Re: CCIE#35347

Narbik,

I started IPexpert's Voice track Monday. To some very disgruntled looks
from my wife I might add. To which I said, "Well honey that house you want
isn't going to pay for itself!"

On Tue, May 8, 2012 at 6:06 PM, Narbik Kocharians <narbikk_at_gmail.com> wrote:

> Good job mate, GR8 work, congratulations. You deserve it, enjoy.
> What I did is what every instructor should do.
>
> Thanks. NOW.....don't get lazy, start the second one.
>
> On Tue, May 8, 2012 at 4:22 PM, Marko Milivojevic <markom_at_ipexpert.com>wrote:
>
>> Khan,
>>
>> We understand different needs and positions people are in. We have
>> products and solutions that suit just about everyone. Even if you're
>> from an African country we might be able to help you with your study.
>> Please don't feel afraid to reach out to training_at_ipexpert.com to ask
>> for details.
>>
>> --
>> Marko Milivojevic - CCIE #18427 (SP R&S)
>> Senior CCIE Instructor - IPexpert
>>
>> On Tue, May 8, 2012 at 1:05 PM, <khan.sirhan_at_gmail.com> wrote:
>> > You said that you struggle just to get by but can afford the expensive
>> ipexpert and other material. I used mostly white papers because the price
>> of the ipexpert material is too expensive for someone living in an African
>> country.
>> >
>> > You are very fortunate my friend, congrats
>> > Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!
>> >
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: Mohammad Moghaddas <moghaddas.it_at_gmail.com>
>> > Sender: nobody_at_groupstudy.com
>> > Date: Tue, 8 May 2012 23:01:49
>> > To: Marko Milivojevic<markom_at_ipexpert.com>
>> > Reply-To: Mohammad Moghaddas <moghaddas.it_at_gmail.com>
>> > Cc: Terry Vinson<wantmydigits_at_gmail.com>; <ccielab_at_groupstudy.com>
>> > Subject: Re: CCIE#35347
>> >
>> > Congrats. Nice job.
>> >
>> > On Tue, May 8, 2012 at 9:18 PM, Marko Milivojevic <markom_at_ipexpert.com
>> >wrote:
>> >
>> >> Nice work - well done! Hard work always pays off. :-)
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >> Marko Milivojevic - CCIE #18427 (SP R&S)
>> >> Senior CCIE Instructor - IPexpert
>> >>
>> >> On Tue, May 8, 2012 at 8:02 AM, Terry Vinson <wantmydigits_at_gmail.com>
>> >> wrote:
>> >> > *Hello Everyone,*
>> >> >
>> >> > *I passed the CCIE R&S lab on May 1, 2012 at RTP, NC.*
>> >> >
>> >> > *I ve tried to write my success story about a hundred times since I
>> got
>> >> my
>> >> > pass notification for the Routing and Switching track. Each attempt,
>> >> > however, has sounded more angry than happy, which is odd because I am
>> >> > ecstatic to have passed. Not having to study anymore and having
>> decided
>> >> to
>> >> > take a week off from everything but family has given me a lot of
>> time to
>> >> > reflect on why I get so upset when I think about the last five
>> years. I
>> >> > made the realization last night that my anger stems from feeling
>> like I
>> >> > wasted a lot of time, and went up a lot of blind alleys during my
>> >> > preparation. I need to put things in perspective before I explain
>> that
>> >> any
>> >> > further. I am 45 years old. I have four sons ranging in ages from 5
>> to
>> >> 22,
>> >> > I am a self-employed consultant, and in the current economy we have
>> been
>> >> > struggling just to get by. So in a nutshell my preparation came out
>> of my
>> >> > own pocket and I spent way more than I should have to get where I
>> am. I
>> >> > bought materials, in the last three years, from virtually every major
>> >> > vendor I can think of, to include Cisco 360.*
>> >> >
>> >> > *I found out about Narbik Kocharians on GroupStudy.com and contacted
>> him
>> >> > and let him know that I was very dissatisfied with the first CCIE
>> vendor
>> >> I
>> >> > chose to use due a B customers helping customers B approach for
>> guidance
>> >> and
>> >> > support with the package. Narbik was very understanding and
>> explained to
>> >> me
>> >> > that he thought I had large gaps in my foundational theory. He told
>> me
>> >> that
>> >> > we could fix that together. I bought his workbook and set out to fix
>> the
>> >> > problem. I was livid at how much I didn t know after a year and a
>> half of
>> >> > using the first vendor. I flooded Narbik with my frustration and
>> again he
>> >> > just let me vent and then said we can fix that too. He told me that
>> he
>> >> was
>> >> > going to have a bootcamp in Columbia, Maryland starting on Monday;
>> this
>> >> was
>> >> > Sunday and he said I could come if I wanted to. I did want to, but we
>> >> > didn t have the money to pay for a hotel. So I slept in my truck for
>> a
>> >> week
>> >> > in an arctic sleeping bag because it was winter. That sucked, but
>> >> honestly
>> >> > I had slept in way worse conditions when I was a soldier. It was
