From: Sam Meftahi (SAF@sonofon.dk)
Date: Mon Mar 01 2004 - 03:55:22 GMT-3
Well done mate, very inspiring ! I am doing more or less the same thing ie
back to basics and hopefully it will work for me as well !
Sam
-----Original Message-----
From: Reyero, Mark G (EM, ITS) [mailto:Mark.Reyero@ge.com]
Sent: 27. February 2004 18:40
To: ccielab@groupstudy.com
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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