David's CCIE: R+S Thread

Turgon

gorebrush wrote: »

Ah, things are nicely back on track now. Solved my home issues, so all happy there.

Added 4GB of memory to my PC, making it excellent. Lately learned about AMD 6 core CPU's which are going to be VERY attractive price wise. Might get one.

As for ISCW, I've been slowly hacking away at the Lab book and making steady progress once again. Tonight the mrs is not home until 9:30PM so this gives me a nice 3 hours within which to do some more labbing.

Tonight it'll be the MPLS Challenge Lab of setting up a MPLS VPN. Yes, I know the configuration is not important for the sake of the exam, but I am a sucker for labbing cool stuff like that, plus it'll help me nail all the concepts

Other than that, as I say, making steady progress overall. Exam is on April 12th, and then holiday on the 16th. Then I've got until July 31st for ONT, but I want it out of the way.

Tempted to take a Cisco holiday after it before I attempt my CCIE journey proper... There seems to be a lot of call for SQL Server skills and I think tackling the Installation and Management side would be a nice distraction from Cisco just to take a break, while bumping up the skills on the ol' CV side of things.

Work wise, having a terrible time, though it really helps motivate studying (i.e. my job makes me want to study to help get out)

So, overall, not too bad

Little and often is good. One year down the line its nice to look back!

gorebrush

You're not wrong there!

12 months ago I was gearing up for BCMSN shot one and looking forward to Singapore. Hadn't met my now fiancée yet though, that's only 2 weeks away though (1st anniversary!)

On the whole though, the last year has been a blast.

Here's to the next!

gorebrush

Studying is nicely back on track now.

Had a bit of a family emergency on the weekend. My fiancée and I have two rabbits, whom we thought (well told when we bought them) that they were both boys.

We found out the hard way on the weekend that we in fact have a boy and a girl, and unfortunately we were in no way prepared for it, and lost two babies. Made me sad in a way, but there we go. We've since taken the girl to the vet today as she needed checking over and she has a problem with ear mites which isn't very comfortable for her on top of everything else.

Oh well.

On the job front I am quite frustrated and depressed. Woke up this morning, and before I'd left for work (and as my fiancée was getting off a 11 hour night shift) we had a row because i've been miserable for the past few days. So that was a great start to the day (That has been sorted now though). The reason for this? The realisation that while I earn good money and have a reasonable job, I am bored out of my skull beyond belief, and dealing with all the 1st/2nd level crap I joined the company to get away from in the first place (They made the junior redundant back in November)

Anyway, after a word in my ear which basically said that I should be grateful that I have a job at all, and actually I have it quite good means I shouldn't have any reason to be miserable. While the previous sentence is absolutely true and I should probably quit my whining - I just feel wasted. I could do SO much more!!! Why should I have to feel bored. Still, that's two major people in my life giving me the same speech, so perhaps it is me who is in the wrong by wanting to be the best, huh?

Anyway, in trying to find out about jobs: A company i'd been waiting on for a few weeks (due to one thing or another) have decided to change the job spec to focus on the things that I was particularly weak at, hence not going forward with my application.

So one down, so I chased another prospective employer - they say that they have already put forward one CV and they are awaiting feedback on that one to see if they'll put mine in. Apparently my lack of Citrix skills is my problem, oh and also because I have not worked in environments of 200+ servers.

How the hell do you get experience like that living in South Wales? Apparently some other candidates have managed it. On the other side though, apparently I am currently earning less than this post is advertising, while all the other candidates are earning above. I was advised that they may decide to take on someone who was on lesser money and work on the weak areas... so it may come back my way... or it may well not.

Oh, and last week one post that I had applied for is on hold for the next 6 weeks.

So I'm down to ONE job application, and that hasn't even closed yet (31st March). So back to the waiting game.

I did manage to salvage SOME good news today though. My new car is being built this week and should be here when I get back from my holiday in Egypt with my fiancée. Maybe things aren't all that bad after all...

Best till last though - Study front, ISCW seems to be going excellently well now. Practice tests are revealing 90% and I'm starting to see the weak areas, and i've got about 2 weeks to finish preparation.

gorebrush

ISCW on Monday...

laidbackfreak

glad to hear things are back on track

It's hard in this economy to keep motivated. There are a few of us on here looking around for new gigs including me. I keep fliting between cherry picking and not quite flooding my cv out there. Good luck with the search front but don't let the frustration take itself on your home life even tho its easy to do that.

good luck for Monday. I had a disaster today for my CIPT2 exam but thats for another thread.

gorebrush

Ah damn, sorry to hear about CIPT2 LBF! I'm sure you'll get that one hooked up soon

Yesterday was our anniversary (1 year! ) so had a lovely day. Final prep for ISCW today, and hopefully a pass tomorrow. Then a 2 week holiday until I get back from my holidays, and my new car to look forward to! woohoo!!!

gorebrush

I hate the night before an exam. 4:58am, haven't slept properly at all... Oh well

Essendon

Good luck to you. Hope you post a PASSED!!!!! next...

gorebrush

Me too! At the exam centre now. Appointment isn't until 10AM though. 90 minutes early I think must be a record for me. Still, I'd rather be this early than be stuck on the motorway then have to rush here.

DevilWAH

Good luck

laidbackfreak

gorebrush wrote: »

Ah damn, sorry to hear about CIPT2 LBF! I'm sure you'll get that one hooked up soon

Yesterday was our anniversary (1 year! ) so had a lovely day. Final prep for ISCW today, and hopefully a pass tomorrow. Then a 2 week holiday until I get back from my holidays, and my new car to look forward to! woohoo!!!

