Go CCIE Go!! - A Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert

You’re not lying,
Here’s the start of the Honey-do-list I received by my wife:
- Fix hole in wall - Fix crooked door - fix alum. wrapping on flashing around garage that blew off during storm - Replace warped deck boards, sand deck and restain (800 sq foot deck,it’s going to suck badly) - pressure wash house, fence, driveway, seal fence and driveway - put new seal around exterior facing doors - mulch about 3000 sq feet of flower gardens that have overgrown with weeds as well now too - install new zone in sprinkler system - buy new 1080p tv and find time to enjoy it. - study for SP
ugh,
I think I was better off studying……
On Mon, Jun 30, 2008 at 4:28 PM, keith tokash wrote:
> Awesome. Sometimes while studying it sounded easy when people got their > number in a few months (which makes you wonder why it’s not easy for > you…). > You did a good job conveying that you did in fact bleed for the digits. > Now > comes the fun part, where you start getting bashed in the head by all of > the > things you put off to study. > > > The information in this e-mail is intended for the > attention and use of the everyone in the world, or I wouldn’t have sent it > in > an unencrypted email. This message or any part thereof can and should be > disclosed, copied, distributed and retained by any person without > authorization from the addressee. Furthermore, I reserve the right to > disclose, copy, distribute and retain anything anyone sends *me* via email, > up > to and including putting the exact text in a MySpace bulletin. > > > > Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2008 06:52:53 -0400 > > From: dalek77@gmail.com > > To: ccielab@groupstudy.com > > Subject: Damn, I finished the lab in 4 hours and had 4 hours to verify > and > I still didn’t……….. > > > > get served that coffee Brian Dennis was talking about. At least I got my > > number on my first attempt though, 21330 baby! > > BTW, never ever ever take your lab on Friday, the wait was worse then the > > night before christmas as a kid! I didn’t get my results until I woke up > > this morning and have been on edge with people all weekend. > > > > Some people already know me from class and know my story. I began > studying > > because of all the paper CCNPs out there, especially my work. Now I have > > nothing against CCNPs or any paper certs if you did it the right way, but > > what pissed me off is that our employer thought this other guy was as > > qualified as me because he got his CCNP and this guy announced himself as > a > > Senior Engineer. Well this schmuck took two days to get an SVI on a Cat > 3750 > > up and just started networking about a year ago. While I worked hard for > > mine and have recertified it twice over the past 7 years now, he got his > in > > weeks with you know what…… Pretty blatant about it as well as they > > passed them around work talking about how they can get CCNP in just a few > > weeks. These guys blow and I wish Cisco would do something about their > > testing system. > > > > In any case, I got mad, I mean really mad that nobody could see through > the > > charade of these fake qualified network engineers. February of this year > I > > had enough and I knew there was only one thing to do. Get something that > > they couldn’t get or at least they would have to work real hard to get > and > > based on their work ethic, I doubt they would ever get it, the CCIE. I > > worked my @$$ off since I got the materials end of February, and by the > > grace of GOD and my lovely wife I was able to get my number in RTP on > June > > 27th. I pretty much shut my family off for the last 4 months, while my > wife > > took care of everything, the kids, the house, the dogs…… To give > > everyone an idea of the hours I put in…. I worked 40 hours a week, I > > studied everyday after work, from 6 pm to 2 am labbing and 12-15 hours > each > > day on the weekends. I took one day off and that was Mothers day and > then > I > > attended InternetworkExperts 12 day bootcamp. I actually finished their > > bootcamp material by the 3rd day of the bootcamp and Brian Dennis and > > company was nice enough to let me mock lab the rest of the days I was > > there. The InternetworkExpert bootcamp was nice to get away for 12 days > > and lab for about 12-15 hours a day. I went outside once the entire > time > I > > was there and that was for a 5 min walk to look at the pool and I didn’t > > turn on my tv once. I probably squeezed in about 3 weeks of lab time in > 2 > > weeks of time. In essence, I was driven to get the CCIE from start to > > finish in about 4 months. Granted I have about 8 years Cisco experience, > > but it hasn’t been hands on everyday the past 3-4 years because I work in > a > > lab environment now and no longer do operational support, thank god for > that > > too. > > > > It was a hard road, and there was many times I kept telling myself this > is > > too hard and will I never get there. However, I kept telling myself as > long > > as I keep studying and as long as I keep labbing I will always learn > > something and will get closer. You might think I’m crazy, but I had a > goal > > and my wife said go for