From: Chris Riling (criling@gmail.com)
Date: Tue Dec 18 2007 - 16:32:58 ART
Hey Guys,
I've had a few people unicast me here or there regarding what I thought
about each course, so I thought I'd offer this up; since I just finished
both. You can take it with a grain of salt if need be, because I haven't
taken the lab quite yet, so I suppose it will mean more when I actually get
the digits, but here it is for what it's worth...
CCBOOTCAMP - CCIE Executive Program - This was taught by Anthony
Sequeira (who frequents the list as well) and offered online sessions,
evenings and weekends, for people with schedules like mine. It came in handy
for me because I have to work during the day, and I found that it kept me on
track, as far as studies are concerned. I don't have enough self discipline
to cover the entire CCIE blueprint single handedly. The course pretty much
assumed NP knowledge for the most part, but taught most of the CCIE Lab
topics from the ground up. Anthony was good at breaking down anything we
didn't understand. The program was 17 weeks, and I think it helped refresh
my memory on a lot of basics I had forgotten since I passed the written and
hadn't studied much before beginning the course 6 months later. The lectures
were twice a week for several hours per session, coupled with lab work
afterwards on each topic. Anthony was (and continues to be) very good about
making himself available for contact via, phone, email, IM, etc. He was
also very candid / honest with me regarding my situation / readiness / study
techniques etc. Personally, the only big downside in my opinion had nothing
to do with the instruction, or the course itself, but more to do with the
cost. It was pricey for someone in my situation, who is funding the CCIE
personally. I would say If you want to start from the beginning (of your IE
lab studies), and you have a corporate sponsor to ease the pain on the
pocket book, this is a good choice.
Narbik Kocharians / Micronics Training -- I'm sure Narbik needs no
introduction to the list... I attended his 5.5 day boot camp in Pasadena, CA
and I thought it worked wonders for me. Narbik assumes that you've been
studying for a while, so if you go into his course unprepared it may be a
little rough - he throws a lot at you very fast. With that being said, he's
also a great instructor. He will slow down and take time with you personally
to make sure you fully understand anything you have questions on. The
general format of the course was lecture, then workbooks, but he was
available in person for most of the day and until midnight after class.
Narbik is very animated during his lectures, and his laid back structure,
mannerisms, and jokes about his grandmother and her multiple CCIEs will be
sure to keep you laughing even if your brain is fried. Also, Narbik HATES
PowerPoint, so you'll never be bored to death with slides, but he sure knows
his way around the whiteboard as well. Narbik understands these technologies
like no one I've ever met before, and has no qualms about being honest when
assessing a student's readiness for the lab exam. As far as my personal
opinion on his course, it's an extremely good deal... Rarely do people have
the chance to work with someone at Narbik's level and have such a personal
experience, which I think is what sets him apart from the others, not to
mention the fact that he offers the course for dirt cheap. He took a very
personal interest in my situation and I am forever grateful to what he has
done for me - he really cares about his students!
Just my two cents, I haven't used any other vendors, nor do I want to
start a religious war, but I was getting some questions...
Chris
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Tue Jan 01 2008 - 12:04:31 ARST