OT or Not?: Re: Tshoot or Not?

I don't sleep like most people might. I just don't.

I don't quite work like most people do... Nope.

I don't study like some other folks tell me is the "best way" either.

At work on Friday, I was told my efforts to train, tutor, and mentor the
staff was basically unheard of... and we are a company that has a prevailing
mission in writing to "mentor and teach half of the time"... that's fine...
no one else took ~20+ hours and did it on their own time I suppose - at
least not most people.

I did.

Some members of the forum teach... some teach well, and some teach great.

Some of them are experienced doing what we do and some (daresay most) are
simply not that experienced and most of us may not hire the say people for
one reason or another... experience being only one facet of the equation.

Others we'd wonder how we ever lived without them... yet... we do.

Lots of very very intelligent and incredible people on this list and
elsewhere. No doubt.

Not one other member of this forum has gone about their CCIE studies as I
have... Not quite.

1. I've been to 6 CCIE RS Labs - I've scoped it out, I know how they work,
step-by-step. Sure a pass would be great... but not every failed attempt
has been wasted, not one actually. It's been an investment and a calculated
risk.

2. I've been to as many CCIE Bootcamps from the instructors everyone says we
should go to... as many as any Cisco employee perhaps as many as a person
working on TAC.

3. Some have surmised that I must be a "poor test taker"... Perhaps... I've
passed more tests than most of those who have mentioned the idea... and
sometimes in the same day or even week. I've taken tests all my life and I
like to think I'm not too bad at it.

So from where do I get such ideas?

Umm... I watch craftsmen who take a great pride in their work and when I was
growing up I watched hunters who'd spend hours sharpening their knives and
cleaning their weapons or preparing their traps.

When I was in the military I cannot tell you many hours I personally spent
shining my own shoes and having 1-2 pairs ready to go at all times...

Pride in workmanship.

Pride in knowledge.

Pride in professionalism.

Pride in self.

Everyone is motivated by something...

For me learning is a layered approach. I'll always be a student of
knowledge - no matter what the knowledge is...

It's not just a philosophy, its a way of life.

================================

Some like to tell us how to prepare or not prepare and usually it ends with
"buy my product... or at least buy someone's"...

CCIE Practice Labs and Demo Labs abound. They do.

I'd prefer to offer a hint of experience on the matter:

1. Collect all the practice labs and even labs for lower level
certifications.

2. Stop.

3. Work on those labs - full labs should be completed in well under 4-hours
- they are the freebies.

4. Stop.

5. Configuration Guides - Work through them... I've seen at least 2 training
vendors that practically sell a re-hash through these guides... and we buy
it and swear by it.... Yet it was F-R-E-E from Cisco most of the time.

7. At least read the Command Guides from Cisco before you ever even think of
buying a thing for the CCIE.

8. Cisco Press is relatively cheap and a powerful tool for ANY prospective
CCIE. OK - Who thinks otherwise. Need my list?

9. Now and "ONLY NOW" are you even prepared to "THINK" you are ready to
prepare to buy a Cisco CCIE Training Product. You are now qualified to do
so.

10. I've seen thousands of "SHEEP" start the journey asking where to start,
what to buy, what to do, and whatever... and most would be better served...
serving others... "Would you like fries with that?" comes immediately to
mind... It just does... but the CCIE and other Cisco certs pay better...
if a person actually studies and works really hard at it... so will and
won't - not ever.

Hint: If that shiny MCSE did not work out for you because the tests were
"too easy" then passing Cisco certifications are going to be way "too easy"
to ever make a living at doing this kind of work professionally.

Too bad Vanna is not here... some people might be better turning a corner
and just buying a vowel instead... Perhaps?

But everyone needs to eat and sheep make good meals and they pay well. So
let's not dissuade the "HERD MENTALITY"... and a co-worker used to call it.

I can't blame my ideas on anyone else, they are mine, good bad, or
indifferent.

Lots of people like the minimalist approach to certifications - take the
CCIE Written and renew it all...

What's the point of recertifying everything un-related on a single test?

I mean the minimalists need this kind of thing and it is cost effective at
the expense of dumbing down the trained workforce... two sides to a coin.

Later

Got a class I have to go to and I gotta meet my co-worked for breakfast.

Darby

http://www.darbyslogs.blogspot.com

On Sun, May 15, 2011 at 3:05 PM, imran ali <immrccie_at_gmail.com> wrote:

> from where u get such ideas ?
>
> On Sun, May 15, 2011 at 3:39 AM, Darby Weaver <darby.weaver_at_gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> Umm..
>>
>> Maybe I am not that clear.
>>
>> I am in favor of using the Cisco Troubleshooting CCNP exam as an excellent
>> aid in preparing for the CCIE RS Lab.
>>
>> No it may not have all of the issues that the CCIE RS Troubleshooting has,
>> however:
>>
>> - Reachability
>> - Services
>> - Connectivity
>> - L2 versus L3 Troubleshooting
>> - Adjacency
>> - Etc.
>>
>> Yep... I got an idea all of this is probably on the CCIE RS Lab and so...
>> I
>> do favor spending $200.00 to find out how well a guy of my own skill level
>> measures up under the pressure of such an exam.
>>
>> I'm re-taking the BGP, QoS, and MPLS exams for much of the same
>> reasons. Adding CCNA Security and Secure v1.0 to that list as well.
>>
>> So by the time I complete all the exams - in the span of 1 day per set -
>> the
>> pressure will be on and of course it is not a CCIE Lab but having to
>> concentrate for a period of 3 to 4.5 or 5 hours at a shot taking 3 or more
>> exams in a row... it can present a reasonable challenge to a CCIE
>> Candidate.
>>
>> Anything else might sound a bit arrogant.
>>
>> After all there are many tasks on the CCIE RS Lab that many candidates
>> should not find... UN-NATURAL... after all they are merely a series of
>> CCNA/CCNP tasks after all... with a twist.
>>
>> It's a good run and it is cheaper than a real lab by far. Why not?
>>
>> Darby
>>
>> --
>> Darby Weaver
>> Network Engineer
>> http://www.darbyslogs.blogspot.com
>>
>> darbyweaver_at_yahoo.com
>>
>>
>> Blogs and organic groups at http://www.ccie.net
>>
>> _______________________________________________________________________
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>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>

-- 
Darby Weaver
Network Engineer
http://www.darbyslogs.blogspot.com
darbyweaver_at_yahoo.com
Blogs and organic groups at http://www.ccie.net