Shodown taking a bite out of the CCIE pie

I have deiced to go for it after a few weeks of thinking about it. After I passed the NP, I said I would prob not do another professional level exam(unless its security). So the options were CCIE R&S or Voice. I have decieded to do the R&S track. I have done voice for a while and I enjoy it, but I feel it would limit me to Voice roles. So I will be updating my blog entry as I work on a plan of action and strategy. My first plan on action is taking a honest assessment of my skills. Happy studying.

Find more posts tagged with

Free for TechExams community: Cybersecurity salary guide

Compare cert salaries and plan your next career move

Button

Comments

shodown

Completed console server installation this morning. Its up and working great. Had a bunch of console cables from site installations, cut off the back and put RJ45's on them. Now All i need is some sort of remote power cycling device and I can start labbing away from home. All the gear is kinda loud in my apartment. I will post pics on my blog soon

vid below

http://urbanengineercisco.blogspot.com/2010/10/where-have-i-been.html

shodown

So got a offer today as a Sr UC support Engineer at a partner. This will quickly Derail my CCIE studies as I would have to get Knee deep back in VOIP. As many of you know that have read my blog me and my manager don't see eye to eye and today somebody made a comment to me about how they put my current salary situation on blast(they didn't say my salary, but made a comment about a raise in front of everyone). So me and the GF will discuss this weekend and see what the best option is for us.

Turgon

shodown wrote: »

So got a offer today as a Sr UC support Engineer at a partner. This will quickly Derail my CCIE studies as I would have to get Knee deep back in VOIP. As many of you know that have read my blog me and my manager don't see eye to eye and today somebody made a comment to me about how they put my current salary situation on blast(they didn't say my salary, but made a comment about a raise in front of everyone). So me and the GF will discuss this weekend and see what the best option is for us.

Sounds like a good opportunity good luck with that. How are your CCIE studies going generally? Do you have study plans this weekend?

shodown

Turgon wrote: »

Sounds like a good opportunity good luck with that. How are your CCIE studies going generally? Do you have study plans this weekend?

I usually watch CBT's and then follow it up with some reading. Take light notes on small things to remember. If I take on the new job I will have to finish my CCVP before I take on IE again, not to sure how that whole situation will play out.

shodown

Had a job at a Partner the initial offer was too low. I countered and they denied. I really wanted this job, but for the work I put in I couldn't take a pay cut. No studying for the rest of the week. Taking time off to gather what direction I want to go in

PsychoFin

shodown wrote: »

Completed console server installation this morning. Its up and working great. Had a bunch of console cables from site installations, cut off the back and put RJ45's on them. Now All i need is some sort of remote power cycling device and I can start labbing away from home. All the gear is kinda loud in my apartment. I will post pics on my blog soon

vid below

Urban Cisco Engineer: Where have I been???

If you are still looking for a remote power device, check this one out:

amazon

highly recommended!

shodown

New week new start.

Possible job interviews coming up with a pretty large WAN 800+ sites and a another large service provider wan. I will be hitting BGP/MPLS very heavy this week. I have already looked at the ISCW training materials I already had on BGP and will take a look at CCNP level BGP Training this week. Its a part of the written so I'm still on track I will just be digging a little deeper into the topics as I prep for the interviews.

shodown

Possible job offer coming for a large Campus Area Network. They run BGP/MPLS on the network so it looks like it will be some good technology to implement as they aren't finished building it out yet. All the brushing up over the weekend paid off as this interview came out of nowhere.

shodown

Job Offer fell though. Still chugging along. A internal Recruiter contacted me about a internal Job. There is another contract with a 1000+ node WAN that has a opening. Interview tomorrow. I will just be reviewing what I already have on my resume and making sure I can pass a CCNP level interview.

shodown

Did the interview today. Not really that much interested. I'm actually at the point of burn out. I don't think CCIE R&S is for me. My passion is VOIP. I may have to take a step down for a lower paying VOIP position. Will take some time to think about things.

chmorin

shodown wrote: »

Did the interview today. Not really that much interested. I'm actually at the point of burn out. I don't think CCIE R&S is for me. My passion is VOIP. I may have to take a step down for a lower paying VOIP position. Will take some time to think about things.

Come to the dark side...

mikej412

shodown wrote: »

I may have to take a step down for a lower paying VOIP position.

We pay our experienced CCVPs more than we'd pay a noob CCIE R&S.

Bl8ckr0uter

mikej412 wrote: »

We pay our experienced CCVPs more than we'd pay a noob CCIE R&S.

Interesting. Obviously when you say noob CCIE you mean CCIE's that haven't had much work experience at the CCIE level right? Like if you had a CCIE who had been doing mostly CCNP level work, you would pay them less than a person who was a CCVP but had more work experience doing CCVP level work than the CCNP (lets say 2-3 more years of experience)?

To Shodown:

So does this mean that you will updating the lab some more? Maybe you first move will be to get the books out of the kitchen lol

chmorin

Bl8ckr0uter wrote: »

Interesting. Obviously when you say noob CCIE you mean CCIE's that haven't had much work experience at the CCIE level right? Like if you had a CCIE who had been doing mostly CCNP level work, you would pay them less than a person who was a CCVP but had more work experience doing CCVP level work than the CCNP (lets say 2-3 more years of experience)?

Wait- that was obvious!?

I think(hope) what he means is high end CCVP level work is worth more than a high end CCNP or low end CCIE R&S.

mikej412

Bl8ckr0uter wrote: »

Obviously when you say noob CCIE ...

