TSHOOT Tomorrow, then...

tjh87

Hey everybody!

This is my first post and first thread on here. I have recently gotten back onto the certification track, and as a result, I have been reading various forums to see how others are handling the rigors of Cisco certifications. I chose to register with this site because I like that there are contributors who have been in the game for 10+ years with their CCIE, and at the same time, there are people who are just starting out. I fall in the middle of that spectrum.

Anyway, I am posting this thread in hopes of sharing my experiences as well as hearing some other professionals' opinions on my "road map." I have been doing networking for 7 years now and have a wide range of experience with different technologies. My focus has been on Cisco, but I have worked with other vendors and also the systems side of things. I became a CCNA in 2010 after being in the industry for 4 years with significant networking experience. I recently moved from NC to TX on a whim (no job lined up prior). The Network Engineer job I held in NC had no room for growth. They didn't care if I got dual CCIEs or let my CCNA expire (the job and my experience before this could be a 5 paragraph essay in itself). I wasn't going to get a raise and there wasn't a senior position for me to move up to. This environment didn't work well in motivating me to get my CCNP, which has been a personal goal of mine for some time. Regardless, I started studying for my CCNP SWITCH in March of this year and passed at the end of that month. My role at this job dealt directly with CCNP level knowledge, so I honestly did not require much "outside" studying. After SWITCH, I immediately began studying for the ROUTE. My studies didn't last long and after maybe 2 weeks, I stopped studying completely. In August, I moved from NC to TX with no job lined up. In September, I got hired on as a Sr. Systems Engineer for a medium to large-sized company. In the interview, i told them that I would have my CCNP within 2 months of being hired on. They didn't ask, I offered this information. They were more concerned with experience (which I had) than certifications. I just figured it would give me that drive again to accomplish my goals.

I started studying for ROUTE again at the end of September and went in for the exam on October 12th. Once again, my previous job dealt directly with the technologies covered in CCNP, so outside studying was minimal. I passed. I scheduled the TSHOOT exam for October 19th (tomorrow). Assuming that I pass and receive my CCNP Certification, I am considering three possible paths for further certifications. I must first state that my ultimate goal is to be a CCIE in R&S. With that said, the path I am leaning toward is CCDA --> CCDP --> CCIE R&S. Yes, I know the first two are not prerequisites for CCIE, I would just like to also have my CCDP along with my CCNP. I eventually want to be a Network Architect, so I think the studies included in the CCDP material would be helpful. The next option I am considering is CCNA Security and CCNP Security before studying for CCIE. My new job requires me to work heavily with firewalls, which I have little experience with currently. The last path I am considering is immediately beginning to study for CCIE R&S. This is last on my list because I know how much time it takes and I would like to get another Professional level cert as well. My thinking is that I can knock out another Pro level cert before moving onto CCIE. I understand that another Pro level cert will take a substantial amount time to achieve as well, but I am thinking about immediate ROI. The knowledge I will pick up in the CCDA/P and CCNA/P Security will pertain to my current job. It could also be used to negotiate a higher salary within my current company. A CCIE is a little bit of a reach for this company and I would probably need to look elsewhere to actually use those skills on a daily basis. I will also note that the salary I negotiated here and the duties I have do not have me eager to leave anytime soon. I think this makes it easier to push off the CCIE for a little while longer.

Sorry for the long post. If anyone cares (I know I'm new here), I will update this post tomorrow with a Pass/Fail on the TSHOOT. I would also like opinions on my potential paths from people that have taken similar paths or people that are considering the same options. I've also read several posts on this site that I would like to jump into, so I'll be doing that as well.

networker050184

I'd put your three options in this order if it were for myself.

1. CCIE
2. Security Track
3. Design Track

If ROI is what you want the IE is definitely the way to go rather than a lateral certification. As you know it takes quite a bit of time and dedication which is why many people end up knocking out other pro level certs, myself included. If the Security stuff will help you in your job then that would be my second choice. I'd never really recommend anyone going the DA/DP route honestly. If you are wanting to get into that design/architect role the IE and experience are what are going to help you the most. I've never met a single person that designs networks that has the Design certifications (obviously they exist though) and rarely see a job ad that even mentions them.

