I identified Joe as a nice guy when we spoke on the phone about two months
back to arrange a study plan to get him his CCIE.
When he took my advice and came to the boot camp fully prepared, I suggested
to Wayne Lawson, our CEO that we consider him for the role should he pass
his exam on Monday. He was offered it last Friday after I assured Wayne he'd
pass first go: there was a reason I stayed on the call with him when he got
his number, as I was as nervous as he was...
Yes, he'll get access to all our materials for free, but I figure that being
able to follow advice and pass on the first go earned him that right. All of
our staff need to have full access to our materials, in order to do their
jobs: becoming the most broadly qualified and expert individuals in the
world so that they can support every other CCIE by educating and empowering
them to excel in their valuable contribution in the field, as network
architects, network engineers, network managers or whatever they choose to
apply themselves to.
If you or anyone else would like to become a support engineer, send me an
email. I cannot guarantee anything, but if you can do what Joe did I'll
happily suggest you. The only caveat is that the rest of the networking
industry needs to acknowledge and respect Wayne's goal for IPexpert to be
established as the singular location for shared collective knowledge, an
academy of minds where we only hire those with a desire to excel and to
educate, but will enlighten anyone who asks and pays a fair, but low cost
for that information: less than the cost of one failed lab attempt in the
case of the Blended Learning Solution, the updates for which in the R&S
track I have almost completed and will be available late next week as
described in our newsletter.
I'm tired of competition for knowledge when it should be shared. If any
other instructor from any other company would like to come on board here at
IPexpert and shares my goals, please contact Wayne and if he thinks you'd
make a good fit into our team I'd love to work with you.
Cheers,
Jared Scrivener CCIE3 #16983 (R&S, Security, SP), CISSP
Sr. Technical Instructor - IPexpert, Inc.
Telephone: +1.810.326.1444
Fax: +1.810.454.0130
Mailto: jscrivener_at_ipexpert.com
-----Original Message-----
From: nobody_at_groupstudy.com [mailto:nobody_at_groupstudy.com] On Behalf Of CCIE
2008
Sent: Thursday, 14 May 2009 6:08 AM
To: Josh Covarrubias; Cisco certification
Subject: Re: Introducing CCIE #24347!!!
*Congrats Joe, Good job .*
**
*By the way congart. for joining the ipexpert team as well :))*
**
*did you join after this post , or you were one of the team already before
passing the lab so you get all Boot camps and materials from Ipexpert for
free :))*
**
*Regards*
On 5/14/09, Josh Covarrubias <shmokin_at_gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Congrats Joe, well done... excellent read too!
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> Josh
> CCIE# 22963
>
> On Tue, May 12, 2009 at 9:46 PM, Pavel Bykov <slidersv_at_gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Congrats Joe!
> >
> > On Tue, May 12, 2009 at 7:42 AM, Joe Astorino <joe_astorino_at_comcast.net
> > >wrote:
> >
> > > Yes, it's official!!!! After a grueling 9 hour wait, most of which was
> in
> > > my
> > > hotel room here in Raleigh, I just got my score report, and I am
> > officially
> > > CCIE #24347!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! The greatest 5 #'s I have ever
> heard!
> > > Keep
> > > in mind, that I am 5.5 beers in at this point as I decided around
10:30
> > > that
> > > no matter what I was having a 6 pack for my troubles hehe. So what can
> I
> > > say?
> > > I guess I will give you my experience today and a little bit about my
> > > preparation.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I flew into Raleigh Sunday afternoon, and stayed at the Wingate. The
> > > Wingate
> > > came highly recommended by the many that have gone before me, and they
> > were
> > > right on. I can't recommend it enough. They picked me up at the
> airport,
> > > and
> > > took me right to the hotel. When I inquired about where I could walk
to
> > > pick
> > > up some redbull for the lab the next day, they DROVE ME to the nearest
> > gas
> > > station like it was just normal. I guess that is the southern
> > love...being
> > > from Detroit, I'm not used to that sort of thing hehe. When I was
> picked
> > up
> > > at
> > > the airport I was told I was the 3rd CCIE candidate being picked up
> that
> > > day...they knew exactly what I was there for, and exactly what to do.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > The lab started at 7:15, and I was told the shuttle from the hotel to
> > Cisco
> > > would leave about 6:30, giving us plenty of time. I woke up at 6:00
AM,
> > > threw
> > > on my jeans and T-shirt (opted against the sweatpants!!!), grabbed my
3
> > > large
> > > size redbulls from the fridge and headed down to the hotel breakfast
> > area.