>> worth
>> >> > every second of it. I learned more in 5 days than I had in the
>> previous
>> >> > year. The sad part was that my lab was scheduled for 15 days after
>> the
>> >> > bootcamp and Narbik told me straight up I wasn t ready for it. That
>> was a
>> >> > tough pill to swallow, but he was right. I didn t even come close to
>> >> > passing, but like Narbik said, B you know what to expect now! *
>> >> >
>> >> > *So the next year was all about filling gaps in my knowledge, reading
>> >> books
>> >> > and labs using Narbik s workbooks. In the next two years, I took
>> Narbik s
>> >> > bootcamp again twice (at no cost and received updates for all the
>> >> workbooks
>> >> > B again at no cost). At the end of the last bootcamp, Narbik told me
>> that
>> >> > he thought I was borderline ready, but I needed more lab work (I was
>> too
>> >> > slow). I didn t know how to answer that because I had done every lab
>> he
>> >> had
>> >> > to offer half a dozen times. So ignoring his advice I again
>> scheduled a
>> >> > lab. I failed again but I was so much closer. But I found another
>> >> weakness
>> >> > that I hadn t really considered. My test taking strategy was
>> virtually
>> >> > nonexistent; I was working and thinking too linear. That was when I
>> met
>> >> > Anthony Sequiera.*
>> >> >
>> >> > *Anthony was not what I was expecting from a CCIE instructor, he was
>> >> > frequently talking about other things than just technology. He was
>> >> bringing
>> >> > up things that affected my performance on the lab that I had honestly
>> >> never
>> >> > even considered. We exchanged emails and he made me a promise. B I ll
>> >> help
>> >> > you get your CCIE no matter what the circumstances are or who I m
>> working
>> >> > for. Anthony was able to open a lot of opportunities for me to learn
>> and
>> >> > practice and was constantly offering support and advice. But at this
>> >> point
>> >> > I was B gun shy B of the exam. I was so afraid of failing again I
>> wasn t
>> >> > willing to test. It took a long time for Anthony to help me break
>> down
>> >> > those barriers. But eventually we did and I scheduled the exam, this
>> time
>> >> > it was the Version 4 exam. Anthony and I where both focused on the TS
>> >> > section, because frankly it seemed to be what most people were
>> failing,
>> >> and
>> >> > the fact that there were no real tools available to students to help
>> them
>> >> > deal with this new lab requirement was adding to my apprehension. So
>> >> rather
>> >> > than just take a wild swing we got together with the great minds
>> over at
>> >> > IPexpert, who I should point out Narbik had recommended I use for my
>> B
>> >> mock
>> >> > lab practice. Anthony and I created a tool that made sense and held
>> up to
>> >> > the troubleshooting labs I had from all vendors B B the Quick Fire
>>
>> >> > Troubleshooting Strategy. We spent countless hours discussing it,
>> tearing
>> >> > it apart, and testing it against whatever mock troubleshooting
>> materials
>> >> we
>> >> > could find.*
>> >> >
>> >> > *Quick Fire centers around a common issues methodology combined with
>> >> > intense time management. In our opinion, the biggest problem in the
>> >> > training space at that time was that everyone talked about
>> >> troubleshooting
>> >> > and even discussed how to approach troubleshooting, but nothing dealt
>> >> with
>> >> > the biggest issue, which is the two-hour time limit. After getting
>> >> > comfortable using the Quick Fire Troubleshooting Strategy, we decided
>> >> that
>> >> > I should schedule a lab. The good news was that the troubleshooting
>> plan
>> >> > worked AWESOME! I knew I had 8 out of 10 tickets and was unsure about
>> >> one,
>> >> > the other I did not have a clue if I solved it B correctly B or not.
>> The
>> >> > outcome was not what I was hoping for, because I did not pass the
>> >> > configuration section, but Quick Fire held up perfectly. What would
>> have
>> >> > been another blow to my ego, was actually an opportunity to retest
>> the
>> >> > troubleshooting strategy Anthony and I developed. So I scheduled
>> another
>> >> > lab; what would be my second attempt at the Version 4 with
>> >> troubleshooting.*
>> >> >
>> >> > *During the next 30 days I didn t even really focus on the lab, but
>> every
>> >> > so often I would do an IPexpert Volume 3 lab just to keep my speed
>> from
>> >> > deteriorating. Come test time I was way more relaxed, had more even
>> more
>> >> > faith in Quick Fire. I even adapted some of the methodology from the
>> >> > troubleshooting process to the configuration section of the test. In
>> the
>> >> > end it all culminated in passing the lab and getting my digits. That
>> s
>> >> the
