CCIE Candidate

I’ve had the hardest time picking up my laptop after work during the last week and a half.  During this time I’ve been enjoying hanging out with my family and friends.  It’s amazing how much time is in a day when CCIE lab study is not hanging over your head.  I have learned an incredible amount of information and had a pretty good time doing it…it was not all pain! 

So, here is my journey summarized with the least amount of overlap

Written

I passed my written exam on January 22, 2008 ….it took me two attempts.  This test was a pain in the rear for me.  I’m hoping the Service Provider written exam is not as bad.

Materials

For the lab:  (in order of preference / worth)

1.)    Narbik Kocharians bootcamp

 2.)    Cisco Documentation Site

 3.)    Cisco ASET Labs

 4.)    Internetwork Expert - CCIE Routing & Switching Lab Workbook Volume I & II

 5.)    IPExpert audio on demand class

Narbik’s class was invaluable and greatly contributed to my success.  I plan on taking his Service Provider class as well as soon as it becomes available.  (time to start looking in the couch for loose change)  Before I start on the SP track, I need to finish my CCVP which I put on hold during my CCIE R/S prep.  2 more tests left 642-444 CIPT4.1 & 642-426 TUC.  I’m hoping I can knock these out by the end of March and then I will get started on the CCIE written prep.  (actually I’ve already started some MPLS & IS-IS study because I’m a geek)  Narbik will tell you when you take his class that reading through the Cisco documentation is critical…he is right, once again.  I can’t describe how much reading through the documentation, even if I thought I knew a topic 100%, helped.

The Cisco ASET labs were great for me because they were a no-cost study prep option for me.  I did most of my 3550/3560 practice on these racks.

The IE labs were fantastic as well for getting me ready to search through the Cisco documentation for obscure topics.  Very challenging, but looking back, pretty fun too. 

The IPExpert audio class that I had was a little dated (Scott Morris was still with IPExpert), but it really helped keep topics fresh in my brain.  A 1.5 hour one way commute to work gave me ample time to listen to this class.

Study Time

Beginning in August of last year I started my “hard-core” lab study.  I spent the first month going back through Jeff Doyle’s Routing TCP/IP, Volume 1, 2nd Edition & CCIE Routing and Switching Official Exam Certification version 2 and 3.  I used Dynamips (didn’t discover GNS3 until a little later) and created network scenarios for each routing protocol.

My lab study really kicked into high gear when I decided to attend Narbik’s bootcamp.  I received the Soup to Nuts workbook and worked through the workbook in about 3 weeks, but I had to skip a good bit of the switching because I didn’t have access to 3550 or 3560 switches.  I attended Narbik’s bootcamp in mid October.  This class was exactly what I needed.  I only wish that I had been able to attend his bootcamp earlier in the year. 

I then spent the next 2 months going over Narbik’s workbooks, doing each lab 2-3 times and reviewing the Cisco documentation.  At the end of December I started IE 8 hour labs from their lab workbook.  I started out my 8 hour lab practice with an IE Mock Lab (Lab 3).  It kicked my butt, but it made me realize that I needed to really crack down.  During this month-long period I also utilized a few of the Cisco ASET 8 hour labs.  You really need to be able to sit still for 8 whole hours and maintain focus on the tasks at hand.  I would wake up early Saturday and Sunday morning and then tell my wife “I’m going in” - 8-10 hours later I would emerge, sometimes fairly dejected, but always fully determined to continue.

I finished my lab prep by re-attending Narbik’s bootcamp in Pasadena (Monday - Wednesday, well actually only Tuesday & Wednesday because I was sick on Monday).  I drove from Pasadena to San Jose on Thursday and arrived in the late afternoon at the Marriott, a welcome change from the Comfort Inn in Pasadena.  I’m not knocking the Comfort Inn as I stayed there both times in Pasadena, but the Marriott was a tad-bit nicer. 