> > > I
> > > was too nervous to eat a thing. I chatted up the other 2 candidates
> > staying
> > > there and passively sipped a cup of coffee. The other 2 guys were
doing
> > > voice,
> > > so there wasn't really much to talk about. The shuttle drove us over
to
> > > Cisco
> > > and we were there by 6:45...in total there were about 6 of us waiting
> > > outside...it was the most awkward thing EVER....after some brief
> > > introductions
> > > by a few of us, it was DEAD SILENCE for 30 minutes as we stood outside
> > and
> > > waited for the proctor to show up. Our proctor pulled in about 7:10,
> and
> > > took
> > > us into the lobby where we were ID'd and given our temp stickers and
> rack
> > > numbers. The proctor gave us all the regular instructions and told us
> > > basically where the bathrooms and drinks were, and gave us the general
> > > rules
> > > of the lab (get rid of any macros at the end of the day, save your
> > configs
> > > often, etc...).
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I sat down at my pod and started in on the OEQ ... the first one threw
> > > me....it seemed very simple. All I can say without breaking NDA is
that
> > it
> > > was
> > > some command output and a diagram, and I couldn't place the answer...
I
> > > gave
> > > it my best shot and moved on. The other 3 questions were no problem at
> > all,
> > > although later in the day I feared I might have messed up the wording
> of
> > > one
> > > of them....all in all it took me about 5 minutes. Guys, after reading
> all
> > > the
> > > posts and fear regarding this I have to say, IF you have studied
> > properly,
> > > there is nothing to fear!!!
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I moved on to the lab just like I would any other mock lab I've been
> > doing
> > > for
> > > 10 months....followed the method Jared Scrivener gave us at IPexpert
> > > bootcamp,
> > > which was AWESOME. Yes, I read the entire lab first, which was a good
> > > thing,
> > > because there were things towards the end that definitely effected how
> I
> > > did
> > > other tasks. I made a list of tasks, point values, and notes for every
> > > task. I
> > > redrew the diagram...I made 1 diagram with all my L3 and IGP
> information.
> > > The
> > > BGP diagram they provided was sufficient enough for me, and I didn't
> feel
> > > the
> > > need for a seperate switching diagram. Having initially read through
> the
> > > lab,
> > > I felt pretty good. There were only 2 things I had not done
before...it
> > was
> > > just a matter of implementing all the things I had learned and
> practiced
> > > time
> > > and time again, and making sure to pay special attention to detail.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I was not going for speed...I knew one of my weakest areas was not
> paying
> > > attention to detail enough, so I took my sweet time. I knew I had good
> > > speed
> > > coming in and I'd likely have plently of time.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Just as the proctor called lunch (11:15) I was starting in on
multicast
> > and
> > > had full IP reachability, so was feeling pretty good. My personal
> > > experience
> > > on the point system was that all my points added up to 80. At lunch
> time
> > I
> > > had
> > > 42 points and was feeling pretty damn good. Lunch was basically
> > > silent....they
> > > had a pretty decent tasting chicken contraption with soda, water, and
> > > salad.
> > > It was pretty good. I was actually so juiced up on redbull and coffee
> > that
> > > it
> > > didn't really matter, as long as it was food : ) We had to wait
through
> > the
> > > whole lunch time that was allotted to us. Actually, the proctor let us
> > > start
> > > working 5 minutes earlier, noting to everyone that we would lose 5
> > minutes
> > > at
> > > the end, which I found fair. I approached the proctor more than
anybody
> > > else
> > > in the lab...probably about 4 times. Guys, you are paying $1400 for
his
> > > time,
> > > do not be ashamed!!! Most of my questions were just verification of
> > things
> > > to
> > > be 110% sure of what they were asking!
