From: Phillip Day (Phillip.Day@telindus.co.uk)
Date: Wed Oct 31 2007 - 12:32:01 ART
Ok I've finally come down from the cloud I was on when I found last night that
I passed the R&S lab on my second attempt in Brussels. Up to now, I've always
thought it to be a bit self-indulgent and gratuitous to post a long life story
about yourself to a group of people that you have mostly never met, but
nonetheless here it is!
I started out in Networking about half way through 2003 after giving up on my
8 year professional boxing career. I had realised that I probably wasn't the
next Tyson, and as such was struggling to pay the bills. Since I didn't have
a relevant C.V. to put out, I gradually over the next few months started to
pad it out by studying and getting Microsoft MCPs whilst working on a
helpdesk. After about six months I landed my MCSE (the old-fashioned way
without brain dumps!) and found that I had got quite used to reading long
technical books, so I did a CCNA and got hooked on Cisco. Over the next 2-3
years and 2-3 job changes I gained my CCNP, CCDP, and CCIP by reading the
Cisco Press books. A colleague from my current job (not naming names Dave
M!) persuaded me that I should get the CCIE Written out of the way, and study
with him for the lab. I did both. I used the Internetwork Expert workbook
after realising that CBT Nuggets probably wasn't going to do the job for me!
Then this summer I went to the NMC Bootcamp which got me practically ready for
the real thing. After working through the NMC 'Doit' Labs which are mostly
cruelly difficult, I felt ready for the real thing.
I went to Brussels in August and failed fairly miserably because of the
pressure of the occasion and also I think I half expected to get it in the
same format as a Checkit lab, which sadly it wasn't! Having dusted off my
pride and got back into lab practices, I booked again for yesterday and went
there expecting it to be less tough. It was, but still I had to work for it.
I was still on the plane home doubting I had passed but the good news came a
few hours later after I got home.
I'd just like to thank the constructive posters on Groupstudy, Val, Bob, Bruce
and Indy at NMC, The two Brians for the IE Class on Demand and finally Dave
Mumford and the Technical Support guys at Telindus UK.
Phill Day CCIE#19190
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