I PASSED!

MrD

Can we get a date networker?

Today was an awesome day!

networker050184

No date, its a little too distant for that

I have started my studies for the written and hopefully can knock that out in the coming months and then I can go full speed ahead on the lab! I'm hoping to get in a lab attempt towards the end of this year. So you all will probably not be seeing much of me around here in the coming months as I have started hitting the books and the rack like a mad man!

darkuser

MrD wrote:

Yes Sir! Thanks DU.

now can you say cha ching ????

i passed the written in 01 and 06
never took the lab
work and kids have been too crazy
ive spent the past year of my life in pci compliance hell.
went to nmc1 february of last year

but ive got to go for it this year .... as a personal goal

itdaddy

I began CCNA studies in January 2006. I passed the CCNA in June, had the CCNP by November, and passed the written in December. I had absolutely 0 real-world networking experience until January 2007 when I started with a local hospital on their L2 (Network Operations) team. Throughout 2007 I prepared for the lab. January 2008 I was promoted to their L3 (Network Engineering) team. So, now I have 15 months experience.

great job though!
you must be a serious book worm..how can someone do this in one year or under
get your ccna and ccnp with no real world experience. holy crap get ccna nd then 4 months
later pass all 4 ccnp exams bam! holy crap!

so in under 2 years you are up to ccie




I quit!

itdaddy

Mr D

what study materials did you use? and can you tell us what kind of labs did you use.
man I just think how can some be ccnp in under 1 year and have never touch equipment???
amazing..please tell me what you did? thanks and what resources you used.
thank you

itdaddy

MrD. Have you really passed all these Ciscos and now the CCIE within couple of years. It is unibelievable dude. I am starting to get into this now, just concerned how much experience you have with CISCO, because this is remarkable.

i agree it seems unbelievable! what a bench mark; maks a guy want to quit
;*(

itdaddy

6 months for ccna to take 1 exam?
5 months to take 4 exams???
confused???
and amazed??

no i am not drunk; just amzed..please tell us your secrets
or just say i am dumb hahhahah
thanks
i am done ranting

MrD

Hey DarkUser with your current qualifications I'm sure you'll ace the thing if you put the needed time in. Definitely go for it! All of the long-ass days are totally worth it man!

ITDaddy, don't feel like quitting because of me. If anything it should tell you that it's completely possible if you put the time in!!!

My first year of studying, when I passed the NA/NP/IE Wr. I took the CCNA 1, BSCI, & BCMSN Network Academy courses at a local tech college. They had rack after rack of Cisco gear! It took me 6 months for the CCNA because I was an absolute virgin to networking and Cisco until then. By the end of the 6 months I had learned how to lab everything up myself and dedicate hours of time to studying, so the CCNP exams floated by easily. Go for it man!

Silver Bullet

Awesome job Mr.D!!!

coffeeking

Heah Mr. D

Just trying to get an idea. How much did it run to get your CCIE, meaning your study material, exam costs, travelling expenses and all. Just need to know for future references. Thanks and good job again!

MrD

Well, my employer picked up the majority of the cost. They purchased all of the books, the lab, the exam including T&E (travel&expenses). The first 6 months while I was purchasing rack time I spent approximately 400/month. All in all, excluding the lab, we spent around 1k on books, 3k on vendor workbooks/CoD, $2000ish on rack-rentals, & the lab trip itself was 3k...the lab was an additional 10k (we used 2 3550's & 2 3750's that we had in stock, so that 10k is routers only).

Turgon

MrD wrote:

Well, my employer picked up the majority of the cost. They purchased all of the books, the lab, the exam including T&E (travel&expenses). The first 6 months while I was purchasing rack time I spent approximately 400/month. All in all, excluding the lab, we spent around 1k on books, 3k on vendor workbooks/CoD, $2000ish on rack-rentals, & the lab trip itself was 3k...the lab was an additional 10k (we used 2 3550's & 2 3750's that we had in stock, so that 10k is routers only).

That's fantastic getting support like that. I do envy you. Is this because they want a CCIE on staff or is it an investment for a number of you there? Did they afford you any time on works time to study the last year?

coffeeking

Man! that is spendy. I knew it cost a lot but not this much. But I think it is very nice to be with an employer who is willing to put so much money towards your education. Off course they get a return on their investment by having you there.

Heah thanx for the estimates. I think I should start saving for it some time soon if I plan to take it a few years down the road.

It is a lot of money on the stake, but I bet it feels good to have it.

dynamik

coffeeking wrote:

Man! that is spendy. I knew it cost a lot but not this much. But I think it is very nice to be with an employer who is willing to put so much money towards your education. Off course they get a return on their investment by having you there.

Heah thanx for the estimates. I think I should start saving for it some time soon if I plan to take it a few years down the road.

It is a lot of money on the stake, but I bet it feels good to have it.

You can do a lot of the routing in dynamips/dynagen as well, so you don't need to buy all those routers. There's no substitute for the switches though. Dtlokee's pass post is another good read if you're thinking about going that route.

MrD

Yeah, it definitely is great. The upper management has always wanted an IE on staff. The lab itself is for our entire networking team, both L2 & L3. I didn't spend much time studying during work. I used all of my off-time for studying. Dynamik is right about dynamips/gen. A buddy of mine sold pretty much all of his lab off and bought a high-powered laptop to do just that.

itdaddy

Mr D

yeah you are right; i have my son and he takes lots of time and well my work would never
support me in that; they are dumb!

what a great job you did! impressesed and amazed...once my boy has graduated
high school, i plan on hammering it all out like you did.
wow! my new bench mark
great!
I WILLcatch up hahhaha
freaking awesom!

coffeeking

Thanx dynamik,

that's a good pointer. For me it is way in the future yet, but I would sure love to acheive it one day in my career. I have to yet get started; CCNA->CCNP->CCSP->then if I have the resources CCIE. For right now I am working on Security+, next is Cisco.

