last day at Cisco

So my contract at Cisco Systems has ended. I was let go for financial reasons and not because I didn't perform well enough. The contract was supposed to expire mid-November, but my boss Bing managed to extend it to the end of the year. I'm truly grateful for her actions.

The good news is that I left with no hard feelings. For starters, my supervisor Min organized a farewell lunch for me two days ago. She says it's an honor rarely given to people who leave the team. Everything she and Bing ordered was delicious. Click here for pictures from the lunch.

I even got Christmas presents: Bing bought me an iPod Shuffle while my co-worker Vicky gave me a pocket watch. That was so sweet of them. I also received a gift bag from Christine, my relationship manager at The Armada Group. There are no words to express my gratitude. I'm blessed to have had the chance to work with such wonderful people.

Looking back

The downside about being a contractor is the limited benefits package. The pay is also lower as a cut goes to Armada. Although salary isn't a big deal to me, one of my grievances is that some events were restricted to full-time employees. I was really bummed that I couldn't attend TechZone, an event for engineers to demo their projects. The fact that the executives were constantly talking about it didn't help. People had to sign an NDA and couldn't even share pictures with me. :-(

On the other hand, I got to attend Armada's events in addition to those at Cisco. For instance, the family picnic in October was really fun. That was my first company picnic in over 11 years and a highlight of the year. The lunches with Armada's HR team were pretty nice too.

Every job is a learning experience. There is always an opportunity to improve even after you're out of school. I learned a lot during my time on the TelePresence team and hope to put that knowledge to good use.

Although my departure from Cisco was graceful, losing your job always sucks, especially right before Christmas. It was definitely a bittersweet day for me. One thing for sure is that I'll miss everyone at both companies. On the bright side, at least I get a nice break before I continue my job search. :-)

Currently listening to: "Hey Santa!" by Carnie & Wendy Wilson

work anniversary at Cicso + holiday party report

"Looks like this party is for you." -- Lakshmi

Today is my one-year anniversary at Cisco Systems. I can't believe it's been a whole year since I joined the team. It still feels like I just started my job. Time certainly flies.

So our business unit had its annual holiday party at Sheraton San Jose Hotel. The event was pretty awesome - there was music, food, prize drawings and even a photo booth. I've posted some pictures online for those curious. Some people knew it was my work anniversary and joked that the party was for me. :-)

I wish I could say all is well, but that is unfortunately not the case. From what I've been told, my boss couldn't renew my contract and is letting me go at the end of the year. Although my staffing agency is treating this as a layoff so I could get unemployment benefits, losing my job just before Christmas still sucks.

As for the next steps, I haven't decided whether to continue my job search or try to go back to school. Decisions, decisions.

Currently listening to: "Beat It" by Michael Jackson

not a bad Halloween...

Halloween was pretty nice.

The festivities started on Friday with "Diwaloween" at Cisco. Because Diwali and Halloween are so close together this year, the TelePresence team had a joint celebration. There was food and music, and some people even got up to dance. I've posted pictures and videos from the event online.

Cisco hosted a costume contest this afternoon as today is Halloween. From what I've heard, the company has never done anything like this before. It was definitely nice for change. I didn't dress up but enjoyed seeing other people's costumes.

Dad later had two business associates over for dinner. Mom made good food as usual - click here to see what we ate. This wasn't a Halloween party per se as the timing was purely coincidental, but everyone still had a great time. I later passed out candy to the kids, something I hadn't done in 11 years. Here are the stats for those curious:

Total trick-or-treaters: 45
First arrival: 6:45 p.m.
Last arrival: 8:57 p.m.
Candy given out: 46 pieces

So yeah, Halloween was pretty fun. It just might become one of my favorite holidays again. :-)

In other news...

Dad took us to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery and Nevada City two Saturdays ago. The fall foliage in Nevada City was beautiful. The best part was having coffee and dessert at a café before hiking some local trails. It was an amazing day trip. You can go here for the pictures.

first day at Cisco

"So you're new here... does that mean you'll believe everything we tell you?" -- Albert

I started my new job today at Cisco Systems as a software engineer. Hello, real world. For those curious, I'll be doing test automation for the TelePresence team.

The first day went pretty well. I set up my computer while my co-workers Kim and Swapneel showed me the ropes. Speaking of which, my work computer is a ThinkPad W510 with an Intel Core i7-720QM processor, 4 GB of RAM and 320 GB of storage. It's much faster than anything at home. I have my own cubicle, although we typically work in the labs.

I'm definitely loving my new job so far. Everyone is friendly and helpful, especially my mentors. In addition to being very close to McCarthy Ranch, our building has its own cafeteria. I've also been told that our team Christmas lunch is just around the corner. From what I've heard, many people consider Cisco to be one of the best companies to work for. I certainly can't disagree.

Of course, the transition from the classroom to the office is no small change. I'll definitely miss the dances and month-long vacations. There's probably no spring break in April either. On the other hand, at least I don't have to worry about exams. :-)

I don't actually work directly for Cisco, but as a contractor for a Santa Cruz-based staffing company called The Armada Group. This means I get paid less than a regular employee as Armada takes a cut of what Cisco pays. However, I'm certainly not complaining about finding work right after school.

Currently playing: Super Mario BP Oil Spill

a farewell to UC Santa Cruz

Last night was the CMPS 101 final. I hope I didn't bomb the exam as it was quite tough. But considering that I did better than expected on the two midterms, maybe I shouldn't worry too much. In any case, the fall quarter is over!

Speaking of which, I moved out last Tuesday as my lease has ended. Connie's house is one of the nicest places I've ever stayed. It was hard to say goodbye to her cats Tommy and Zoe. They'll always have a special place in my heart.

In other news...

Tomorrow is my first day at Cisco Systems. I'm a little nervous but also extremely excited!

Currently playing: endeavor

I got the job!

Several weeks ago, our family friend Kitty referred me to apply for a software testing position at Cisco Systems. I'm happy to say that I got the offer. I accepted it right away after figuring a regular job was better in the long run. If everything goes to plan, my first day will be in early December. Woohoo!

The transition from classroom to cubicle is a big deal: a full-time job can be challenging due to longer hours and fewer vacation days. On the other hand, getting paid beats paying tuition anytime. It's also nice to not have to cram for exams. :-)

I had planned to continue studying at UC Santa Cruz and eventually apply for the graduate program. But because it's extremely difficult to take classes and work at the same time, I've decided to leave Santa Cruz after the quarter ends. Saying goodbye to this beautiful place will be tough. I guess we all have to make sacrifices in life. As they say... c'est la vie.

Currently playing: Road of the Dead