Whatever you choose good luck and welcome to the forums!

tjh87

You definitely bring up a good point. I have yet to even meet a person with their CCDP. I was considering this option first just because I felt the material within the exam would help boost my knowledge in designing networks. I feel I am lacking in this area currently. I know everyone sees the letters CCIE and automatically thinks "this guy knows what he is doing." But I am wondering if the CCIE R&S material really digs into the nature of designing networks. Can anyone who has their CCIE R&S, or anyone who is studying for it, speak to this?

Dieg0M

I believe CCDP is more about architecture best practices pertaining to different models. With CCIE R&S you will just "know" what will work, what won't and how to get around it. CCIE R&S is not a best practice exam, it will give you a deep understanding of each R&S technologies and how they interact with each other. Your experience in production networks coupled to CCIE R&S knowledge will be what makes you a good network architect. Of course, CCDP can't hurt.

tjh87

Passed. 1000/1000. CCNP Certified now. Although Cisco's Cert Tracker website doesn't seem to think so just yet. I know I should be more excited about this accomplishment, but I really feel like it is something I should have done a long time ago. I've been an engineer for over 7 years now and have been doing CCNP level networking for over 4 years. I was actually asked in one of my interviews before getting this most recent job why I hadn't got my CCNP yet. I was embarrassed to answer the question.

Anyway, some take-aways and thoughts on the TSHOOT exam:

For one, I felt this was the most stressful Cisco Exam I have ever done. Not that it was the hardest by any means. This was also the first time I have ever used the erasable board provided. I found it stressful because you don't actually get to see if what you are proposing as the issue and solution ACTUALLY fixes the problem. In any other lab in a Cisco exam, you can "play around" and use ping, telnet, and traceroute to see if what you are doing is working. The same goes for "real world" troubleshooting situations. You are able to try different things to see what works and what doesn't. I found myself picking apart the configs of all the devices and probably (at first) being too in depth. After looking things over several times, it was obvious what the issues were. Cisco definitely took a step in a different direction when they introduced this exam to CCNP. Although, from what I've heard, it is a small stepping stone in getting everyone ready for the troubleshooting portion of the CCIE lab.

Dieg0M

Congrats! I have to disagree with you on the real world troubleshooting situation point. Often, in large scale networks you can't "play around" in case you break something else and hinder the production of the network even more. I don't know what kind of networks you were working with but each time I had to make a change in live networks I had to go through several steps in the CoC to fix something. Usually, we had non-production networks to test each fix. Of course, there are some scenarios you cannot reproduce in lab networks because of lack of traffic and that is why sometimes we used traffic generators using our own captured traffic for better simulation.

tjh87

Yeah, my wording was probably poor on that. I just meant that you have other tools available to you in troubleshooting real issues. Once you identify a problem and a possible solution, you can test that solution in a production network once the changes are made. Once those potential changes are approved, of course. I just wonder if Cisco could take this exam one step further and have you actually implement those changes with the ability to test your solution. I'm probably just nitpicking at this point though.

Dieg0M

Cisco has exams like that. They are the CCIE lab exams.

AwesomeGarrett

Congratulations!

I personally thought the time on TSHOOT was too long and didn't give me the that rushed feeling. They should have made it two hours like all the other and even then that's too long.

Maybe hour forty five.

jvrlopez

Congrats on the perfect score! Love when someone's real world experience shows on a high score.

I'm still trying to find these magical testing centers that are open on Saturdays

instant000

Texas is a big state. Austin? Dallas? Houston?

tjh87

So I think I've decided on my immediate path. I'm going to start on the CCDA and move on to the CCDP right after. After reading many other posts on here, the ARCH material for the CCDP seems worth while. Also, having completed 2/3 of the path to CCDP already has me itching. Almost too good to pass up. Most people have said that the CCDA is pretty simple after doing the CCNP. There are two reasons for my decision: 1.) After looking at the calendar today, Christmas is right around the corner. I don't want to start studying for the CCIE Written just to have my studies interrupted. I am being realistic. There is no way I will be studying for my CCIE during the Holidays. 2.) I still would like to learn the "best practices" involved with network design. I know the CCIE will help prepare me for the technologies involved in designing a network, but the ARCH concentrates on the "big picture" of design. My goal will be to finish both certs by Dec 25th. After that, I will decide between CCNA Security and going straight for CCIE. I am still considering CCNA Security because my new job has me doing a lot with ASAs. The cert to back up that experience and knowledge would be useful.