Nah mate I didn't even get to sit the exam lol

Congrats 1 down, many more to come

gorebrush

913 and that's ISCW done.

laidbackfreak

gorebrush wrote: »

913 and that's ISCW done.

congrats

DevilWAH

Well done well done well done!!!

SysAdmin4066

Congrats on the ISCW, one more to go and then you can move forward.

Essendon

Nice work, congrats!!

Pash

Can't believe I didn't see this thread earlier. Many congrats dude, keep chugging away. We are following.

gorebrush

Thanks all

Hoping to go for ONT in June. Before I attack CCIE proper, I might squeak the upgrade for my MCSE in as it is only two exams for me, probably 6 months work...

But still got the CCIE in my mind

gorebrush

Well would you believe it... we booked to go to Egypt on holiday last August... then, as i'm sure you've all heard, a volcano went off in Iceland, and we've ended up going nowhere..

Oh well - still got the week off work though - going to a cottage down in West Wales instead, so at least we still get a holiday too.

gorebrush

ONT has been scheduled - June 28th 2010

Gives me 8 1/2 weeks from soup to nuts to get this done.

Wish me luck

Pash

gorebrush wrote: »

ONT has been scheduled - June 28th 2010

Gives me 8 1/2 weeks from soup to nuts to get this done.

Wish me luck

Go get em gorebrush

peanutnoggin

Good luck!!!

gorebrush

Well I seem to be going through another low point at the moment. Despite everything seemingly going my way lately, I just am not happy today.

Had a foot infection and a busy week at work - and my manager resigned on Tuesday. He's on his 4 week notice period now, but man it is going to make life difficult if I am still there.

I have a job interview tomorrow, and I've managed to get an introduction into the company through someone who works there... Been given tips/hints, so it should make the interview process very easy.

I got my new car on Wednesday this week. Oh, I love it! What a car

But at the end of it all, despite everything going my way, I am still bothered by one person. This person being my father. I havent' mentioned much about it up until now, and in fact I can't even talk about this to my fiancée at the moment - so this makes it even harder for me to keep it in.

Ever since I met my fiancée my dad has been funny about even meeting with her family. We try and invite him down to our home and he makes excuses. We asked him this week whether he will or will not wear a suit like all the gents for our wedding, and he wasn't interested in that.

Honestly, the man makes no effort whatsoever to be involved with our relationship and I find it heart breaking.

The real bitter pill came this week where on MSN he tell's me he wants me to visit without my fiancée because he can talk face to face to me. "He is concerned about my future". What the **** is he on about? I live with the woman I love whom I will be married to this year, have a good job with prospects on the up, we have a very nice home together, but for some reason this gives him cause for concern?

Nearly 14 years ago he went through a divorce, my mum left him and tried to take him for what he had - I think he has it in his head that all women are out to get men...

Even when I said we had booked our wedding - the first word out of his mouth wasn't "congratulations"... it was "Why? - Stay as you are" and then a discussion about how "if things went wrong - she would take everything". Uhm, hello, this isn't my house - I moved in with her and she has the mortgage by herself. What exactly am I losing out on? Nothing.

I think I have a serious case of a very very bitter old man who is determined for me not to be happy unless I was living at home, saving 99% of my money for no reason other than to just save it (i.e. he didnt like that I'd bought a new car, asking loads of questions about how I paid for it etc) and then spend 99.9% of my time studying/working.

I'll hear him out, but I think one day very soon I'm just going to say "you know what, the hell with this, I'm done"

Everybody else is over the moon for us- why can't be...

/rant

gorebrush

Oh and something I haven't mentioned yet.

If I do get this new job, I will be server based, further away from Cisco. I might have to put off the CCIE formally for the time being and get my MCSE updated to 08 and look at Exchange 2010.

However, CCIE I will be using to background read on.

Why? Well, the company I'm going for are the right kind of company... They have Cisco people so ultimately I will be wanting to sideways myself into Cisco with my new employer

Don't worry, I know what I am doing.

gorebrush

Ooh, it's been stickied!

Thanks for that!

Right, well I'm back and feeling much more positive. Let's get the boring personal life crap out the way. Going to see my Dad tonight. Foot is better. Reality of work is that there is no future in my current job. Interview went well, awaiting results.

Phew.

CCIE related studies then - ONT - up to Chapter 3 learning about Classification and Marking in QoS - thoroughly enjoying it.

I'm getting there again

Turgon

gorebrush wrote: »

Ooh, it's been stickied!

Thanks for that!

Right, well I'm back and feeling much more positive. Let's get the boring personal life crap out the way. Going to see my Dad tonight. Foot is better. Reality of work is that there is no future in my current job. Interview went well, awaiting results.

Phew.

CCIE related studies then - ONT - up to Chapter 3 learning about Classification and Marking in QoS - thoroughly enjoying it.

I'm getting there again

Getting there is good. Think one or two years down the line. If you are still blogging then you have a chance. Little and often, but mosty often

gorebrush

I have these little blips from time to time...

As it is, this is my 6th year of IT Certification...

Turgon

gorebrush wrote: »

I have these little blips from time to time...

As it is, this is my 6th year of IT Certification...

We all get them. It's my 13th so take heart!

nicklauscombs

gorebrush wrote: »

/rant

just keep the positive thinking going. you have a lot going your way right now.

gorebrush

Well I had my chat with my dad and is was nowhere near as bad as it was. It was quite easy but I had to open my eyes and I did.

However im feeling more alive and ready for the certification war, because that's what it is not a simple few battles but an epic lifelong war and each battle I shall conquer and grow stronger at every step. I will achieve what I want, and a few setbacks here an there, while inevitable, won't stop me

Tomorrow or early next week we'll know about the interview and then my friends it will be time to really step up to the plate and take the challenge to the next level. I can't wait!