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Later in the day I felt a bit less confident, as I hit my weaker areas
> > > (QoS,
> > > Multicast)... I felt 75% sure on about 75% of these tasks....maybe 85%
> > > sure...like you know you are right or very close to right, but the
kind
> > of
> > > thing where you want to look at the solutions guide to double check
> > > yourself.
> > > No solutions guide today gentlemen : ) I completed all the tasks by
> about
> > > 2:00
> > > and started verification, which was SOOOOO important to my success I
> > can't
> > > even explain! I went through task by task and did the appropriate show
> > > commands to prove I had done it right. What I found was suprising. It
> is
> > a
> > > little unnerving to have already marked down points and with 90
minutes
> > to
> > > go
> > > find you have one section broken completely, and a routing loop
> somewhere
> > > else
> > > , as well as about 3 other stupid minor mistakes. Had it not been for
> > > verification I don't know if I would have made it out OK. I wasn't in
> it
> > > for
> > > speed...I stayed until they called time verifying and reverifying with
> my
> > > trusty TCL scripts. At 3:28 the proctor told us we had 2 minutes left
> and
> > > to
> > > save our configs, remove any macros and TCL scripts (which I don't get
> > > because
> > > TCL scripts are not saved), return all the devices to priv exec mode
> and
> > > reboot our PCs. I found it a bit alarming that they didn't say
> something
> > > like
> > > "OK you have 30 minutes left" but just like that BAM , OK you are DONE
> in
> > 2
> > > minutes! Oh well...I got about 75% through re-checking everything.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I counted up about 68/80 points I thought I had for sure....and I had
> > about
> > > 8
> > > points "on the fence" that I just wasn't sure about...so I felt pretty
> > good
> > > walking out. I felt like I probably had a good shot at it.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > The worst part of my entire day was the waiting game...I am staying
the
> > > night
> > > here in Raleigh, and have no car and nothing to do...I coudn't sleep,
I
> > > couldn't eat much...I pain stakingly sat here refreshing my email and
> > > watching
> > > TV for about 4 hours....finally I decided to go take a walk. I walked
> > about
> > > a
> > > half mile to a gas station and bought a 6 pack of beer while listening
> to
> > > the
> > > new Dylan album on my iPod. When I got back I killed some time talking
> to
> > a
> > > friend on the phone....right before he hung up the email came in...I
> > > checked
> > > it live on the phone. I HAD PASSED!!! CCIE #24347! Obviously, I
> couldn't
> > > even
> > > describe how I felt, but it was a great experience to share with a
> > friend!
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Wow this is getting long, so let me tell you a bit about my
> preparation.
> > I
> > > am
> > > a straight forward kind of guy and I am not on here to promote any
> > company
> > > over another, just to tell you my experiences. As far as vendors go, I
> > uses
> > > STRICTLY the workbooks and blended learning solution from IPEXPERT.
> Their
> > > blended learning solution came with all 3 of their workbooks (1
> > technology
> > > focuses, and 2 workbooks of full scale labs), as well as the full
Scott
> > > Morris
> > > Video On Demand / Audio on Demand series (When Scott was still with
> > > IPexpert.)
> > > This was my bread and butter guys. I passed my written at the end of
> > July,
> > > 2008 and immediately started on the material. I read most of the usual
> > > recommended books cover to cover, and really tried to grasp the
> > > concepts...I
> > > went through the entire video on demand, and listened to the audio
> > portion
> > > countless times. In fact, my wife even does here Scott Morris
> > impersonation
> > > now : ) Thats how you know you have a keeper hehe....Anyways, I worked
> > > through
> > > these labs with all my heart and soul for 10 months. I got involved in
> > the
> > > various communities, and I can't say enough about them. Groupstudy
> > > especially...there are so many guys on here that you can learn from,
it
> > is
> > > just awesome!
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Just when I thought I was ready, I booked an IPexpert 5 day instructor
> > led
> > > bootcamp just to touch up my weak areas and hope that it would be
> mostly
> > > review and a confidence builder. I did this 2 weeks before my lab
date,
> > and
> > > it
> > > was well worth it. You can read my review of that that I posted
earlier
> > as
> > > well. Jared Scrivener was our instructor and he was at the top of his
> > > game...just a really great experience for me.
