How To Start Your Ccie Options

[gt-rob]

Well, let me first say that I am not actually a CCIE (yet! lol). This is just based on my experience, and my research of the subject.



The leap from CCNP to CCIE is more than just picking up a book. The problem is that up until now, each exam is pretty much read a text book, practice a couple of things, and go write the test.


There is no textbook for CCIE. Well, actually there’s many. But reading them all will not even get you close to passing. In fact, once you get to the point of the studying for the lab, you probably aren’t going to read many books. You should have covered the foundations of most of the topics through CCNP and the written, and the lab is about becoming an expert in applying the technologies. You need to be able to interpret the questions. Understand what the task wants you to do, and then do it. You also need to know every way to do something. Sure you may know how to advertise a loopback into OSPF, but you need to know the other 4 or 5 ways to do it.



So you finished CCNP, got through the CCIE written, now what?

Well, take a look over the IE blueprints. http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/ccie..._blueprint.html

Although I prefer this outline, as it is more detailed
http://www.internetworkexpert.com/resource...elaboutline.htm


Get an idea for what you are up against. You will need to be pretty familiar with all of these topics, and an expert on most of them.


Next step is to make a plan. Not a day-by-day plan, but a general outline of goals. Pick a date for the lab. In fact, go ahead and book it, you can always reschedule. Pick a date 6 months from now, and book it, and aim for that date. Figure out where you want to be at the end of each month leading up to it, and make goals for each month to reach that.

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Now the meat of it. The first thing I would suggest doing, is pick a vendor for some materials. Do some research, but the top ones are InternetworkExpert, IPExpert, and NMC (and I am sure some others). Its not going to make a huge difference which one you go with, as they are all going to offer similar approaches to the topics. Do some research, compare prices, what you get, etc.

The main thing you are looking for, are full scale labs to run. They will be a simulation of the real lab, but also offer a real learning opportunity.

Another thing that is nice is technology specific labs that you can focus on certain tasks. Also any kind of classes, audio or visual, are good to get too, but can get costly.


So once you figure out what you are going to study, figure out how you are going to do it.
The 3 options are build a lab, rent a lab, or simulate one (dyamips). They all have their pros and cons, and it really depends on your situation.


Now is just a matter of the 3 Ds. Dedication, determination, and discipline. Dedicate yourself to any free time you have, after work, on weekends, on the way to work, on your lunch, making any time possible to put forth to this. Once you get into a good routine, it will seem like second nature, just like going to work.


Don’t let the costs of things scare you. $3000 will get you an end-to-end program from IE, then another $2000 will get you to your lab. That’s only $5000 for what could be potentially the best thing you do for your career. Even if you do 3 attempts, you can still be under $10,000. Its not a lot of money for what you get out of it, I promise you.

The real cost is the time it takes. 500hrs while working full time is hard to find room for. You don’t need to cut off everyone and everything, but you do need to give some things up. Video games, TV, hobbies, surfing, are all things that take up a lot of hours that need to be spent elsewhere. You just have to make studying a priority, and it needs to come before a lot of things (but not everything).


If you can do this, it will eventually happen. Maybe not in 6 months, maybe not on the first try, but it will eventually happen. Don’t cheat yourself, and don’t sell yourself short. You can do this, its been done before thousands of times. If they can do it, so can you.



That’s all I have for now. I will add more as it comes to me.

[G.S.Netherland]

Rob I really appreciate all of your efforts to assist us as you're developing in this field. When you were studying for the IE R&S written, what material did you find to be the most in depth and applicable?

[gt-rob]

To be honest after CCNP, the written is a pretty easy test. I say that because there really isn't any new material coming from NP, and the exam itself is a nice break (lots of time, you can go back on questions, no sims, lower pass mark etc).

I did read through the Exam guide for it, as well as Routing TCP/IP Vol I. I also had done most of the vol 1 labs from internetwork expert, which are small "tech labs". I think this helped a lot.


Overall, I wouldn't stress over the written if you are recent CCNP.

[redwarrior]

GT,
I'm glad you wrote this...it really is a great post and I'm certain it will inspire others!

