From: Darby Weaver (darbyweaver@yahoo.com)
Date: Sun Feb 11 2007 - 21:23:26 ART
Josef,
If you saw my personal library, you would know I am a
"book rat". I think I have between $30-50k invested
in it these days, have well over 1000 books and at
least 2000 magazines (the good ones - threw away the
rest).
--- Josef A <josefnet@gmail.com> wrote:
> Well said Darby! ...Now I think you are a book
> rat!!...you almost wrote a
> book :-)
>
> On 2/10/07, Darby Weaver <darbyweaver@yahoo.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > Hmmm...
> >
> > I hate break it to you my friend, but experience
> comes
> > in many flavors.
> >
> > If you are the engineer who only works on a
> production
> > network to "learn things" then you are not only a
> > problem, but a threat to a well run network (some
> > folks do have a mini-netowrk to play on - i know
> many
> > more who do not).
> >
> > I value experience, but being "experienced", I
> also
> > realize that the average Joe only sees probably
> less
> > than 5-10 hours of real network engineering per
> any
> > given week.
> >
> > Now for some rare engineers this may differ, but
> take
> > this into account:
> >
> > 1. Meetings, Meetings, and More Meetings
> > 2. Vacation/Holidays/Sick/Other
> > 3. Other duties as required
> > 4. time spent verifying something is not your
> problem
> > 5. Other Admin Overhead.
> > 6. Research
> > 7. Documentation (and some forget this part
> entirely)
> > 8. Email/Newsgroups etc.
> >
> > So for most folks who claim to have 10 years
> > experience... Let's see?
> >
> > 5hr (per week) x 50 = 250 hours per year x 10 2500
> > hours or so...
> >
> > And in many cases this may be overkill. If not,
> then
> > one probably has a really challenged network
> anyway
> > and may need more training anyway or other
> > consideration i.e. "more experienced engineer".
> >
> > I mean it does not take a rocket scientist to
> > systematically resolve an entire network - if one
> is
> > "experienced".
> >
> > Who will tell me I am wrong?
> >
> > Now if the "experienced" guy has 2500 hours on the
> > equipment over 10 years (We'll give him a few more
> > hours for those big upgrades that might happen
> every 5
> > years or so... Say another 500 hours - say 6 weeks
> per
> > 5 years of intense hands-on time).
> >
> > Now our jock has 3000 hours or so of hands-on
> after 10
> > years.
> >
> > With any luck - that guy has been to at least 2
> 1-week
> > classes per year with at least 40% hands-on per
> class.
> >
> > 20 weeks = 16 hrs x 20 = 320 hours or so...
> >
> > Less than 3500 hours and I promise you this is
> > probably a big overstatement.
> >
> > Now take our lab rats...
> >
> > How many hours do you guys have? Almost anyone
> will
> > agree that a CCIE who has passed will have
> required at
> > least 500-1000 hours of intense 8-hour labs.
> >
> > Never mind the hours spent per technology,
> reading,
> > classes (with expert tutors - usually 1 to 5-8
> > students or less) and researching each topic.
> >
> > Sorry, the typical lab rat will take about 2-3
> years
> > of studying and do so on and off the clock.
> >
> > My thoughts are about 1000-2000 hours labbing,
> > reading, other studies, etc. per year.
> >
> > Hmmm...
> >
> > I think the people who are "experienced" are
> > rightfully scared out of their wits when an
> > "experienced lab rat" comes along...
> >
> > For very good reasons.
> >
> > So what I am saying is that a typically
> experienced
> > person may have a lot of soft-skills gained over a
> > period of years.
> >
> > A lab rat, will typically be a more hardened by
> the
> > fire type of person with a lot of actual
> experience
> > trying each feature till exhaustion.
> >
> > So, the end result being that the lab rat, if one
> > truly is a lab rat, will probably be more
> experienced
> > than many "experienced" people in the field with
> more
> > years of experience.
> >
> > But hey, in the end I can only speak of myself.
> >
> > I know I am what some may call an "experienced"
> > admin/engineer etc.
> >
> > However, I know where my strengths are and I even
> work
> > on several 10,000+ user networks and have run
> networks
> > as large as 50,000 users being the lead guy.
> >
> > And I can tell you now, my own home lab, book
> library,
> > and electronic resources are what has helped me
> stand
> > above the crowd time after time, year after year
> and
> > will probably do so for years to come.
> >
> > Even when I do not get as much time to work out
> every
> > single detail.
> >
> > I've known quite a few guys who were born and bred
> on
> > this list and have come from this group.
> >
> > Some starting off very modestly and some with
> varied
> > backgrounds.
> >
> > These people earned their wings.
> >
> > Now considering that many people consider the CCIE
> Lab
> > a very stressful event in their lives, I would
> liken
> > the event to raising one's heart rate very similar
> to
> > a severe network outage or work-related emergency
> > requiring a lot of skill, expertise and cool
> nerves.
> >
> > Now, I have been to the lab, have taken at least
> 12
> > practice "Mock" Labs as well, I can assure my
> heart
> > was beating at least as fast as several
> > network/systems emergencies that I have
> successfully
> > dealt with over the years:
> >
> > 1. Data Recovery of failed Raid (a few of these
> over
> > the years - hd or controller).
> >
> > 2. That time I slipped and wiped out a DNS Server
> and
> > had to bring it back - yep - lived and learned.
> >
> > 3. All those times when something
> "mission-critical"
> > had to be done and done now.
> >
> > 4. When the Core Switch dropped a blade on the 4th
> of
> > July weekend - 30,000+ people at the gates.
> >
> > 5. The list goes on and on...
>
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