> > >
> > > Going into the lab I felt confident...coming out of the lab I can
> > honestly
> > > say
> > > I was exteremely well prepared.
> > >
> > > And now the obligatory thank you section : )
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Big thanks goes out to -- Scott Morris -- Dude, no matter what shirt
> you
> > > were
> > > wearing you were ALWAYS willing to help me with my issues, and I can't
> > say
> > > enough about how much I appreciate that. Weather it was a question on
a
> > lab
> > > you had authored at previous jobs, or an annoying IOS bug I was
> > struggling
> > > with, you helped me. Even when you had moved on professionally, you
> gave
> > me
> > > honest and productive support. Yes, your voice is forever etched in my
> > > brain
> > > from the VoD and we know you don't pay for therapy!!!
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Huge thanks to Jared Scrivener, Tyson Scott, Mike Down, Sean Orr,
Wayne
> > > Lawson
> > > and the ENTIRE IPexpert team, who have been with me from start to
> finish.
> > > These guys have been just awesome...from Mike and Sean in sales, to
> Tyson
> > > and
> > > Jared with the technical material. It's been a fun and good
experience!
> I
> > > got
> > > what I expected -- world class training, support, and customer
service,
> > and
> > > THAT is hard to find these days! A special thanks personally to Jared
> for
> > > his
> > > excellent teaching methods, and willingness to go the extra mile time
> and
> > > time
> > > again, and for giving his students personal 1-1 support!
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Huge thanks to cciejourney, the guy that runs our blog at
> sunpenguin.net
> > !
> > > Carl, I couldn't have done it without you buddy, and you WILL get your
> > > digits
> > > soon man! We will all still be here pulling for you, and don't forget
> it!
> > > Carl
> > > was nice enough to give me a login here, and a place to dump my
> thoughts.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Group Study and the OSL -- You guys have been my life for the past 10
> > > months...I'd read the threads every day, and hopefully I helped a few
> > > people
> > > along the way. It is so awesome to have a community of people just
like
> > me,
> > > willing to help just because well, we love it and enjoy giving back to
> > the
> > > community. Special thanks to Scott, Narbik, Anthony, Petr, and so many
> > > others
> > > that have chimed in. Bryan B, who achieved his CCIE # just a month or
> so
> > > before me...we were study partners and bounced things off each other
> all
> > > the
> > > time...good times! Thanks to everybody that helped me along directly
or
> > > indirectly weather I mention you by name or not.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Last but certainly not least, my family and friends for their
> unwavering
> > > support over the past 10 months and ESPECIALLY my new beautiful wife
> > Beth.
> > > I
> > > know everybody says this and I know when I read these threads it was
> > > usually
> > > the part I said "yeah right" and moved on but seriously...they have
> given
> > > up
> > > SO much to support me and let me pursue my dream. There were many
times
> I
> > > had
> > > to come home from work, eat dinner, and by 6:00 PM tell my wife
> > goodnight,
> > > I
> > > won't see you until tomorrow after work because I have to study 6:00 -
> > 2:00
> > > tonight, or do a mock lab, or read the docCD or whatever...to my
> friends,
> > > congratulations I am back : ) I have not had time to do many of the
> > things
> > > I
> > > used to like to do lately, and now I am looking forward to hanging out
> > > more.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I guess thats it guys...I know this was long, and thansk for anything
> > that
> > > got
> > > through the whole thing...this whole post is sort of stream of
> > consiousness
> > > at
> > > this point. The CCIE is doable, but like many before me have said, you
> > have
> > > to
> > > seriously want it, and put in the time, effort, and sacrifice to
> achieve
> > > it.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > - Joe Astorino, CCIE #24347
> > >
> > >
> > > "He not busy being born is busy dying" -- Dylan
> > >
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> > >
> > >
> > > Blogs and organic groups at http://www.ccie.net
> > >
> > >
Received on Thu May 14 2009 - 06:26:20 ART
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.2.0 : Mon Jun 01 2009 - 07:04:42 ART