Cisco Systems Customer Support Engineer Salary and Tac

Cubuntu28Cubuntu28 MemberMember Posts: 37 ■■□□□□□□□□
in IT Jobs / Degrees
According to glass door Cisco Customer Support Engineers can make up to 148k with proper experience and education (this is the very highest amount listed in all fairness). Does that seem rather high? I believe Cisco Tac Engineers make 6 figures as well, and ideally would have a CCIE. How realistic do these numbers seem?
Cisco Systems Customer Support Engineer Salary | Glassdoor


Does anyone have any experience in these positions, or know someone first hand who does? Lastly do these positions seem obtainable without a Technical Degree (I have a non related Bachelors), but with years of experience and CCNP, or CCIE?
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Comments

  • DPGDPG Senior Member Member Posts: 780 ■■■■■□□□□□
    Cisco outsources most of its TAC's (Costa Rica, etc) so I doubt $100k US is the norm.
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  • networker050184networker050184 Went to the dark side.... Mod Posts: 11,962 Mod
    Six figures is standard for a good (and by good I don't mean first line support) TAC engineer at one of the major vendors and yes these positions are certainly attainable without a technical degree.
    An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made.
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  • NetworkVeteranNetworkVeteran Senior Member Member Posts: 2,338 ■■■■■■■■□□
    Cubuntu28 wrote: »
    According to glass door Cisco Customer Support Engineers can make up to 148k with proper experience and education
    I've spoken to Cisco TAC recruiters recently, and that salary seems realistic. Cisco tends to pay employees less than their competitors--but they have a solid reputation, stability, and quality benefits to round out their compensation package. Cisco compensates more for higher certifications and technical degrees, as do most employers (when they are backed up with the skill, knowledge, and experience associated with them!)

    If you want to know if you're qualified for one of their positions simply apply. :)
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  • skinsFan202skinsFan202 Member Member Posts: 87 ■■■□□□□□□□
    DPG wrote: »
    Cisco outsources most of its TAC's (Costa Rica, etc) so I doubt $100k US is the norm.

    ya. I took a training class in San Jose a few months back and there was a guy in my class who was from Costa Rica and worked for Cisco TAC. He gave me the impression that they did not pay him very well out there, but that is always relative so who knows.
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  • shodownshodown Senior Member Member Posts: 2,271
    When I spoke with cisco tac(years ago) for voice support, I was going to start with a contracting company for 6 months then perm hire by cisco. The starting salary was around 25 dollars a hour. This was 1st level support at TAC.
    Currently Reading

    CUCM SRND 9x/10, UCCX SRND 10x, QOS SRND, SIP Trunking Guide, anything contact center related
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  • sieffsieff Senior Member Member Posts: 276
    I think $100K is pretty reasonable for a TAC job, especially if you have field experience. Does anyone know how stressful a TAC job is though? I've worked with their Tier III guys on some hairy issues. I know once you get the $100K plus jobs in IT the level of dedication requried is often higher than your regular support job.
    "The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept were toiling upward in the night." from the poem: The Ladder of St. Augustine, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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  • aatiyyehaatiyyeh Junior Member Registered Users Posts: 2 ■□□□□□□□□□
    hi all
    i am working on CCNA will pass the exam soon , and i have no experience in networking field my experience on computer sales and i have good communication skills and personal traits but no BSC or college degree....
    Do you think guys ccna is enough to start career in CISCO TAC ?????? or they require experience or degree
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  • pertpert Senior Member Member Posts: 250
    aatiyyeh wrote: »
    hi all
    i am working on CCNA will pass the exam soon , and i have no experience in networking field my experience on computer sales and i have good communication skills and personal traits but no BSC or college degree....
    Do you think guys ccna is enough to start career in CISCO TAC ?????? or they require experience or degree

    No, it isn't.
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  • aatiyyehaatiyyeh Junior Member Registered Users Posts: 2 ■□□□□□□□□□
    if no ............ what i need ccnp .....experience ????
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  • zrockstarzrockstar Senior Member Member Posts: 378
    [h=1]Candidate Criteria: Customer Support Engineer (TAC)[/h]
    [h=3]Your education and technical knowledge[/h]
    The graduates we are looking for possess the following qualifications and knowledge:-

