Update 2014

About the only thing I have updated on this blog for at least the last 6 months has been the amount of hours I have spent studying week to week.

I want to go into a more detailed post regarding my experiences at the boot camps however, this post will just be a real quick timeline to get everyone up to speed.

November 2013- Attended INE's CCIE R&S two week boot camp.
April 2014- Attended the boot camp a second time.
May 2014- Took and failed the CCIE R&Sv4 lab exam at RTP.

These are the milestones since the last update. Although it is a fairly short list, the time in between these dates was filled with long days and nights of studying and not receiving Vitamin D from the sun. Although I did not pass the Lab exam, the average is 2-3 times, I will be back for V5 with a vengeance.

I have taken a few weeks off to slow down enjoy the simpler things with the family. So for now, I am in the process of dismantling and re-provisioning my v4 home lab. The new lab equipment is on the way and I will have a separate entry on my setup and configuration shortly.

Until next time, happy labbing!!!

~P

Sabbatical Over

Time to hit the ground running, again! After a mini family vacation and teaching a class for a little over two weeks, I can finally start back to labbing and studying in the evenings.

Yesterday was the first time back at studying and although it wasn't full bore, it was nice to be at the command line again in study mode. It has been about three weeks since I have been able to study as I was reminded how much teaching drains you by the end of the day. Long hours left with me with no motivation or brain power to study into the night.

I am less than six weeks out from my two-week bootcamp and would like to absorb as much as I can when I get there. In other words, I do not want to be surprised by anything discussed. At a minimum, I should at least know how all the technologies work and how to configure their basic parameters.

So for those that missed me and for those that didn't, I am back with renewed determination to see this journey all the way through!

~P

The 'Doh' Moment (one of many)

While making my way through the technology specific labs of Workbook 1, I found myself making silly mistakes or overlooking the simple things. An example of this 'Doh' moment, (in a Homer Simpson voice), is explained below.

Working through some basic IPv6 labs I came across an issue while trying to achieve link-local reachability. The following was configured on a local interface:

Study Update

Well it has been about two months since I have passed the written exam. I started studying the very next week and hit the ground running. My wife and I developed a study schedule that consisted of 3 hours/4 nights a week. After that 4th night in a row, I look forward to taking a break on the weekend. On Sunday night however, I am anxious to getting back to it.

With that being said, I know that there are others out there that study hardcore everyday of the week. While everybody has different study habits that work for them, I believe any more during these early stages would burn me out too soon. A balance of family vs study life is also needed. It is important to have that support and not shove it to the side since they are on the journey with you.

The schedule started off great with strict start and stop times. However, it has become relaxed as the weeks went on. This led us to re-assess where I am in my study plan. I have found that I am below my average goal of 12 hrs a week study time.  We will be correcting it, and I plan to increase to 4hr/night beginning in August (~Week 9). I am a little over 3 months from my scheduled live bootcamp and want to be prepared enough to absorb 100% of topics covered during that time frame.

As far as the actual material goes, I have already made careless mistakes or assumptions in specific scenarios and in my first practice lab. (Which I am still working on.) I feel like I am extremely slow at this point, but I have read and believe, that speed will come after a confident knowledge of the technology is there.

One of those 'DOH' moments I have made will be in my next post and will be more a technical one. I would rather have those moments now, than when it counts.


Until then, happy labbing!

~P

Written Passed!

Well it is about time for an update! I recently passed the CCIE R&S Written exam. First, I have to say that I felt that other exams in the CCNP track were harder, but I'm not complaining!

Now the real work begins. I will be using INE's complete training solution that spans approximately 48 weeks. Additionally, I have booked their 10-day bootcamp for the fall of this year.
I am excited to do hands on for the majority of my study time now and supplement reading instead of the other way around. I have to admit, I was getting a little bored with just theory.
I have already started to go through the first workbook and am thankful that I get to play with equipment and configure at least some of the technologies in the blueprint in my current position.

I will be posting the hourly totals for labbing, reading, and watching videos on a monthly basis in the 'Costs' tab.

Until the next update, happy labbing!