From: Fahad Khan (fahad.khan@gmail.com)
Date: Wed Sep 24 2008 - 11:31:10 ART
Congrats Bro, Excellent story, really worthwhile...
regards,
On 9/23/08, CCIE3000 <ccie3000@googlemail.com> wrote:
>
> Hi Guys,
>
> Well I've been dreaming of writing this email for quite a while and now I
> can.
>
> I started going for the written in August 2006. Passed that okay and
> thought
> that I'd move on to what I thought would be the easy part as I'm a hands on
> kind of guy.....hhhmmmm, started okay but there were a few bumps on the
> way.
>
> I used the IE labs and thought okay, great I'm ready. Went for my first
> attempt on September 2007. The exam had a kind of IE feel to it and I did
> pretty well, although no cigar. I wasn't quick enough and I didn't get
> enough sleep the night before so my concentration suffered.
>
> Thought okay, good first attempt, get back in there quick. Oh boy what a
> shock, very different exam and at the time I thought mind blowing. I took a
> big kick in the balls on that one and it took me a good two months before I
> could pick up the books.
>
> Although the IE stuff was good, I realised that it wasn't the oracle and
> bought Narbiks work books, lots of stuff I'd covered but also lots of new
> things too. At the end of the day you need all the ammo you can get and I
> picked up some new info.
>
> Went in the 3rd time, well prepared, learnt loads extra, got my speed up
> even more but on the day had real butter fingers. Got stuck on a real silly
> multicast problem right at the beginning of the section which I wasted too
> much time on. My brain started to suffer and I made some silly mistakes,
> plus at the time I was smoking which meant the my concentration was
> suffering through lack of nicotine.
> Score report compared to my mental calculations of the day meant that I was
> about 6-8 points short
> ...damn......damn......damn......damn......damn......damn......damn...
>
> Okay, I'm gonna nail this thing if it's the last thing I do. I must admit I
> only found group study just before my second attempt. I read the stuff but
> never really went majorly deep into all the posts as I was too busy trying
> to learn stuff from my labs. For the forth attempt I read everything and
> labbed everything I thought was of interest. I got my speed up and went
> with
> using alias exec commands. Guys, I can't stress enough how much time you
> can
> save using alias', plus you don't make silly typos like cofn t instead of
> conf t etc...
> Just remember to remove them at the end of the day.
>
> Quit smoking, you just can't smoke like I used to and sit in a room all
> day,
> I had to get the nicotine out of my system.
>
> Had a good exam, not easy by any stretch but yet perversely
> enjoyable...come
> on you dogs..do your worst...I eat these kinds of labs for breakfast. Some
> tricky questions, but yet I kept a cool head and made sure I confirmed and
> checked stuff. That's where I realised my previous mistakes. I'd entered
> commands thought they were good and moved on. Only when I'd got my speed up
> did I have time to check and realise I'd made a couple of really dumb ass
> mistakes which would have cost me the lab.
> Got back home, didn't sleep much, kept checking every hour, at 06:50 I woke
> up my wife and the whole apartment block with my cries of joy.
>
> Since quitting being an Electrician many years ago, I starting off in IT
> operations doing back ups and batch runs, learning how to use things like
> email (hey, trust me, when you are used to working on cold building sites,
> with drills and god knows what whilst trying not to electrocute yourself
> email is a pretty cool thing to suddenly discover :) )
> Anyways, I worked nights, weekends for a few years learning about the IT
> industry and a couple of very cool guys in Networks let me sit with them on
> my days off and I started to learn networks. After a while although
> everyone
> thought I worked in the networks team I spent so much time there I got a
> job
> in the networks department.
>
> Studied for CCNA then CCNP and with experience thought of myself as a
> pretty
> okay engineer. But I always looked at CCIE's and thought, those guys are
> the
> daddies. Although I always fancied going for CCIE I'm more of a learn by
> experience kind of guy and not much of a reader. Anyways, a few years went
> by and I moved to a new county with my wife. I was enjoying myself but I
> was
> up against testking CCNP's and these guys would work for silly crap money.
> I
> came from working for an investment bank earning good money and then
> loosing
> out on jobs in my adopted country because the unemployment is high and
> wages
> were low....this is no good thinks I, I need to earn some proper money. A
> company contacted me, asked me to join them and offered me the chance to go
> for CCIE, I warned the wife and jumped at the chance. Finally, to get to
> the
> top of my industry and move to the bracket were only the worthy get the
> title. This is no digs at CCNP's ( I was one long enough) , just a dig at
> the cheating ones.
>
> Since starting to study, I've got married to a truly amazing woman who I
> couldn't have done it without, bought an apartment and had to say good bye
> to my Dad who passed away after a long illness last August.
>
> The poor old Fella never knew I'd started out on the CCIE path but I hope
> that he would have been proud of my achievement and I dedicate it all to my
> Dad and Wife.
>
> Tips for you guys.
> Don't rely on one work book, get as many views as you can.
> Play with things, make things up, break things and fix them using all the
> non obvious methods. You may be a good engineer but CCIE lab will have
> questions to get you to do things and not allow you to use obvious methods.
> Mock labs, IE are very good although sometimes you wish there was a proctor
> to clarify things, but you then realise how the real lab could be marked.
> Also net master class mock labs, real toughees, but you pick up some good
> things too.
> If you are doing your lab in Brussels, stay at the holiday inn. More
> expensive than the NH, but they have a pool, sauna, steam room etc.....best
> way to de-stress the night before your exam. Man, a Sauna and then a plop
> in
> the freezing cold plunge pool was bliss.
> Plus you can blag it if you say you have business with Cisco, I got a
> preferential rate.
> At the end of the day, it's a long, hard, tough road but the goal makes it
> all worth while. You just have to role with the punches and tame the beast
> and you will get your number.
>
> For my next project I'm now gonna carry on working on my Dad's old motor
> boat and get her ready for some fishing next year after a 16 year rest out
> of the water, she's getting on for 40 years old but she's a tough old girl
> and holds some very fond memories of when my Dad and I used to head out for
> some fishing. I shall be drinking a beer in his honour when I get her back
> to her former glory and back on the water.
>
> Sorry for the long mail but after two years of study you need to get a lot
> of stuff off your chest :)
>
> Good luck to the guys starting out, I shall stick around for a bit longer
> and help out where I can.
>
> Si
> CCIE 22023
>
>
> Blogs and organic groups at http://www.ccie.net
>
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-- Fahad KhanBlogs and organic groups at http://www.ccie.net
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