From: Edwards, Andrew M (andrew.m.edwards@boeing.com)
Date: Tue Nov 08 2005 - 17:56:43 GMT-3
Thanks guys!
Actually, I opened a retail wine and beer store with my wife last year
while studying as well.... The store was her dream, the CCIE was mine!
What can I say, I'm a glutton for punishment!
Andy
-----Original Message-----
From: simon hart [mailto:simon@harttel.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 08, 2005 12:52 PM
To: Edwards, Andrew M; ccielab@groupstudy.com
Subject: RE: It is possible!
Andy,
A hearty congratulations to you. Now get on with parenthood, it is far
more rewarding :)
Simon
-----Original Message-----
From: nobody@groupstudy.com [mailto:nobody@groupstudy.com]On Behalf Of
Edwards, Andrew M
Sent: 08 November 2005 18:13
To: ccielab@groupstudy.com
Subject: It is possible!
All I can say is...
God answered my prayers. I passed in SJ yesterday.
Yes, there is more to it than that, but I must give credit where credit
is due. A good combination of experience, effort, knowledge and most
importantly prayer go a long way towards having clarity and success
during the exam.
Now, for those of you new to GS I would like to share my story. One day
I realized it was time to prove to myself I could pass the CCIE R&S
exam. After passing the written on my second attempt I too started to
study for the lab. I quickly found myself without any colleagues to
discuss these crazy issues with at any level of depth required for the
CCIE lab. So, I got on GS and realized how deep things really would go.
Honestly, my first impression was that these GS people were crazy for
arguing about Tc shaping intervals and how many bits burst in excess;
absolute timers versus idle timers for lock n key, and all that other
nitty gritty nerd knob stuff. Initially I thought people on GS that
talked about these things in such detail really needed a life.
Little did I know that I would soon be joining them...
And so the story goes, I started to post on GS and discover exactly what
I didn't know; or at least what I thought I knew was wrong. And slowly,
over time, the facts got straight as did my technical experience and
exposure. I too started grinding over Tc intervals, burst patterns,
NBAR protocol matching, timer adjustments, etc. And then, one day I
realized I was one of those people who needed a life. 8)
Strangely, over the past 2 years, this list has become my second family
full of personalities and people I really look forward to meeting. Its
what I imagine a fraternity would have been like had I joined one. And,
oddly enough, I feel like I just got through with a self inflicted
hazing that I'll never forget.
So now, after having spend the better part of 2.5 years and 5 lab
attempts I have proven to myself the following:
1. The CCIE R&S exam is passable
2. Knowledge is required, but sometimes its not enough during the exam.
This is where determination comes in (e.g. try and try again). 3. And
probably most important: Do ONLY what you are asked to do and make sure
things work EXACTLY the way you are asked.
And in closing, I want to thank the Scotts & Brians for pulling away my
knowledge blanket and really getting me to learn something. And Tim
(ccie2be = cciewhois). I remember last year Tim and I would futs over
IPv6 and why most V6 tunnels don't run IGPs and other stuff as we
freaked out about this addition to the lab - oh those unfounded fears!
And Chris Lewis for helping de-mystify QOS. Excellent stuff coming from
Chris on the QoS front people! Not necessarily new material, but
sometimes hearing it the 8th time a different way makes things sink
in...
I would also like to thank the proctors Tom and Tuong in SJ. Thanks for
your guidance and patience for people like me who make this exam much
harder than it was probably meant to be. And, Tom, I do hope I see you
again but this time I'll guy you lunch - no voucher required. 8)
And finally, the guys I really want to thank are Marvin, Brad, and Bill
Lejewski at www.ccbootcamp.com. Yes, Bill (shows how dated I am). These
guys have really watched me struggle. They knew I had knowledge, but
just failed to convert during the actual exam. They were always there
to help with anything I needed and they never gave up on me. Thanks
guys. And now I'll take that beer Brad!
So, I'm sure you will all agree, its time to get reacquainted with my
estranged friends, family, and ever patient wife. She's 6 months
pregnant and I've got a lot of painting and baby-proofing to do. 8)
Thanks again GS! I hope to see you guys soon!
Andy Edwards
CCIE #15334
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