Day of the Exam - January 30, 2009 (I visited the Cisco facility the day before to ensure I knew where to go and when to be there - 8:15am in building C 150 W Tasman Drive)

I decided to forgo any additional study the day before the exam as many of you suggested.  Thank you for that!  I really needed to rest my brain and a movie, workout, and nice dinner really helped me do just that.  I went to sleep around 10pm that evening and woke up at 5:30 the morning of the exam.  After saying the longest prayer I had in a while, I had a Starbucks coffee and a small protein meal bar and decided to drink as little water as possible.  I tend to drink a good amount of liquid during the day, but I didn’t want to have to be making many trips to the restroom at the testing facility.  (strange I know, but it allowed me to stay a little more focused on the lab)

I arrived at building C on the Cisco campus at 7:45 (a little too early, but better early than late I guess).  I then sat for a bit in the waiting area…followed by some pacing back and forth under the stairwell.  The next 30 minutes seemed to go by really slowly.

At 15 minutes after 8:00, we were ushered back to the lab area and given instructions on what to do & what not to do.  When the lab began there was no shotgun start and nobody saying Start Now!  We just started at exactly 8:30.  I spent the next 30 minutes reading through the lab, drawing my topology, and creating my score tracking checklist.  I did enter my alias commands and they did seem to save a small amount of time…not sure I’ll use them in my next lab.  I asked the proctors many questions during my lab.  They were helpful and patient.  I know some of my questions were a bit basic, but I had to know that I was answering the question properly.

I finished all questions by 2:00pm and spent the next 2 hours reviewing my work…very important to review, reading EVERY word.  One word changes things dramatically.  I left the exam an hour early feeling very confident, but as time went by I started re-thinking some of my answers.  Did I read the question right?  Did I really answer EXACTLY what they were asking?  Oh crap!  I will never take an exam on a Friday again.  

I got very little sleep over the next 2.5-3days while waiting for my score.  The Super Bowl thankfully took my mind off the subject for a small while.  (lifelong Steelers fan, so a good night for me)  I went to be around midnight on Sunday after watching the post-game interviews.  I was not asleep long when I woke up and decided to check my email around 1:45am.  The email was there, but I could not open it on my blackberry…the next 5 minutes seemed like an age!  I could not get logged into the score report on my iMac either…oh, wait, I was typing the wrong date, nice!

I then saw the phrase “Congratulations on passing the CCIE Routing and Switching Lab!”  Was I reading it correctly?  Generally the word “congratulations” does not accompany the word “failed”, right?  I re-read the score report at least 10 times to make sure I was reading it correctly and oh wait, there’s my number!  Wow, I was ecstatic…I woke up my wife and told her (I had to tell someone).  She tells me now that she’s glad I woke her up, but I probably should have / could have waited…okay who am I kidding, I had to!  :)  

Now What? 

Where do I go from here?  Well, I have to finish my CCVP as mentioned above, but I really want to get to Service Provider prep.  I may end up buying Internetwork Expert’s training on SP so I can go through the on-demand class, but I should probably focus on the voice stuff for now. 

I’m very relieved to have passed the CCIE R/S exam, but something inside is telling me that it’s not over yet.  I have had a discussion with my wife who is again behind me 100% if I choose to go through another track.  I’m a very lucky person for that.  I have, however, been mandated to take a couple of weeks off.  (which is one reason it took me a while to make this post) 

So, how many other people are doing Service Provider?  What did you use for your prep?  If Ethan doesn’t mind, I will probably blog about my CCIE SP prep here as well. 

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who has followed my journey.  There were a couple times that I thought I needed to take a break, but encouragement from those of you who have been there before and those of you that are going to be there soon really helped.  It is a great feeling knowing that there are other people out there who are going through the same trials and tribulations on the way to a CCIE #.

Thanks to Ethan as well for letting me track my journey on this site.  What a fantastic resource.

Good luck to Lucio and Luis!  I look forward to reading your success stories as well.

I’ll hopefully be back soon to blog about my Service Provider journey….but for now, time to shut down the laptop and get back to house repairs and family time. 

 

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