Mid-July Update…

Well, I’ve been doing all Cisco for the last two weeks and boy has it been a confidence roller-coaster. Some days, I feel like I can conquer this beast, but others I get shoved deep into the depths of humility. Some days my soul prays for a test where I am solid with all the topics so that the torture will cease, others I pray to have it all thrown at me to keep the validity of the prize, regardless of the outcome of my personal battle against it.

From what I have read on other CCIE candidate blogs, this IS the nature of the beast. It’s a tough one to conquer. I’m starting to think that dedicated CCIE candidates are sick in the head. So much sacrifice is given deep in the trenches to understand networking’s inner crevices and be able to apply this knowledge in an insane display of performance to hopefully appease the beast’s desires that day. Often, it seems that the beast can chew you up, even while you are thinking you have the upper hand, but in reality the digestion process has already taken place before you hit its gut.

OK, I needed to use the creative side of the brain for a bit. My logic part of my brain is just plain shot. It has been tough though. For a confidence level, I feel like I am at a 7 out of a 10 scale (10 being able to walk in, slap the beast silly and have it on the roasting fire for din-din minutes later). OK, with that scale and description, I feel I’m at a 5 (see what I mean about the confidence roller-coaster?)

I have been concentrating on mostly level 8 and 9 practice labs this week. I have learned a bunch about smaller topics and some deeper things on the bigger ones. I have been also formulating my “attack” plan as I have been going along. When doing research on the Internet, I have found some who have elaborate checklists and procedures for taking this exam. Others I find a bit more simple. I was impressed with Brian Dennis’ approach to taking this test.

R&S Attack Plan – Pt I

It is a simple, but quick and effective approach. I will probably use most of his ideas, but will be doing a deeper look at the lab document before starting. I want to know the redistribution points and other IGP issues I will be up against like backup links, etc. I never have been one for remembering detailed procedures and this sure isn’t the place for me to do so, when I have hundreds of other things I have to recall.

I got the results back from my last two mock labs and they aren’t too impressive. On IE Mock Lab #3 I got a 48 and IE Mock Lab #5 I got a 29; disheartening to say the least. These were some of the downer times.

I did IE Mock Lab #6 yesterday and did about the same I think. I really got stuck on a redistribution question that had an error in it. It was telling me to redistribute two protocols, but one of the didn’t exist on the router at all. At first I thought it was an error, but assuming not, I used a tunnel to get the non-existent protocol to the router and redistributed there. That created all sorts of havoc that I didn’t anticipate. After pulling my hair out and feeling like quitting the lab, something told me to just get end-to-end reachability and move on. I burned a lot of time, but I tried to scramble to get remaining points with the time I had left. Later in the evening I read this from Brian Dennis in the IE blog about a complex redistribution task:

First off this task is only worth 3 points but will take most people 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete due to the fact the requirements create a routing loop. This means that it’s really not worth 3 points in the real lab due to the fact you’re giving away 1 hour of your 8 hours for just 3 points. In the real lab most people would be better off just getting full IP reachability and moving on. Think about it like this. If you could give up 3 points in every lab and implement you own solution to obtain full IP reachability would you be better off?

InternetworkExpert Blog – Advanced Route Redistribution by Brian Dennis

In the real world, you can’t just let an issue go. You have to fix it, since the pressure is on. This might be one of those things that causes experienced network engineers to not do so well on this test sometimes. It’s a way different mentality. If I would have done Brian’s advice, I feel I would have completed the mock lab and done respectably. Man, that was a hard lesson to learn.

Well, I have four days to go. My family will be home in two days and I will leave for San Jose the next. I have missed them terribly and phone calls are not enough. I especially miss my wife’s hugs when things are especially going rough. I miss my kids, especially since their birthdays are today and another in two more days. I will be so happy to see them again at the airport.

My uncle, who is the only sane one on my father’s side of the family has offered to fly and meet me in San Jose to go do something the day before the exam. This way I can get my mind off of anything technical, so it will be fresh for the battle arena the next day.

As others that have experienced this trek, I can tell you that this is a lonely uphill road to forge. No matter what they say, of the people who you talk to about this process, very few understand. Those who do understand, live in a virtual community that exists in the very networks that we are trying to conquer. I have had the privilege of meeting IE’s Brian Dennis and Brian McGahan, but other greats like Scott Morris, Narbik, Ethen Banks, Keith Tokash, and others I have come to admire in this process are and have been “virtual” study partners, even if they haven’t known it. I feel like I especially relate to Keith, since he seems to think like I think. I can be a lonely crusade.

On the other side, people who don’t understand really don’t “get” how great it is when you pass. Some think, it’s just another vendor certification, but let me tell you… it’s far beyond that. You’re not only learning networking, you gain determination, persistence, self-confidence from nothing, tenacity, self-discipline, faith and most of all you learn what you abilities are and how to exceed them.

This is my rant for this week. By this time next week I will know whether I have killed the beast or my practice and training for another battle in the war continues. Thanks you everyone for everyting you’ve done thus far…