    Minimum requirements
    • Engineering, electrical engineering or computer science degree [Bachelor or Master]
    • Good technical knowledge in the area of networking (TCP/IP, routing protocols, switching)
    • Fluent in English
    Desirable skills
    • Knowledge of Microsoft (Active Directory, Exchange 2000/2003, Windows 2000 Server, SQL) or of Unix/Linux is desirable
    • Other technical knowledge or experience related to Cisco products and software is desirable
    [h=3]Your personal skills[/h]
    • Eager to learn
    • Ability to learn fast and on your own
    • Strong analytical troubleshooting skills
    • Ability to work with the team
    • 'Why does it work this way?' attitude
    • Good communication skills
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  • goldenlightgoldenlight Senior Member Member Posts: 378 ■■□□□□□□□□
    Seems like a high turnover position.. At least you will gain Experience.
    “The Only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it keep looking. Don't settle” - Steve Jobs
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  • aaron0011aaron0011 Senior Member Member Posts: 330
    I'm in the middle of interviewing with Cisco for a CSE position. It's not TAC though, Remote Managed Services.

    You don't need a CCNP or CCIE to be qualified but it certainly helps. What they are looking for is experience, knowledge, and most importantly the ability and ambition to learn and do it quickly.

    I don't know if the salary number from the OP is accurate but six figures is definitely possible.
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  • PsychoFinPsychoFin Senior Member Member Posts: 280
    For the Associate Network Consulting Engineers that Cisco are recruiting over here in Sweden, they require you to pass CCNA, CCNP and CCIE Written in the first 6 months. Pretty nice. You can check out their job database for the position.
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  • Mrock4Mrock4 Senior Member Banned Posts: 2,359 ■■■■■■■■□□
    CSE's can make pretty good money if they receive commission on sales- which most places do. At my company 120-140k is not unusual for a CSE, and the consensus is Cisco pays a bit more than us.
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  • TorontoTechTorontoTech Junior Member Member Posts: 8 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Mrock4 wrote: »
    CSE's can make pretty good money if they receive commission on sales- which most places do. At my company 120-140k is not unusual for a CSE, and the consensus is Cisco pays a bit more than us.

    I'm in the wrong feild then, wintel sys admin making 60k a year... fml
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  • Mrock4Mrock4 Senior Member Banned Posts: 2,359 ■■■■■■■■□□
    Not necessarily, I know people in almost every "specialization" making good money..they're just at higher levels. There's still and probably will ALWAYS be a need for expert MS folks. Keep up the studying!
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  • aaron0011aaron0011 Senior Member Member Posts: 330
    Mrock4 wrote: »
    CSE's can make pretty good money if they receive commission on sales- which most places do. At my company 120-140k is not unusual for a CSE, and the consensus is Cisco pays a bit more than us.

    I think we are confusing sales engineer with support engineer. At Cisco it's two entirely different roles.
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  • Mrock4Mrock4 Senior Member Banned Posts: 2,359 ■■■■■■■■□□
    For sure..same acronym, different pay. That's why I mentioned the sales part.
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  • TorontoTechTorontoTech Junior Member Member Posts: 8 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Mrock4 wrote: »
    Not necessarily, I know people in almost every "specialization" making good money..they're just at higher levels. There's still and probably will ALWAYS be a need for expert MS folks. Keep up the studying!
    I think it's a matter of finding the proper environment that teaches, shares knowledge and gets you involved. Certs do help, I only have the 1 actully…
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  • f0rgiv3nf0rgiv3n Connection Overlord Member Posts: 598 ■■■■□□□□□□
    I know I keep posting this, but it's important to keep in mind when you see any salary posted.
    Cost of Living Calculator: Compare the Cost of Living in Two Cities - CNNMoney
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  • TorontoTechTorontoTech Junior Member Member Posts: 8 ■□□□□□□□□□
    f0rgiv3n wrote: »
    I know I keep posting this, but it's important to keep in mind when you see any salary posted.
    Cost of Living Calculator: Compare the Cost of Living in Two Cities - CNNMoney

    Toronto is expensive.. icon_sad.gif
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  • chmodchmod Senior Member Member Posts: 360 ■■■□□□□□□□
    I'm costa rican and i know the Cisco TAC because i worked for them.