Correct.

Bl8ckr0uter

chmorin wrote: »

Wait- that was obvious!?

I think(hope) what he means is high end CCVP level work is worth more than a high end CCNP or low end CCIE R&S.

I kind of thought so. I just find that very interesting because I guess what I didn't think about was that your experience level sort of resets as your cert level increases. Having spent alot of time doing monitor type work doesn't count as CCNP level work (depending on where you work and what exactly you do). So you aren't really at CCNP level until you have the work experience and the cert.The same thing goes when you go from CCNP to CCIE That's why I haven't (and will not) go for the CCNP (yet) because it wouldn't really benefit me. If anything all it would do is give people a false sense of my experience level and I could end up in a bad spot lol.

shodown

My work experience with Voip is that I worked as a Support Engineer at a Partner supporting 30-35 call manager installations around the globe. Some where just 2 server setup. Others were Multicluster ICM environments. I did that for a little over a year. Then at my current job I did a call manger installation for 2 around 2500 users with unified messaging. Every job interview that I did for voip I have passed, but the offers have been less than I get now. When I have went for regular network Engineer positions I get what i feel my market value is. Im not even suppose to be on this site now, I said I was taking some time off.:D

Bl8ckr0uter

shodown wrote: »

My work experience with Voip is that I worked as a Support Engineer at a Partner supporting 30-35 call manager installations around the globe. Some where just 2 server setup. Others were Multicluster ICM environments. I did that for a little over a year. Then at my current job I did a call manger installation for 2 around 2500 users with unified messaging. Every job interview that I did for voip I have passed, but the offers have been less than I get now. When I have went for regular network Engineer positions I get what i feel my market value is. Im not even suppose to be on this site now, I said I was taking some time off.

Ouch!

I know the feeling. But at any rate, If you have the chops and the desire and you can afford it, take a slight paycut. Don't mentioned that to the hiring folks of course, but I would do it.

jason_lunde

shodown wrote: »

Im not even suppose to be on this site now, I said I was taking some time off.:D

I got burnt out a couple of week ago too man. Take a week or so off, away from the books and just do whatever. After about a week a had a desire to jump back in...

shodown

New Job!!!!

The Senior UC engineer job that I was offered a few weeks ago has come back around. I guess my thoughts were answered as I said I would take a pay cut for a new job. It wasn't as low as I expected either. I have to decide if I"m going to continue down the R&S track or if I'm going to go after the VOICE. We will see as the days continue.

Turgon

shodown wrote: »

New Job!!!!

The Senior UC engineer job that I was offered a few weeks ago has come back around. I guess my thoughts were answered as I said I would take a pay cut for a new job. It wasn't as low as I expected either. I have to decide if I"m going to continue down the R&S track or if I'm going to go after the VOICE. We will see as the days continue.

If you are changing jobs my advice is to disconnect completely for at least two months from any studies on works time or personal time. You need to be 100% focussed on learning and bedding into the new position. Accomplish that first then pick up on the studies in March/April 2011.

Good luck.

ConstantlyLearning

Turgon wrote: »

If you are changing jobs my advice is to disconnect completely for at least two months from any studies on works time or personal time. You need to be 100% focussed on learning and bedding into the new position. Accomplish that first then pick up on the studies in March/April 2011.

Good luck.

Would you give that advice to someone moving into any level of job or just more senior roles?

laidbackfreak

ConstantlyLearning wrote: »

Would you give that advice to someone moving into any level of job or just more senior roles?

imo I'd apply it to any level. Reason being it tends to take 2-3 months to get a grip on most roles in a new company.

Turgon

laidbackfreak wrote: »

imo I'd apply it to any level. Reason being it tends to take 2-3 months to get a grip on most roles in a new company.

That's correct. It's a vital time and by 6 months most impressions that will be important to you will have been made. Certs are one vehicle to a better job but once you start a new one concentrate on the work for a while.

shodown

Turgon wrote: »

That's correct. It's a vital time and by 6 months most impressions that will be important to you will have been made. Certs are one vehicle to a better job but once you start a new one concentrate on the work for a while.

I wish this would work out for me, but I have a contracted time to obtain my VP by. It looks as if that time is right in with there renewal for there partner status.

Turgon

shodown wrote: »

I wish this would work out for me, but I have a contracted time to obtain my VP by. It looks as if that time is right in with there renewal for there partner status.

In that case park the CCIE studies until next year and crank out the CCVP. From the sounds of things passing that will assure you of a job there for sometime. They may cut you some slack to study for R&S on works time once you tick the CCVP box for them.

shodown

I just got the CCbootcamp CCIE Voice written study guide in the mail. Its 500+ pages, I will read it over the next few months and give feedback on what I think.

Turgon

shodown wrote: »

I just got the CCbootcamp CCIE Voice written study guide in the mail. Its 500+ pages, I will read it over the next few months and give feedback on what I think.

That's fine but dont let it distract you from real work. Knuckle down on that new job.

shodown

Thanks

I think I'm in a good groove at where I'm at according to my 90 day review. Still trying to push forward and get good base knowledge for the written. I hope to make a strong attempt at it by summer

Turgon

shodown wrote: »

Thanks

I think I'm in a good groove at where I'm at according to my 90 day review. Still trying to push forward and get good base knowledge for the written. I hope to make a strong attempt at it by summer

There is no rush. Pace yourself. Job first. That's what pays the bills not your career plans.