From: Scott Morris (swm@emanon.com)
Date: Tue Nov 21 2006 - 00:40:16 ART
There are so many different answers to all of those questions and so many
different paths to follow! Hopefully, all will lead you to the same place
in the end, but the question you pose is about the value of the journey on
the way there!
Part of that, however, involves you answering a few questions! (Don't take
this wrong!)
1. How much work/experience do you have into CCIE studies to this point?
2. What is your plan prior to taking a bootcamp?
3. Have you sat down and thought about a time schedule. Rack time, lab
access, bootcamp, self-study, mock labs, etc.
Each of the major vendors has offerings in these areas and oftentimes we all
have slightly different methods of getting from point A to point B. Which
one suits you best truly does depend on you, what your experiences ("thought
process" for lack of better phrase) have been and what things make sense to
you.
Unfortunately (or fortunately?) there is no "bake-off" of bootcamps or rack
access vendors. There's no clear winner, only what suits your particular
needs and makes the most sense to you and/or your company.
Nobody can take you from zero to CCIE in a short period of time. If they
try to, they are doing both the community and you a large disservice. There
are many "finesse" points along the journey where suddenly light bulbs go on
and things make sense. This is the stuff that will last forever (instead of
just until the end of the exam)!!! Look at the vendors. Compare what
things make sense to you and your situation.
Look at the people behind the vendors (the instructors/developers) and see
what things make sense. Build yourself a list of specific questions and
don't be afraid to ask any vendor something about "why do you do things this
way when 'x' company does it differently?"
While recommendations from other people are always a good thing, it should
be viewed as a starting point. Because chances are, any of the people, no
matter what vendor they have enjoyed and stand behind... Their own
experiences, journey along the way and personal thought process may very
well be different than your own. (That's neither a good nor bad thing, just
different!)
So... Not to avoid your questions here, but it would be inappropriate for
me to answer them directly since I am one of the vendors. However, I would
encourage you to view this as simply a starting point, then get details as
to which lab workbook and/or bootcamp or teaching strategy or whatever stuff
SPECIFICALLY meets your needs and desires rather than rely on other unknown
people's opinions on things (including my own!)...
And if you choose Ipexpert, I will look forward to having you as a customer
and seeing you in class. If you choose another vendor, I'll still be around
to help on this forum as many other people will and still wish you the best
in your journey towards CCIE!
HTH,
Scott Morris, CCIE4 (R&S/ISP-Dial/Security/Service Provider) #4713, JNCIE
#153, CISSP, et al.
CCSI/JNCI-M/JNCI-J
IPExpert VP - Curriculum Development
IPExpert Sr. Technical Instructor
smorris@ipexpert.com
http://www.ipexpert.com
PS. As for rack vendor stuff, keep in mind the scheduling may be part of
your decision too. Smaller rack vendors often have excellent prices and
service, but if too many people are interested in the timeframe you want,
that doesn't help you much!
-----Original Message-----
From: nobody@groupstudy.com [mailto:nobody@groupstudy.com] On Behalf Of ccie
girl
Sent: Monday, November 20, 2006 10:11 PM
To: ccielab@groupstudy.com
Subject: R&S Lab Preparation Plan
So, today I scheduled my lab exam for end of March, 07 in San Jose,
California.
Now I need a plan to be prepared to get through the lab.
1. CCIE R&S BOOTCAMP
=====================
- Which bootcamp offers the best training - value for money ?
- What differentiates an average bootcamp from an extraordinary ?
- Any referrals from your good or bad experience ?
2. LAB RACK RENTALS
=====================
I'd like to avoid furnishing a lab at home if possible.
- What has your experience been with online rack rentals ?
- In one of the earlier posts, someone mentions rack time for 800 hours at
$4/hr ($3200). Which rental place is that ?
- Any referrals from your good or bad experience ?
Any other suggestions to best prepare will also be welcome.
Thanks in advance,
Sonia ~
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