From: Darby Weaver (ccie.weaver@gmail.com)
Date: Sun Nov 23 2008 - 16:54:28 ARST
Adam,
I'm sorry I did not mean to imply that a person could simply pick up a few
books, grab a copy of dynamips, find a copy of the suitable IOS, and work a
few labs till they stuck, go and pass the lab and suddenly earn
super-salaries.
That is not quite the way it works. Not at all actually.
I just posted some of the emails sent to me from recuiters lately. Now at
the moment, I'm happily employed. However, my inbox gets inundated. So
much that I had to reduce my own resume to just skills-sets that reflect
what I am truly intrerested in today verus what I've done over my career.
- Note: In almost all cases most people want a CCIE with 7-10+ years of
experience in complex network environments and those that tend to pay the
best actually want someone in their own vertical market. Yep. That's how
the cookie crumbles.
So I do not advocate going out buying Narbik's Workbook or another of the
vendors super products and doing them till you are blue with a fresly
installed copy of Dynamips and then expecting to just waltz in, pass the
lab, and then become gainfully employed at $100k-300k ranges.
It never seems to happen that way. Not in my experience.
Instead it takes years of hard work, building massive social networks, and
industry-networks, and basically putting in the hard time actually doing the
job learning from the school of hard knocks. You gotta get in, make
mistakes, learn methodologies, get used to presenting ideas and concepts to
people who don't want to give you money or simply cannot, and work with
people who have other preferences and win them over.... Lots of ways to get
experience. Lots. Unfortunately there is no "Magic Bullet".
A fresh college graduate who is bright and focused and able to attain a CCIE
Certification is going to have a lot of advantages, but don't expect that
the same prodigy is going to start being the trusted advisor of a 25-year or
more Network Manager with little or no certifications how to run the
network.
It usually does not work that way.
Not sure why exactly, but I'm pretty sure that's not how it happens. And by
now, I've worked with, done work for, or actually work/contracted/consulted
for a lot of companies... IBM, HP, GE, NBC/Universal Studios, General Mills,
Smith Nephew Richards, City of Orlando, Sungard, tons of colleges, tons of
pharmacies and clinics, lots of manufacturing companies, etc. Just way too
many to name.... Financial companies, etc.
So I've worked with or for a ton of places on their network in one capacity
or another a lot of companies, I've negotiated with even more of them and I
can tell you that most want and value solid experience and credentials the
most.
Certs and classes are nice. But it comes down to "did you do the job and
how well you did the job not to mention how long you did the job".
The saddest thing about certifications is that do not buy you years of
experience.
I can argue for the merits of certification programs as long as I can make
my case here. I do not mean to be deceptive. I had just got off the phone
about the Dubai/300k thing. A snapshot in time.
I know it looks bleak if we are unemployed and looking for employment.
However, we still need to be selective with regard to our employment
efforts. Otherwise... we all feel the bullet as an industry.
One guy works for 100k, the next guy works for 95k, the HR staff hear times
are tough adn they haggle for 80k but find a down and out guy for 50k...
see how things degrade.
And what is worse is although there are 20,000 or so CCIE's in history...
Lots of CCIE's drop out of the game entirely and may or may not keep the
credentials.
How many are trainers? How many run gas stations (I kid you not - I ran
into two in one day... at the same station in Orlando)? How many are
simply not in the market?
You see a CCIE hold the aces, but has to have the rest of the toppings to
make that perfect slice of PIZZA.
Quote:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now I feel a bit hopeless in getting a decent job in dubai coz of two major
factors:
- the global financial crisis where most multination companies r having
hiring freeze.
- ZERO years of experience :D
ive started sending my cv everywhere the whole last month and I didn't get a
reply from any company till the writing of this email wish me a good luck!
Adam
CCIE#22416
On Sun, Nov 23, 2008 at 10:09 AM, Adam Elghafri <ccie.adam@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Seriously though the salary rates are pretty nice in the Middle East right
> now and they are "S-T-A-R-V-I-N-G" for CCIE's.
>
> easy derby... i am an english/arabic speaking CCIE looking for a job in
> dubai a month ago with no SINGLE company replied to me !!!!
>
> i am S-T-A-R-V-I-N-G for a reply from any company :D
>
>
>
> On 11/19/08, Darby Weaver <ccie.weaver@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Seriously though the salary rates are pretty nice in the Middle East right
>> now and they are "S-T-A-R-V-I-N-G" for CCIE's.
>>
>> Particularly for those who can obtain a security clearance.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Nov 18, 2008 at 4:27 PM, Muhammad Nasim <muhammad.nasim@gmail.com
>> >wrote:
>>
>>
>> > Please NO need to come here we are fine here in Middle East : )
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > 2008/11/19 Darby Weaver <ccie.weaver@gmail.com>
>> >
>> > Just got a call...
>> >>
>> >> CCIE's are doing about $300,000.00 US in Dubai.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> On Tue, Nov 18, 2008 at 5:59 AM, Shawn Zandi <szmetal@gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> > lol
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > --
>> >> > Sincerely,
>> >> > Shawn Zandi
>> >> > Routing, Switching & Security Consultant - CCIE
>> >> > web: http://www.shafagh.com
>> >> > email: shafagh@shafagh.com
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > Gary Duncanson to *Joseph*, Cisco
>> >> > 8:53 PM (18 hours ago)
>> >> > I have seen 50K in GBP. At today's exchange rate I think that's 75000
>> >> > dollars.
>> >> >
>> >> > Cool.
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > Blogs and organic groups at http://www.ccie.net
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> _______________________________________________________________________
>> >> > Subscription information may be found at:
>> >> > http://www.groupstudy.com/list/CCIELab.html
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Blogs and organic groups at http://www.ccie.net
>> >>
>> >> _______________________________________________________________________
>> >> Subscription information may be found at:
>> >> http://www.groupstudy.com/list/CCIELab.html
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > Muhammad Nasim
>> > Network Engineer
>> > Saudi Arabia
>>
>>
>> Blogs and organic groups at http://www.ccie.net
>>
>> _______________________________________________________________________
>> Subscription information may be found at:
>> http://www.groupstudy.com/list/CCIELab.html
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Adam
>
> CCIE #22416
Blogs and organic groups at http://www.ccie.net
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