From: alsontra@hotmail.com
Date: Fri Feb 27 2004 - 17:30:30 GMT-3
The CCIE certification is a function of time and effort and you've obviously
given up quite a bit of both. Congratulation!
Alsontra
----- Original Message -----
From: "Reyero, Mark G (EM, ITS)" <Mark.Reyero@ge.com>
To: <ccielab@groupstudy.com>
Sent: Friday, February 27, 2004 9:40 AM
Subject: CCIE #12932
> After four previous failed attempts, I am happy to report that I passed my
> CCIE lab yesterday in RTP! Here's an overview of my experiences and
> processes.
>
> Pre-CCIE:
> I obtained my CCNA in August 2000, CCDA in January 2001, CCNP in March
2001,
> and CCDP in April 2001. I added a couple of CQS certification in 2002,
2003,
> and earlier this year (IP Telephony & Wireless). I passed the R&S written
in
> July 2001.
>
> Attempt #1, May 2002:
> Back in the day when there as a six month wait-list, I took my first
attempt
> in May 2002. Looking back, I was woefully unprepared. While I scored
somewhat
> well, I knew that I was not where a CCIE candidate should be in terms of
> understanding fundamental technologies.
>
> Attempt #2, February 2003:
> I took this attempt the day after the big blizzard on the East Coast.
> Determined to not miss my lab date, I dug my jeep out of two feet of snow
and
> drove from Annapolis, MD, to RTP, NC. Normally a five-hour drive, it took
me
> ten hours due to the weather conditions (it was still snowing). Needless
to
> say, by the time I arrived in North Carolina at 1 AM, I was frazzled and
> mentally in no shape to take the lab a few hours later. I actually scored
> worse on this attempt than my first attempt. Afterward, I reassessed my
study
> plan, created a new one in MS Project, and started from "scratch" by
> revisiting everything, beginning with the Cisco ICND course book.
>
> Attempt #3, September 2003:
> This time I felt I was really prepared. By lunchtime, I had a good bit of
the
> lab finished and was cruising. But, then, I got tripped up and spent
almost
> two hours focusing on a small problem, instead of leaving it and moving on
to
> the "low-hanging fruit". Lesson learned: do not spend too much time on
> relatively minor tasks and instead take care of the "gimmes".
>
> Attempt #4, January 2004:
> Again, I felt very confident going in. This time I was stumped on a
> fundamental Layer 2 issue at the very onset, which required completion in
> order to move on. By the time I got the problem working, it cost me a
valuable
> amount of time. I failed to complete the entire lab due to poor time
> management.
>
> Attempt #5, February 26, 2004:
> This time, I had very little preparation and study. During the month of
> January and February, I spent most of my time either traveling for
business or
> at a customer site installing CallManager and Unity. I had only three days
of
> study during the week of February 16 - 20. Mind you, I am also taking two
> graduate classes as I look to wrap up my MS at the University of Maryland,
> University College this semester. Initially, I started slow. However, by
> lunch, I started feeling confident. I finished about 15 minutes before the
end
> of the day. I choose to skip two minor tasks, rather than risk attempting
them
> and screwing everything up. Thankfully, the strategy worked.
>
> Lessons/study plan:
> * As I mentioned earlier, after I failed the second time, I completely
> revisited and revised my study plan. Even though I was already and
> CCNA/CCDA/CCNP/CCDP, I decided I would re-read all the Cisco Press Books
> related to those certs.
> * I also read the standards: Doyle Vols. I & II, Solie Vols. I & II,
Halabi,
> and many of the CCIE Fundamentals series books, etc...
> * I especially liked Solie Vol. II. After reading it, I really had a firm
> understanding of BGP and I thought the labs at the end of the book were
very
> good, despite the occasional typo.
> * I also used the older CCBootcamp Labs (v.2), customizing them a bit; for
> example, whenever I was tasked with IGRP, I used ISIS.
> * Since I work for a Gold Partner, I had access to the Cisco ASET Labs.
> * The Cisco TAC pages have some valuable resources and examples.
> * And course, building the home lab was paramount. The thousands of
dollars I
> spent on ten routers, a switch, and an ISDN simulator was extremely
> beneficial.
> * Time management! Do not really on the proctors to give you a 15 minute
> warning. Keep an eye on the clock and give yourself a few minutes at the
end
> of the day to review everything.
> * Group Study: I've been a passive member for the most part. In fact, I
route
> the messages automatically to my trash bin. But, the archive is invaluable
> when you want to research a scenario or problem.
>
> What next? I will finish my grad degree in May. I am looking to become
> certified in Six Sigma by GE this year, and perhaps CCIE Voice in 2005?
>
> Finally, special thanks to my new wife! The past few months have been
hectic;
> I recently got married, ran the NYC Marathon, and continued study for the
CCIE
> and grad school, not to mentioned work commitments. Jessica put up with my
> late nights of studying for both the CCIE and grad school. Her patience
(and
> any spouse's patience for that matter) should be commended! I also should
> thank my employer, GE IT Solutions, and my manager, Bruce Simms, for
> supporting my efforts throughout this long process.
>
> Phew! Time for a beer....
>
> ___________________________________
> Mark G. Reyero, CCIE #12932, CQS - IP Telephony & Wireless
> Internetworking Solutions Architect
> GE IT Solutions
> P: 866-836-4044 C: 443-956-6076 E: mark.reyero@ge.com
>
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