From: Walker, James - Is (JWALKER2@PARTNERS.ORG)
Date: Mon Mar 31 2003 - 17:43:56 GMT-3
Congratulations!!!
I know you will be blowing doors off when you'll be walking into the rooms from
now on.
Is that covered under insurance??? :)
Jim
-----Original Message-----
From: Voss, David [mailto:dvoss@heidrick.com]
Sent: Monday, March 31, 2003 12:02 PM
To: ccielab@groupstudy.com
Subject: CCIE 11372
I passed yesterday in RTP. I finished the lab around 2PM and did fine
tuning until the end.
THANKS TO:
First and foremost let me thank God. There is no way I would have done this
without prayer and faith that this is what God wanted for me.
Next let me thanks CyscoExpert. I won't list all of the names at
CyscoExpert but just a big thanks to the whole team. Their racks and labs
are excellent. When you go, ask questions, make mistakes and let them see
your mistakes. Brian McGahan had the best quote for me after I once
complained about the way Cisco words questions on the lab. He said, "The
wording on the test is not confusing if you understand the technologies."
Bravo.
Regardless of what people may tell you, YOU have to make the final turn to
being 100% ready. No training class or teacher is going to get you to 100%
ready. It takes a lot of nights on your lab and a lot .. lot.. lot of
reading. Don't kid yourself about this. YOU make the final climb up Mt.
Everest alone.
Groupstudy! Great input on this group but specifically from Brian Dennis
and Brian McGahan. These guys are amazing teachers "via text". Just do a
search for the Brian's in the archives and you have plenty of reading
material.
NetMasterClass CheckIt Lab. I took it 5 days before my exam. WAKE UP CALL.
I didn't score high on this lab because I wasn't reading closely enough. A
great reminder for me just before my lab date. READ, DAVID, READ CLOSELY.
MY PATH:
I always wanted CCIE since 1997 when I first met a guy who walked in the
room and blew the room away with his quiet confidence. Most CCIE's I have
met since then have a confidence with the technology and that is what I
wanted for myself. I took the long route. CCNA, CCNP, CCDA, CCDP, then
finally CCIE written in November of 2001.
I began CCIE lab studies in May of 2002 using 7 2500 series routers. The
books you all know but specifically, I want to point out BGP by Halabi.
This is the best technical book I've ever read. By July I knew that I
couldn't do this alone. I then called CyscoExpert in my backyard. They
were honest with me. It was humbling. This was the most important step in
my journey, admitting that I was not nearly as close as I thought I was. My
study time went from 10 hours per week to 30 at this point. I live in
downtown Chicago so there were many nights spent reading while taking the
train and then the bus for the 1.5 hour trip to CyscoExpert 3 nights a week
plus weekends. It was worth the ride.
The final month I spent on my own ATTACKING any small piece that made me
feel uneasy when looking at it. Be HONEST with yourself. When you look at
the word ISIS Authentication, do you know it like a brother or does it feel
like a distant cousin?
ATTITUDE:
Don't feel that NOT passing is okay. It's just like sports, you play to
win.
FINALLY:
A certification is only as valuable as the people who represent it. CCIE
was made a great certification by the people who represented it and paved
the way for us. It's our turn to continue that tradition.
David Voss, CCIE 11372
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Sat Apr 05 2003 - 08:51:47 GMT-3