I'm feeling very conflicted about my future. I know I'm going to finish my CCNP and now I also have the CCNA-Wireless on my radar, but I'm torn as to whether to push forward for the CCIE or to wait and build up more experience through work and pursuing further professional level certs. I think part of it, to be honest, is just that the CCIE is such an intimidating thing, but I think it's also because I'm humbled by some of the guys I've started working with that have so much experience, but don't even have active CCNA's. Most of them don't see much use for certs, particularly the CCIE, but I think that's simply because they view them only in terms of the time it takes to get them and the pay increase they could bring, rather than having a hunger to learn more than they are exposed to at work. I'm hoping I'll have a clearer idea of what direction I need to go after I finish my CCNP and watch you get your number.

[gt-rob]

Ya I think it really depends on where you are in your career, and what you think it can do for you.

You have to compare the # of hours it takes to do it, to how much you already make. I mean, if you already make 100k, a CCIE probably isn't going to bump you up much, if any.

At this point in my personal career, its a bit of over kill. I don't have the experience to get a CCIE level job right now, but when I eventually do, it will nice to already have it.

It also comes down to what your motivation is. To me, this is more of a personal goal than a salary booster. Sure it will help my career, and it is a good investment, but its become more of something I want to prove to myself, rather than my boss (in fact I am thinking about not even telling my boss if/when I pass, but thats a whole other stody).

[redwarrior]

It is funny how different people view the CCIE differently. For me, it's like climbing Mt. Everest. I don't really care how much it will boost my salary or not, but I feel like if I do achieve it, I will have proven something to myself and if I do not, there will always be a lingering doubt in my mind, nagging at me, making me wonder if I could have made it or not. For some, it's just another cert and an expensive one at that. For me, I really do view it as the highest mark of achievement someone can earn in our field. I know that some CCIE's may not be all that and a bag of chips, but most of them I met aren't just skilled when it comes to networking...they are passionate about it. They love the technology in a way that those who avoid certs seem to miss.

I guess in some ways, I'm coming down from the high of starting a new job and being on a team of engineers. I was so hoping that these guys would be just as passionate as I am about learning and about networking, but for most of them, it's just a job. I'm beginning to think I'm strange in the way that all this fascinates me so and how I always want to know more about how it all works. (It irritates me to no end when I'm studying a topic and I reach the point where the book/video says, "But that's not covered in this exam." WTF? Don't hold out on me! LOL!) I am passionate about what I do or I wouldn't put so much time and energy into doing it and I think that having my CCIE might show others that I do have that kind of commitment. This isn't just a job to me...it's a career and one I am very proud to be pursuing.

GT...I think in a few years we should start our own company...darn it! We could fill it with hopeless network geeks like ourselves and spend every day having a great time playing with networks and fixing stuff without the grumpy gusses.

[SysAdmin4066]

Red, I used to think I was strange too. I feel the same way you do. I am the youngest Sys Admin in the county and the youngest level 3 there has ever been in recent memory. I hate that a lot of the older crowd see this as just a job.

This is my life, I always say I would be doing this for free. I constantly scour the net for side jobs because the day to day at work is just never enough. I have changed jobs looking for that holy grail of a team that cares as much as I do.

I wish that I was still young (well younger than I am), with no responsibilities so I could attend a school like MIT or Cal Tech for my Masters, but I just dont have the time at this point in my life and career. I think when I retire, I will probably attend one of those schools, maybe even teach at one lol.

I feel the same way though, the guys I work with are older, much older. The closest guy to my age is 10 years older, i'm 26 years old. I am looking at the CISSP right now, a beast of a cert for the security world, next is the CCNP and then I will most likely start looking at either the MS Masters program, the CCIE or my Masters degree. Eventually when it's all said and done, I want to teach at college level, after I retire from the county.

Anyway, I feel you. You have to find companies where the mindset is different, companies like Cisco itself, or MS, where the talent is incredible and you arent the most knowledgable guy. I am still going through that, after 9 years, and I dont think it will change until I get to one of those types of companies. Dont stop what you do though, it's served me very well. At 26 years old, I do what I love, something I would do for a hobby anyway, and I make 6 figures doing so. I'm happy everyday because I do what I love.