MrD.

I have to tell you dude, I wasn't really into Cisco stuff, always thought it was tough. But, my new job might require me to get into it, since they are pairing me with a Cisco guy, more than that I am so impressed by what you have done. I not shooting to do it within the same time span, but now at least I am willing to do it. Thanx for being an encouragement.

CCIE-4-HIRE

Very encouraging.

mikej412

Have you ordered all your CCIE Logo Merchandise yet from the Cisco Marketplace?

Crunchyhippo

So, MrD, I'm curious to know if your employer recognized your jump from CCNP to CCIE in any way? I'm assuming your promotion was pre-CCIE?

MrD

Actually, it's funny you brought that up Mike. I'm having issues with my CCO login. I'm in the process of creating a new account which will be associated with my #. I already have about $200 worth of store merchandise picked out. Gonna wait to buy it with my new login...they say I should get a discount



As far as my employer recognizing me...the promotion last month was basically in anticipation of my passing, I think. Lets just say they are pretty enthused. They've never had an IE on staff, and have always wanted one from what I understand.



ITDaddy & CoffeeKing:

Thanks for the compliments regarding pushing you into the CCIE arena! Again, it's all about putting the time in. You can do it!

phantasm

Big congrats MrD. I'm still climbing that steep hill to the CCNA. The wife just let me buy 2 2610xm's (128/32) to add to my 2514 (16/16) and 2 2501's (8/8.). I have a 3550 PWR EMI and a 2960. Still a ways to go for CCNP and CCIE grade. But first is the CCNA and a better job. lol.

Again, congratulations on your pass!!

MrD

The CCNA is a critical component for anyone pursuing the CCIE. It gives you the base knowledge that you will consistently expand upon during your trek. That's actually an awesome CCNA lab and will even be very useful during your CCNP studies. Most people don't have the switch portion of their lab due to cost...

coffeeking

I am not sure if this is the right forum to ask this question, but since this one seems to be attracting all the pros, so here it is:

Do you guys think it is necessary to earn CCNP before going for CCSP. I ask this because to me it seems that you should be a network pro before you can be the one to secure it. It just makes sense to me, I don't know how it actually is.

Some thoughts?

mikej412

coffeeking wrote:

Some thoughts?

Ask this in a forum that's relevant to the question -- like the CCSP Forum.

Don't hijack a thread that has nothing to do with your question.

Read the CCSP FAQ or search the forums to see if the question has been ask before.

HINT: It has -- and its in the FAQ.
: CCSP or CCNP?
ccsp & ccnp
Studying for CCNP and/or CCSP
CCSP vs. CCNP
CCNP vs. CCSP
Steps to a CCSP
CCSP or CCNP
ccnp or ccsp?

coffeeking

mikej412 wrote:

coffeeking wrote:

Some thoughts?

Ask this in a forum that's relevant to the question -- like the CCSP Forum.

Don't hijack a thread that has nothing to do with your question.

Read the CCSP FAQ or search the forums to see if the question has been ask before.

HINT: It has -- and its in the FAQ.
: CCSP or CCNP?
ccsp & ccnp
Studying for CCNP and/or CCSP
CCSP vs. CCNP
CCNP vs. CCSP
Steps to a CCSP
CCSP or CCNP
ccnp or ccsp?

That is why I said I am not sure if this is the right forum to ask this question. Thanks for the guidance.

aragoen_celtdra

This might be a little bit late, but what the heck, this thread is worth another bump.

I don't usually venture too much out of the CCENT/CCNA forum so I just stumbled upon this thread last night while taking a break from my CCENT studying. But what an incredible journey.

I think what's really amazing about this is that, you have documented your whole experience from when you were just a "nobody" all the way to achieving the pinnacle of Cisco certifications. You weren't just anyone who already had the experience or more advanced certification and just came in right in the middle. We can actually trace your progress, follow you from when you were just starting out with your CCNA, then watch you grow, all the while knowing what you were thinking (based on the questions you've posted in the past) to how you've gained a lot of knowledge (based on the advice and knowledge you've imparted on newbie questions).

And so it gives us a clear glimpse of what we can expect to see in our own journeys. And that's such an inspiration to other "nobodies" like me just starting on the trek. Now I feel even more empowered to strive for a CCIE. And really feel comfortable about wanting it, and not fearing it.

Well, congratulations again and I wish everyone else luck in their own pursuit.

MrD

I think it's worth a bump as well Thanks for compliment! It was definitely a fun journey, full of daily discoveries. Stay the course, and you can get your own #!

Slowhand

MrD wrote:

I think it's worth a bump as well Thanks for compliment! It was definitely a fun journey, full of daily discoveries. Stay the course, and you can get your own #!

I have to say, MrD, that your journey to the ranks of CCIE has definitely been a kick to the afterburners for all of us. I don't know about knocking it out in the next 15 months, but I'm definitely considering the path a little more seriously with every success-story I read on TechExams.net. I'm probably going to end up hitting the books and going back to college well before I make the trip to the CCIE lab-exam, but I wouldn't mind having the R&S written, along with CCNP and CCIP, done in between now and then. Thanks again for sharing your story and your words of advice with the rest of the forum, makes that giant mountain seem a little less impossible to climb.

MrD

Well I'm thrilled that I have pumped several of you up to go after the golden fleece! This is awesome. TechExams.net is going to have so many CCIE's it's not going to know what to do with itself! We are gonna start needing to charge a monthly fee with the promise of obtaining your # - - - haha, I kid, I kid!