Ip Expert Blended Solutions

Bl8ckr0uter

So IPExpert has a sale going on right now:
https://www.ipexpert.com/holiday_savings

Anyone have any experience with their product (in general or specifically for security)? Worth is it worth a grand or more? I want my numbers but I am limited in funds.

Turgon

Bl8ckr0uter wrote: »

So IPExpert has a sale going on right now:
https://www.ipexpert.com/holiday_savings

Anyone have any experience with their product (in general or specifically for security)? Worth is it worth a grand or more? I want my numbers but I am limited in funds.

I used IPexpert workbook through 2007 and 2008 and found the product to be solid. There are plenty of quality materials out there for CCIE, but the main thing is having time to use them. Consider that as well before investing heavily in a lot of stuff you wont use.

Bl8ckr0uter

Turgon wrote: »

I used IPexpert workbook through 2007 and 2008 and found the product to be solid. There are plenty of quality materials out there for CCIE, but the main thing is having time to use them. Consider that as well before investing heavily in a lot of stuff you wont use.

Time I have. I just want to make sure it is effective. I'll probably pick it up after finishing CCNP:S

chrisone

i am no longer convinced CCIE is even worth the time and money anymore

Bl8ckr0uter

chrisone wrote: »

i am no longer convinced CCIE is even worth the time and money anymore

Why is that?

cisco_trooper

chrisone wrote: »

i am no longer convinced CCIE is even worth the time and money anymore

I'm interested in why you feel this way. Aside from being an expert level certification the displays a certain level of knowledge, it is also one of the harder certifications to **** because of the lab element. The lab element alone makes it more valuable "pound for pound" than any other Cisco cert. Check the job boards for your area and see what kind of demand is out there for CCIE caliber engineers. It may not be worth it in certain parts of the country, but as a general rule a CCIE is going to do quite a bit for your networking career.

chrisone

I believe a multi CCNP "with" Experience! well get you more jobs that a CCIE would.

1. CCIE is only good IMO if you are security, wifi, or Voice. CCIE in routing and switching is mainly where i feel it is no longer worth it.

2. Honestly ask yourself, you would rather hire a one dimensional CCIE in routing and switching, than a professional/experienced very skilled engineer in R&S, security, design, wireless, voice? With the experience and professional level certs to go along with it?

I think the second guy is worth much more to any enterprise, than that one dude who is just an expert in one thing. I am mainly targeting the R&S CCIE. There are an overflow of CCIE RS to the point where it is no longer a mystique/unqiue cert and lets be honest do you feel you will crack that 100k mark with your CCIE? I honestly havent seen many employers offering those salaries these days, nor do i feel they will start to anytime soon. To top it off, you are willing to destroy 18 months of your life for something like a CCIE RS? i just dont see the value and benefits for your time , money, and sacrifices.

Just my IMO, doesnt mean i am correct.

shodown

I feel if you can't crack the 100K mark with a CCNP and some experience then something is a problem. Of course this depends on location, but I have CDW and a few other people offering up to 140-150K for design experience and IE's are not required, so I kinda agree with Christone on this that the value is not much there as the distingushment from your peers that you get. My CCNA instructor refused to get his IE cause of all the cisco politics and he still teaches, gave a presentation at LIVE, and so on. So its not the all to be all. With that said I hope to have the written done 2012 and make and pass a lab attempt 2013.

RickRandhawa

chrisone wrote: »

Honestly ask yourself, you would rather hire a one dimensional CCIE in routing and switching, than a professional/experienced very skilled engineer in R&S, security, design, wireless, voice? With the experience and professional level certs to go along with it?

I think it depends on the type of company you work for man...if you're small and need a jack of all trades type then your logic here makes sense, but most big companies have separate teams for Voice/Security etc. Not to mention, companies that need to meet partnership.

I never understood why people consider $100k some magic number on TE. $100k+ salaries for network engineers aren't that hard to find (granted this is mainly as contract work). I know quite a few CCNP's making well over that. Also, the CCNP that makes the largest salary of my friends ($160k+Bonus) doesn't touch anything but R&S.

Bl8ckr0uter

I see your point. When I look at jobs in my area, most CCIE level jobs are in the 110s and up. Personally I think that if you are at CCIE level there is an expectation for you to know more than what your particular CCIE is in so a CCIE:S may have to be great at R/S and etc.

Since I want to do my own thing, I think having the CCIE will help. It isn't my end all be all but just an 18 month goal from Jan 1.

shodown wrote: »

With that said I hope to have the written done 2012 and make and pass a lab attempt 2013.

What do you plan on using?

shodown

well I have a lot of INE products already. When you are a repeat customer they hook you up. I used Brian and Josh's stuff for CCNP, and some CCVP stuff. Mark Snow is a tad bit too wordy for me. My use off the english language sucks as I don't know many big words and I have dyslexia(minor only affects writing), so it just makes for a bad combination. So more than likely I will use there products as much as I can, but will have to use Vik from IP expert as english is not his 1st language so its easier for me to understand.

froggy3132000

100k mark is very very easily obtainable without IE. if you are getting an IE just for the money, than maybe you are right R&S is not the way to go. But I can say that having all the R&S knowledge is very good to have for any of the other tracks. No, you don't have to have the cert but is it going to hurt? I know quite a few R&S IE's, not one of them are one dimensional. It is hard to be that way, contracts/projects come up for some many different things than R&S stuff.

froggy3132000

forgot about the initial thread.

I purchased the BLS for Security and so far I like the material.

nicklauscombs

froggy3132000 wrote: »

forgot about the initial thread.

I purchased the BLS for Security and so far I like the material.

I second this. Honestly i've read nothing but positive reviews for both INE and IPExpert and would roll with whoever has the best deal at the time of purchase.