally danced my way home to see my parents. When I announced, “I got selected by Cisco! Happy Birthday, Maa!” It was one of the best celebrations and the best surprise ever for my mom in my life.

Getting a hug from your father and mother for your achievement is always a priceless feeling.

You know the best part? Not only am I at Cisco, but I am playing guitar again. I have even had the opportunity to share my music at work at various socials and received recognition from leaders for it. Cisco is an amazing organization in supporting employees’ growth in our passions and our careers.

I always wanted to learn music and earn money, but I was encouraged to pursue engineering by my parents. Then later, I started loving engineering, too. Now, I have the opportunity to continue my engineering journey while also delving into the world of music, all while growing my career. It’s the best of both worlds, made possible by the support and opportunities provided by Cisco. At Cisco, I’ve learned that it’s possible to follow your passions and build a successful career at the same time. And for that, I’ll always be grateful.

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