1st CCIE lab attempt blog and help for candidates.

gbadman

Turgon wrote: »

It's strategic more than operational. That brings with it choices to ponder very carefully indeed. Very demanding and not something any of my certifications help me with really. Decisions are needed and leadership, but if I take us in the wrong direction it will cost us.

Still, doing the CCIE keeps me current and able to keep up with our full time network designers. Im a network designer of 7 years standing now retired

I find it slightly depressing when you say your certifications do nothing whatsoever to prepare you for that role. You're in the kind of position I fantasise about getting into one day, and I'm pretty certain I'm not alone on here in that. And you've had the sort of journey many seek to emulate.

We start our careers with pretty basic technical knowledge, then we advance into positions of increasing technical sophistication. When hopefully the apogee of this technical odyssey is reached - CCIE level knowledge - we perhaps then hope to advance upwards into positions of increasing strategic responsibility (with a reduction in technical focus). I would hope though that the technical expertise we hold at that point would not be an irrelevance. If that is the case, then it means we're doomed to be locked into a status quo in which business admins who haven't gone through a tenth of the toil that we have end up lording it over us and dictating engineering strategy.

I would imagine that in your strategy meetings with the designers, you're able to intelligently argue about solutions, and so arrive at an optimum direction. Sure, you make the point that a non-technical director could play the presidential role and decide the best direction based on the arguments presented, but I do believe that the decision process of a director with technical insight would be superior.

Roguetadhg

Correct. You're not the only one.

But, hopefully I'll be able to get to the thick of things - CLI without becoming one of those "Doddering old fools"

I've heard of high-ranking military officials that hated being their rank because they've been stripped of doing the fun stuff.

Forsaken_GA

gbadman wrote: »

I find it slightly depressing when you say your certifications do nothing whatsoever to prepare you for that role. You're in the kind of position I fantasise about getting into one day, and I'm pretty certain I'm not alone on here in that. And you've had the sort of journey many seek to emulate.

Well, when it comes to leadership, you shouldn't be disappointed there's no certification for that. It's not a technical ability. If you want to get to that kind of position, you need to be able to play on that field. Either learn to play the game, or the game will play you - that's true of anything.

gbadman

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

Well, when it comes to leadership, you shouldn't be disappointed there's no certification for that. It's not a technical ability. If you want to get to that kind of position, you need to be able to play on that field. Either learn to play the game, or the game will play you - that's true of anything.

I don't contest that sentiment. What I have a problem accepting is the idea that it's ONLY about leadership.

N2IT

Keep it up brother!!!

Webmaster

This thread is locked because the OP's account has been suspended indefinitely. The rules apply to everyone regardless of post count / rep / registration date and there is a limit to the amount of times we can spend time moderating the same user again and again. I would have preferred to avoid this situation probably more than anyone, but he left me no choice. Although we try to apply all rules equally, it does take some effort for a senior member to get banned at TE and I'm not going to let such effort spoil it for others. Feel free to PM me, but don't expect much more than what I said above already.