Structuring your CCIE study, how?

Mrock4 · April 2009

Hey guys. Figured I'd get some input here. At the moment I work night shift, so I have plenty of time to read, and have been using that time to read through the CCIE exam cert guide, and TCP/IP Vol I. At home I spend about 2 hours a day labbing through IEWB1, and have been progressing pretty quick through those, while learning a lot in the process. I usually take notes of things I'm not 100% on, and read the RFC's while at work.

Anyway, that being said, once I finish these tech-based labs, what next? What kind of structure do you guys have in your study? Basically what I'm getting at is, I finish studying each individual technology..when do you know you're ready to start putting it all together?

I feel as if my energy has been great in focusing on several technologies, and while that's great, I don't have much of a plan after that, other then getting IEWB Vol II, and working on that. It seems there should be something more. Just wanted to get some other thoughts of others pursuing the same goal..or having done it already.

Turgon · April 2009

Mrock4 wrote: »

Hey guys. Figured I'd get some input here. At the moment I work night shift, so I have plenty of time to read, and have been using that time to read through the CCIE exam cert guide, and TCP/IP Vol I. At home I spend about 2 hours a day labbing through IEWB1, and have been progressing pretty quick through those, while learning a lot in the process. I usually take notes of things I'm not 100% on, and read the RFC's while at work.

Anyway, that being said, once I finish these tech-based labs, what next? What kind of structure do you guys have in your study? Basically what I'm getting at is, I finish studying each individual technology..when do you know you're ready to start putting it all together?

I feel as if my energy has been great in focusing on several technologies, and while that's great, I don't have much of a plan after that, other then getting IEWB Vol II, and working on that. It seems there should be something more. Just wanted to get some other thoughts of others pursuing the same goal..or having done it already.

There are guidelines but no cookbook that suits everyone. Your study programme is a very personal thing. A lot depends on your daily available studytime. Finish Vol I and do plenty of reading, then try out Vol II. But also look at labbing out technology examples off CCO, from Doyle and Solie. Don't worry about speed at this stage, concentrate on doing labs patiently, each section, and work on verification and understanding how things work in isolation. Then try some multiprotocol labs to see for yourself the dependencies between things. Sometime a week working over a single lab can teach you a great deal. Patience at this stage will serve you well later on when you may be over your head otherwise! Be cautious of eating to the beat of doing Vol I, Vol II and Vol III. The labs are illustrative of the use of technologies, in isolation as well as together but don't rush those labs. Reflect on things carefully and lab up topics from your books. Coming away from a lab, the things you think over later, the solutions you didn't understand and the reflection and research you do really take you where you need to get to. Time frame? Difficult to say. With a lot going for you on the time/energy front and good experience then inside a year is doable but lots of work. Many candidates take 2+ years if the daily study window is smaller. Be careful of bad science i.e I have x number of hours to study, y is my estimate of study hours required.. y/x = number of days to complete. Life is rarely so linear. Wittgenstein might have agreed that CCIE study is a curve and it's direction is constantly changing. Try and get what you can done on works time when you are at your best. You will still need evenings and weekends but if that is your main source of study it is very tiring.

cisco_trooper · April 2009

Turgon wrote: »

You will still need evenings and weekends but if that is your main source of study it is very tiring.

+10. This is why I'm having a hell of a time staying on track.

liquid6 · April 2009

Turgon is a wise man

I spent about a month trying to create a curriculum to cover everything that I would need to study/read...in the end it seemed to big to tackle so I cut it down, to one vendor for the technology workbook, then once I'm done with that I'll see where I am.

Also, I have decided to get my CCIP before actually heading for the CCIE. I am hoping that the time spent on BGP and QoS won't be wasted, and I'll get back into the habit of studying!

don't overthink it, don't make it bigger than it is, and just dive in...

Best of luck,
liquid

Mrock4 · April 2009

Appreciate the responses guys

So far my layout looks like such: Work through each technology in IEWB and on the Lab blueprint, and at work read RFC's, CCIE blogs, Cisco docs, Cisco press books, etc. That way I am getting my theory in, while still learning each technology in detail.

I think once I feel solid on all the technologies, I'll attempt a lab, and let that gauge where I'm at. If it goes well I'll continue, if not I'll go back to the drawing board.

At this point, progress is slow but steady due to the depth of the material.

Mrock4 · April 2009

For those on the fence about pursuing the CCIE, I think the following apply:

Stephen Covey- "The best way you can predict your future is to create it."

Oliver Wendell Holmes- "The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving."

Lao Tzu- "The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step."

William Faulkner- "The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones."

Every day that passes I realize how much I don't know, but at the same time know a lot more then I did before embarking on this journey..and it's still pretty early in the journey.

Structuring your CCIE study, how?

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