Re: OT: CCIE != PhD

Well said.
Regards
Dada Olusegun
CCIE#32395, CEH, JNCIS

Sent from my BlackBerry. Smartphone, from Etisalat.

-----Original Message-----
From: Travis Niedens <niedentj_at_hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 3 Mar 2012 04:46:42
To: <ccielab_at_groupstudy.com>
Subject: OT: CCIE != PhD

I usually don't speak out about this stuff however I have noticed way too many people comparing the CCIE to the PhD and quite frankly I find that an absurd comparison. Anyone who has worked on their Masters and PhD can attest to the rigor that is required for the PhD as well as the process involved and final goals. If you look at the CCIE it is a test that encompasses:

- A CISCO specific technology line
- Each test set has a fixed set of possible exams that are updated and swapped time to time to avoid cheating
- Only requires configuration and troubleshooting - again, heavy Cisco specific focus
- Graded by a system, confirmed by a human
- 8 hours to prove that you have absorbed enough knowledge to configure things the Cisco way

The PhD is not this at all, in fact the PhD's main goal is for the student to learn enough about their area of interest so they can build a thesis, go out and scientifically research it and then DEFEND it and add to the body of human knowledge. While we all spend thousands of dollars, hundreds if not thousands of hours in labs / working and hours weekly responding to GS, with the CCIE we are not creating anything new for the body of human knowledge. I don't say this lightly as I know the vendors work hard on their materials however if you look at two of them side by side you will see many of the same configurations as that's the way Cisco programmed the IOS parser to handle the magic.

There are key milestones in the PhD process / journey including:

- Research classes
- Academic writing classes
- Colloquia
- Comps
- Thesis Research
- Thesis Dissertation
- Thesis Defense

Keep in mind that most universities have a 2 times and then out policy - thus meaning if you fail your comps or defense twice, you are out. You have just spent 10's of thousands of dollars and years on your thesis and education and failed.

In comparison, Cisco allows you to take the CCIE over and over and over and requires no original contribution to the field of networking/security/voice/SP, etc. This is just to gain revenue and ensure Cisco skilled workers in IT worldwide.

As I see it, the closest thing to a PhD Cisco has now is the CCAr. While Cisco's path to making and expanding this program has been rather lengthy and slow, I do hope that they continue to push it. The Ar cannot be accomplished by just any testking and requires a defense. In addition it requires an initial response to questions, similar to comps, and they MUST be acceptable before moving on to the panel phase.

So here's how I see it:

Associates (2 years) - CCxA *
Bachelors (4 years) - CCxP *
Masters (6 years) - CCIE *
PhD (8+ years) - CCAr

Good luck in your studies!

Travis

Blogs and organic groups at http://www.ccie.net
Received on Sat Mar 03 2012 - 06:48:48 ART