Re: A students’ review of Narbik’s CCIE Boot Cam

Well, I have registered on 5th July, 2010.

On 5/21/10, Raghav Bhargava <raghavbhargava12_at_gmail.com> wrote:
> I would totally agree with all of this.. I attended Narbik's Bootcamp and it
> is the best i would say.
>
> -Raghav
>
> On Fri, May 21, 2010 at 11:24 AM, George Philip <gphilip88_at_gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> A students review of Narbik s CCIE Boot Camp:
>>
>> I recently attended the 5 day CIERS-I + Narbik s 2.0 Boot Camp held in
>> Richardson, TX; this class is part of the Cisco 360 Program. I'll
>> provide some highlights from my experience on the 5 days I spent with
>> Narbik.
>>
>> Initially, I was drawn to Narbik's CCIE Boot camp after having read
>> about his non-conventional way of teaching the CCIE Lab exam topics.
>> By that I mean, Narbik's CCIE Boot camp does not use power point
>> slides, printed materials, or pre-made diagrams. Instead he relies on
>> a whiteboard and hand drawn diagrams to teach and explain concepts.
>> Using whiteboard diagrams in his class, instead of power point slides,
>> set Narbik apart from the other offerings to me. I draw a lot of
>> diagrams when doing labs and was intrigued by a teaching method that
>> used a similar concept. Not a decision maker, but I also found posts
>> that said Narbik has a savant like memory for the CLI. Needless to
>> say, I was a little skeptical anyone could memorize enough of the IOS
>> CLI to teach at a CCIE level.
>>
>> With that said, here is my experience from the boot camp:
>>
>> Day 1: Introduction, Switching and Frame-relay. Narbik s CCIE boot
>> camp classes start at 9AM and goes until at least 9PM. We started out
>> with introductions and then jumped into CCIE level basics on security
>> and QoS for the switching platform. Once the lecture was done, as
>> promised using only the whiteboard and hand drawn diagrams, we looked
>> through the labs and started with switching. After a brief break for
>> lunch, the Frame-relay lectures on configurations and complexities
>> kept the class lively. Narbik gave us the labs pertaining to the
>> frame-relay topics covered after the lecture. Even on day 1, the
>> class was intense with a lot of topics covered in detail.
>>
>> Day 2: OSPF and EIGRP. Narbik covers OSPF and EIGRP with such
>> thoroughness that I ended up with 4 pages of hand written notes and 2
>> pages worth of typed notes. This even though I felt I had a pretty
>> good understand of both of those topics. He covered the usual stuff
>> but then pulled out ninja techniques and demonstrated behaviors
>> within these IGPs I did not expect. During the lectures, he asks the
>> students to setup a basic infrastructure and do debugging to
>> illustrate the concepts even further. Narbik s lectures are very
>> interactive, he asks if you understood what was just explained and if
>> someone brings up a question, he re-explains it until everyone fully
>> grasps the concepts. During his explanations, he will re-draw
>> diagrams or modify existing ones to illustrate points.
>>
>> Day 3: QoS - I went in very unsure of many concepts in this area.
>> Once he started his lectures, it was clear many of the students were
>> in the same situation as I was. There were so many diagrams and notes
>> written on the white board by lunch time, the board was black. We had
>> to enlist the facilities staff to bring in industrial white board
>> cleaner, wet wipes, and a roll of napkins to clean the board. Again
>> my notes were filling page after page. He had to stop after every
>> topic and explain it in at least 3 different ways so everyone
>> understood it. I can now safely say, QoS is not as scary as I made it
>> out to be. I think class went until 10 or 11 on day 3.
>>
>> Day 4: RIP, BGP, MPLS - The grueling pace was starting to take its
>> toll, however, Narbik found a way to make RIP interesting. BGP was
>> covered thoroughly and generated quite a few diagrams and questions.
>> MPLS was a topic almost the entire class had listed as a weak point.
>> Narbik explained MPLS in a way a kindergartener would be able to
>> understand. Then he proceeded to draw out a diagram and explain the
>> process step by step. Again, very through and Narbik's animated way
>> of teaching made complex concepts seem simple.