    In CR is impossible to make that much money here unless you are a CEO for a fortune 500 company.

    The engineers in US make good money but the amount of TAC engineers is minimal, most of the jobs as somebody mentioned is outsourced been CR one of the biggest support centers.

    The benefits are the main reason for people to work for Cisco TAC, the salary is average but is easy to get an entry level position and work your way up, you don't get paid that well because this are outsourced position meaning the outsourcing company is the one that makes the real money but if you work directly for Cisco you'll be making good money even in CR, not to become rich but at least enough to make a good living.
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  • WiseWunWiseWun Senior Member Member Posts: 285
    TorontoTech wrote: »
    I'm in the wrong feild then, wintel sys admin making 60k a year... fml

    loool, it's not to late to switch!
    "If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” - Ken Robinson
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  • RouteMyPacketRouteMyPacket Senior Member Member Posts: 1,104
    aatiyyeh wrote: »
    if no ............ what i need ccnp .....experience ????

    You need to stop and think why it would never fly to just have a CCNA or CCNP. Where does this "Get a Cert and become a bla bla bla" come from in IT?

    You are on the right track, don't get me wrong. Reading and applying your knowledge to pass the test is great and it is an accomplishment but you must have EXPERIENCE in real the real world. The IT world is over flowing with Cert warriors, i'm surrounded by them in my daily work actually and it's sickening and quite frankly, embarrassing.

    Once you have your CCNA (and you will), look to get your foot in the door somewhere so you can begin building your experience which in turn will drive you further into NP etc.

    I didn't mean to ramble but in laymans terms:

    Certification + Experience = No Can Defend!
    Modularity and Design Simplicity:

    Think of the 2:00 a.m. test—if you were awakened in the
    middle of the night because of a network problem and had to figure out the
    traffic flows in your network while you were half asleep, could you do it?
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  • RouteMyPacketRouteMyPacket Senior Member Member Posts: 1,104
    TorontoTech wrote: »
    I'm in the wrong feild then, wintel sys admin making 60k a year... fml


    No No No! Why "FML"?

    You have as much opportunity in the MS world to gain experience and become certified that will pull in a huge salary.

    There is nothing wrong at all being on the Sys Admin side, tons of options there (MS, VCP etc). Very respectable.
    Modularity and Design Simplicity:

    Think of the 2:00 a.m. test—if you were awakened in the
    middle of the night because of a network problem and had to figure out the
    traffic flows in your network while you were half asleep, could you do it?
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  • chmodchmod Senior Member Member Posts: 360 ■■■□□□□□□□
    A friend told me that Juniper TAC Engineers make more money(in the US). Juniper TAC is about to start operations soon in my country.
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  • anilsk8anilsk8 Junior Member Registered Users Posts: 1 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Hi all. Im from Costa Rica and I just became CCNA certified, and Im working for cisco tac. I have no IT experience and I will be in training for the next 8 weeks. Ill be cse for cisco unity and it is pretty nice. as they said you need to be willing to learn, the salary is good in a relative way, and the growing oportunitys are everywhere.

    icon_cool.gif
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  • miroa12004miroa12004 Junior Member Member Posts: 22 ■□□□□□□□□□
    How can somebody apply to be a Cisco TAC?

    Searched a lot but couldn't find it, I'm CCNA certified BTW.
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  • lksadfjlkasdfkjkjdlksadfjlkasdfkjkjd Junior Member Registered Users Posts: 2 ■□□□□□□□□□
    networker050184 wrote: »
    Six figures is standard for a good (and by good I don't mean first line support) TAC engineer at one of the major vendors and yes these positions are certainly attainable without a technical degree.

    The interviews on glassdoor tells a complete different story. Almost all regular CSE are college hires with very basic networking knowledge/experience, which is a questionable practice imo. What makes less sense is that the reported CSE salary for <1 year of experience (college hire) is much higher than those with more experience.
    I don't doubt technical leaders get paid 100k+, but most of them should have been with the company for 10+ years.
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