CCIE RS milestone reached. Third time's the charm

Hello,

30 May 2011 I passed CCIE RS exam in Brussels.

This marks a year long work towards dream come true. Three attempts (all of them in Brussels) were needed for it to become reality.

Self-paced "INE CCIE RS 4.0 Training Program" was with me all the way. Especially I want to thank INE for "CCIE R&S v4.0 Advanced Technologies" VoD series. These lectures helped me brush up forgotten topics and grasp new ones. I accompanied them with an online rack session (my own rack via remote TS) and tested each presented concept to further verify how the technology works. Troubleshooting bootcamp recording was a great help also. This I mixed with fulltime job, so no deep dive but anyway something always sinks in. INE Blog provided me with essential information on documentation navigation - this helped a lot! Your blog gave me insight to such depths of OSPF that I wouldn't have otherwise considered exploring (kudos to Petr Lapukhov). Originally I intended to thank INE through their designated webform (http://www.ine.com/success-story.htm) but didn't receive any response after submitting so either it didn't reach them or is still processed. Anyway I included my thanks her!
 e since from my standpoint, thanking vendor which helped in your journey is a must. So if someone from INE reads this - know that you are remembered with good words/thoughts!

In the beginning I read GroupStudy mailing list daily but couldn't keep up with it due to work intensity. No time for posting either. Social life also goes down the drain during preparation phase :)

Ivan Pepelnjak site http://blog.ioshints.info/ gave a lot of insight in EEM, since Cisco official documentation left me a bit frustrated.

A little about my journey...

I started studying for written exam on April 2010 and passed it in June 2010 on my second attempt. First time I attempted it without studying to mark my readiness and came close. Of course I was hit bad with technologies that I dont use in my daily job. Having found out my weaknesses I focused on them and passed second time.

Then I started preparing for the lab. Built my own rack and meanwhile listened to ATC VoD series while commuting. INE R&S Lab Workbook Volume I challenged me to think outside the box and introduced me to different style of presenting information, where logical topology not always comes hand in hand with physical one. This helped me grasp lab topology much quicker than it otherwise would have been possible.

First attempt was in 10 November 2010. I had an extra stress due to first time. What I learned is not to make assumptions and consult proctor when in doubt. My proctor for this attempt was Istvan. I ran to him for help a lot that time :)

Second attempt was in 07 March 2011. This time I had more experience. I understood how the questions are asked and how to interpret the diagrams. What I learned is that i need more speed, both in TS and configuration part. Also it revealed some still weak technology areas (means that I had to bring up documentation to implement a feature).

And here it comes. A winning strategy which I fully exploited for passing attempt (already seen this suggested to candidates many times):

Notepad configuring.

Yes - do all configuration in notepad. In the beginning you are frustrated because most of the time router rejects what you have pasted in console. Then you notice that you write an occasional ? to get a hint :) After a while you notice that SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) has risen and speed is improving from typing the same commands over and over again. In the end it pays back with required speed. If you are comfortable with technology you can type in shortened commands and do tasks even faster. But do that only for really familiar topics. I used notepad document to track each change I made on appropriate devices for each task. Thus I was prepared for power outage and/or HW failure. Also this enabled a rollback option, since it was easier to identify and remove previously added configuration.

Before my third attempt I had an extra boost of morale and motivation. It came from a young lady which soon will receive an offer she can't refuse (c) Godfather :) Funniest thing is that she had no idea what this exam is all about and anyway supported me unconditionally. This helps a lot - that there is someone who cares. I wish to everyone that there is such person in your life!

Third attempt was 30 May 2011. I used notepad for all configuration and tracking of activities. Scratch paper was used for tracking TS tickets. For configuration section I used scratch paper to note topics I want to review. Also I redraw partial topology for a quick reference. Notepad helped me to detect and correct a lot of silly mistakes made due to stress. In the end it proved to be a valid strategy which worked for me. All the time through the lab I had a feeling that it is hard but I'm making it. I had no high hopes, just did my best. At the end my head hurt and I felt like a squeezed lemon. Nevertheless I had most wonderful experience.

Both, second and third time I got the same proctor: Said
He is patient, helpful and forthcoming. Answers are given where due and politely rejected where you must come up with one yourself.

All three times I stayed in NH Brussels Airport hotel. I can strongly recommend it since it is in a walking distance from Cisco office. This means that you can have a slow morning and not worry about commute. They provide you with a shuttle to/from Brussels national airport which also is a perk.

Thanks for all the support (direct or indirect) you have provided me with during this journey!

I wish everyone strength to continue walking towards this achievement :)

Ints Meijers,
CCIE# 29095

Blogs and organic groups at http://www.ccie.net
Received on Wed Jun 01 2011 - 20:25:40 ART