>>
>> Day 5: Multicast v4/v6, questions, wrap-up - Narbik covers
>> Multicasting from a practical point of view. This made it very easy
>> to see what the different components of Multicasting contribute
>> towards the overall infrastructure. Once this was done, we discussed
>> a few other topics from the previous lectures and wrapped up for the
>> week. From looking around, everyone seemed to be in a daze from
>> information overload.
>>
>> Narbik s boot camp is designed to make the students an expert, not
>> just achieve the number. The lectures are geared towards teaching the
>> concepts and underlying fundamentals on CCIE Lab exam. It will push
>> you closer to passing the lab by enabling you to understand the
>> pitfalls and end-goals for seemingly minute details within the tasks.
>> This method of teaching also made me more confident about resolving
>> any scenario thrown in for the troubleshooting portion of the lab.
>> Each topic is covered in depth highlighting abnormal behaviors,
>> commands used to configure and change behaviors, hidden features and
>> alternative (non-conventional) ways to achieve desired behaviors.
>> Interactions among functions of IOS are covered in depth so the
>> student understands what each one does and why certain features have
>> to be used in tandem or configured through an AS. I ve only listed
>> the high level topics in my review but Narbik covers the full suite of
>> CCIE lab topics throughout the lectures.
>>
>> The most surprising aspect of the class was his style of teaching;
>> this was not covered by any of the previous materials I found before
>> deciding to attend. Narbik style of teaching the CCIE boot camp makes
>> him the most animated and entertaining trainer I have ever met. He
>> incorporates jokes and anecdotes into every one of his lectures. He
>> manages to keep the energy level steady from day 1 to day 5. There
>> were moments where the whole class was laughing so hard we had to take
>> a break. He spends most of the 12 hour class on his feet during
>> lectures and walking around to do real-time explanations during labs.
>> Some concepts I had difficulty grasping through reading and bullet
>> point led explanations related to QoS (Routing and Switching),
>> Security, IGP/EGP and Multicasting were presented with humor and made
>> so rudimentary that I walked away ready to tackle any lab scenario. I
>> plan to re-take the class just for the entertainment value.
>>
>> Throughout the class, Narbik provides his contact information and
>> requests we contact him with any questions during or after the class
>> regardless of time. His philosophy is that the real relationship with
>> the students begins on the last day of the boot camp and continues
>> even after getting the coveted number. Narbik also provided a study
>> plan geared towards passing the CCIE Lab exam. If I can muster the
>> discipline to follow his plan, my number is not far away.
>>
>> Narbik s CCIE boot camp is not for the faint of heart. You MUST know
>> the basics at a CCNP or higher level before attending. His classes
>> are not designed for those who have a passing interest in the CCIE.
>> It is designed for the seriously committed and will stretch your
>> knowledge of the Cisco IOS and routing/switching concepts; it may even
>> humble your understanding of the IOS and CCIE topics. You WILL learn
>> something new about every Cisco CCIE Lab Blueprint topic!
>>
>> After attending this class, I can confirm Narbik teaches only using
>> the whiteboard and hand drawn diagrams. Narbik s approach to teaching
>> the CCIE is unlike any of the other classes I ve taken over my 2+
>> years of studying. There is no single source of materials for earning
>> the CCIE certification. As part of the current crop of CCIE
>> candidates, I feel blessed with the availability of high quality
>> materials from well reputed vendors. The best way to pass the lab
>> exam is to use a combination of the highest regarded materials as
>> study tools. Each one contributes to a niche of learning.
>>
>> However, I highly recommend every CCIE candidate attend at least one
>> of Narbik s classes. I ve been able to clearly understand some of the
>> concepts that eluded me from books, DocCD and other materials. At the
>> very least, attending Narbik s class will give you an excellent gauge
>> of your readiness to attempt the lab exam.
>>
>> Bottom line, if you want to pass the CCIE Lab, attend a boot camp by
>> Narbik.
>>
>> As far as Narbik s ability to recall IOS commands from memory - It s
>> official, Narbik is an extension of the Cisco IOS Command reference.
>>
>> Review by George Philip.
>> gphilip88_at_gmail.com
>>
>>
>> Blogs and organic groups at http://www.ccie.net
>>
>> _______________________________________________________________________
>> Subscription information may be found at:
>> http://www.groupstudy.com/list/CCIELab.html
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Warm Regards
> Raghav
>
>
> 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
Received on Fri May 21 2010 - 15:32:51 ART