From: Joseph D. Phillips (josephdphillips@fastmail.us)
Date: Thu Jul 29 2004 - 14:56:40 GMT-3
Oh, NOW you tell me. Gee thanks. :)
Anyway, congratulations, Ms. Hilton!
----- Original message -----
From: "Gerry Hilton" <gerry.hilton@rogers.com>
To: ccielab@groupstudy.com
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 12:42:04 -0400
Subject: #13710
Hi. I'm finally writing that email....passed my CCIE on Tuesday in RTP
and now I'm #13710. This is a personal
best for me as it's been a journey with many obstacles. I didn't start
working on the lab portion until pregnant with
my second child (born last August) so study time has been limited and
fragmented and I have been massively sleep-deprived.
I took 6 months off from studying after he was born so that didn't help
either. But it has all worked out now and there's
nothing like seeing that number for the first time!
I'd really like to thank my husband (CCIE 11928) for his help and
support. He's used up most of his vacation and
all of his free time to look after the kids after his workday so that I
could study at night. Studying in a "zoo-like" atmosphere with
constant interruptions actually helped in the lab - it was strangely
peaceful!
This mailing list has been invaluable for its technical information and
inspirational emails from people who have passed.
It was really comforting to know there were other people out there
working toward the same thing.
Special thanks to the two Brians, Scott and Howard for their knowledge
and wacky humour.
The Internetwork Expert labs were the only ones that I used. They were
really great for working on the wording
of the exams and determining how to apply one's knowledge. I only got
them in March and wished I had them earlier.
I got the on-line subscription for 6 months and the price was
fantastic. I cannot recommend them enough. I couldn't
go to any boot camps or anything but I am sure that they would help too.
I have a home lab which is what I would recommend for anyone who doesn't
have blocks of time to study. You can
jump on at any time that you have a minute. You can fall asleep at
midnight at your computer and not worry that
you're wasting rack time!
I read most of the books we all read but as a tactile learner (re:
Howard's email on learning styles) I really had to do
the labs, turn on debugs, etc.. Again, the Internetwork Expert lab
solution guide really helped me to apply the
theoretical knowledge.
The proctors in RTP were fantastic and their good humour and attitude
really helped on the day.
My advice
- find the best study materials early on
- try to find good quality study time (difficult for many).
- attempt the lab to see what it's like
- apply good exam-taking skills on the day (good night's sleep, time
management, keeping calm, etc.)
- do the whole process before having children!!!!
If you keep on studying, reading this list, and using good lab
materials, you WILL get your number and then you
will realize that it is all worth it!
Thanks for all the posts - they really helped!
Gerry Hilton
CCIE #13710
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