From: Guyler, Rik (rguyler@shp-dayton.org)
Date: Wed Oct 31 2007 - 16:43:32 ART
Funny story Phillip! Nice ending though. ;-)
Congrats!
Rik
-----Original Message-----
From: nobody@groupstudy.com [mailto:nobody@groupstudy.com] On Behalf Of
Phillip Day
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 11:32 AM
To: ccielab@groupstudy.com
Subject: I don't mean to brag but.......
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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