it. As I’ve said in previous posts, my > motivattion > > was not money, but to gain the knowledge these other guys didn’t have and > to > > achieve CCIE status, something most of these paper certifiers won’t ever > > get. I have to say that I must thank these guys at work for the > > motivation, and I will today when I go in to work in 2 hours after I get > my > > Cisco polos embroidered with the CCIE logo and install an LED behind it. > > > Seriously though, they gave me that spark that I was missing for years > and > > passing this lab attempt has ignited it even more. Now if you’ve managed > to > > endure the past few paragraphs of blah, all you first time CCIE > candidates > > enjoy my recommendations, which you’ve all heard time and time again I’m > > sure. > > > > Study the Core, lab the Core until your fingers bleed. Get your Core > down > > to at least 3 hours or less. InternetwokExpert WB3 labs are awesome for > > this, I got those down to 2 hours or less, some of the hard ones took 2 > 1/2 > > hours. Speed and time management was huge for me. I probably put in > about > > 500 hours of harcore lab time the last 4 months. I initially started > > InternetworkExperts WB2 doing labs in like 10 hours, learning and > > understanding the theory behind things. They were tough at first, but I > > constantly would go back and reread the DOCCD and reference all my books, > I > > have ton of books. I watched their technologies COD 2 1/2 times in it’s > > entirety. It took a lot of coffee and doing it hands on with them to > stay > > awake. Brian Dennis’s jokes couldn’t even keep me up anymore after the > > first go around. After a few months I started completing their labs > in > > entirety in about 4 hours. Once this happened, I would do them and then > > look up everything in the DOCCD, no matter if I knew it or not. This was > my > > DOCCD familiarization stage. I actually picked that up from Scott Morris > > from somewhere I believe. Here it comes, you’ve heard it before, and > you’re > > going to hear it again…. > > > > KNOW YOUR DOCCD.. I guarantee you will get something in the lab that you > > haven’t seen before. This is where speed on the CORE was essential for > me. > > By lunch I had completed the lab once over , ran my TCL script, and was > > feeling a little uneasy still, but I had the meat done. I’m a paranoid > guy, > > you can ask others. The only thing left was verification and digging in > the > > DOCCD for those few things I didn’t know. I verified twice and each time > I > > found one small mistake that would have cost me 2 or 3 points each. Oh > and > > by the way, I still don’t know the answer to one of them weird questions, > > even now that I’m home and I have google, so here it comes, here it comes > > again, KNOW YOUR DOCCD. My last suggestion is make sure you know theory > > very well in the CORE IGP, well everything you learn really, but > especially > > your CORE. you’ve heard time and time again Switching, FR, and IGP > probably > > will be half your points. If you understand the mechanics and how things > > work, no matter what scenario you get you can work through it. If you > > memorize the vendor WBs, it won’t help in the real lab. > > > > So I guess I should recognize people and materials that have helped me. > > First off, my wife and GOD. If I don’t mention her first, she might kill > me > > and probably the same about GOD… O_o Next, InternetworkExperts ver 4 > WBs > > and their Technology COD. I have the Brians’ voices engrained into my > > head. Brian Dennis, Josh Finke and crew from InternetworkExpert were > nice > > enough to hook me up in the last hours. Also, IPExperts audio CD with > Scott > > Morris. I bought their WB package, but I only used the audio portion. I > > thought it was very good and I probably listened to it about 5 times in > it’s > > entirety driving to and from work everyday. It was just an extra tool to > > feed my brain the knowledge it needed. > > > > I already have the materials from InternetworkExpert for the SP track > and > > will hit that at work starting this morning since this is what I do at > work > > everyday and my boss will let me study while I lab it up on our 7604s. > > MMM Knowledge, I think these guys at work turned me into an animal. > Watch > > your back Petr, I’m coming for your CCIEs and I’ll probably pass up Brian > > Mcgahan in 6 months because he’s a slacker. j/k man. > > > > Good luck to all other CCIE candidates and I hope this email helps. > > > > regards, > > > > Dale > > > > P.S. Don’t unicast me for any NDA crap either, I’ll turn your ass into > > Cisco. > > > > > > _______________________________________________________________________ > > Subscription information may be found at: > > http://www.groupstudy.com/list/CCIELab.html > > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Need to know now? Get instant answers with Windows Live Messenger. > > http://www.windowslive.com/messenger/connect_your_way.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_ > Refresh_messenger_062008 > > > _______________________________________________________________________ > Subscription information may be found at: > http://www.groupstudy.com/list/CCIELab.html