>> >> > long and short of it.*
>> >> >
>> >> > *In my opinion it all boils down to the fact that the CCIE exam has
>> >> > changed, it s no longer, B answer all the core questions and pick up
>> a
>> >> few
>> >> > of the services and management tasks and you are golden . In my
>> opinion,
>> >> > that test doesn t exist anymore. The new test is a broad range of
>> topics
>> >> > that all have relatively the same weight, the concept of the core and
>> >> > fundamental reachability is there but it s no longer 70 to 75
>> percent of
>> >> > passing. Cisco has upped the ante in terms of the significance of
>> these
>> >> > B miscellaneous B topics, and to tell students that they are not
>> going to
>> >> > expect you to be an expert on them is an out-and-out travesty.*
>> >> >
>> >> > *It was a long expensive journey to get to the point where I had all
>> the
>> >> > tools I needed to pass and honestly, we had to invent a few along
>> the way
>> >> > as a result of the exam changing and maturing. Technological
>> proficiency
>> >> > was pivotal, but having a well-considered and practiced strategy was
>> just
>> >> > as important. That concept of strategy extends not just to the
>> actual lab
>> >> > but also to the act of preparing for the lab. I came late in my
>> >> preparation
>> >> > to IPexpert on the advice of both Narbik and Anthony, and I found
>> just
>> >> what
>> >> > I needed there. They had an honest, structured approach that
>> addressed
>> >> all
>> >> > phases of the CCIE learning process to include tools like Marko s
>> >> wonderful
>> >> > audio bootcamp that was one of best knowledge sustainment tools I ve
>> had
>> >> > the pleasure to use. But for me, the workbooks were the most
>> impressive
>> >> > offering because by the time I found IPexpert, that was what I was
>> >> looking
>> >> > for. I wanted, no I needed, multiprotocol labs that where reflective
>> of
>> >> > what I d had come to expect to see on the exam after my failed
>> attempts.
>> >> > Their workbooks were concise, well planned and the closest I ve seen
>> to
>> >> the
>> >> > actual exam with regard to the wording and structure of the
>> individual
>> >> > tasks. The integration between workbooks was seamless. It wasn t a
>> series
>> >> > of workbooks created, in a handful of weeks, by different developers
>> with
>> >> > no clear transition. As I worked through these books I could feel my
>> >> > confidence and general understanding growing, and that process
>> continued
>> >> > until the CCIE was just a fundamental part of that transition.*
>> >> >
>> >> > *It is important to understand that everyone learns differently and
>> at
>> >> > different rates. But the one constant is that learning needs to be
>> >> > deliberate, and that is so much easier when the actual course
>> instruction
>> >> > is deliberate by design. Furthermore, you need to find vendors like
>> >> > IPexpert and Micronics Training that are willing to devote
>> themselves to
>> >> > your success.*
>> >> >
>> >> > *I am very proud to say that I am now employed writing elegant, yet
>> >> > practical and accessible texts and classes for IPexpert in the area
>> of
>> >> CCIE
>> >> > R&S. I hope I have the opportunity to provide assistance to some of
>> you
>> >> > reading this, just as I received the assistance that I so desperately
>> >> > needed.*
>> >> >
>> >> > *For those thinking about giving up. Don't do it! The elation of
>> success
>> >> > will completely erase the grief you felt when you didn't pass. It
>> felt
>> >> bad
>> >> > to fail but absolutely incredible to pass!*
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > Blogs and organic groups at http://www.ccie.net
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> _______________________________________________________________________
>> >> > Subscription information may be found at:
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>> >>
>> >>
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>> >>
>> >> _______________________________________________________________________
>> >> Subscription information may be found at:
>> >> http://www.groupstudy.com/list/CCIELab.html
>> >
>> >
>> > 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
>>
>> _______________________________________________________________________
>> Subscription information may be found at:
>> http://www.groupstudy.com/list/CCIELab.html
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> *Narbik Kocharians
> *CCSI#30832, CCIE# 12410 (R&S, SP, Security)
> *www.MicronicsTraining.com* <http://www.micronicstraining.com/>
> Sr. Technical Instructor
> YES! We take Cisco Learning Credits!
> A Cisco Learning Partner
>
>

-- 
Happiness is !!!!!
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