Why do you want to become a CCIE?

I'm interested to see why one would want to become a CCIE.

Money, self-gratification, job requirement, ego, other reasons?

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echo465

Because it's there.

Turgon

DPG wrote: »

I'm interested to see why one would want to become a CCIE.

Money, self-gratification, job requirement, ego, other reasons?

Not as much money in it as there once was to be honest. It's a challenge finding the time to do it but still a worthy endeavour. I find it helps keep me sharp as I move away from fulltime operational matters. No one at work insisting I do it, takes too much time! I put self gratification.

ipSpace

Self-gratification and to get more knowledge. Money of course is a plus at least for me..but mostly to be on top and to be part of an elite.

Ryan82

I think with as much motivation as it takes to obtain a CCIE, doing it strictly for the money or for a job requirement would be difficult. You actually have to enjoy it and get some self gratification to dedicate that much time and energy into something. For example, I wouldn't shovel crap all day for 500,000 dollars a year.

I didn't see the option "For the Chicks" so I assume that's what Other means. Cause there is nothing like discussing the difference between Route Targets and Route Distinguishers that turns chicks on more

gbadman

Ego Ego Ego

Ryan82 wrote: »

For example, I wouldn't shovel crap all day for 500,000 dollars a year.

Whoah. Bro. Let's sit down and talk about this for a minute...

Bl8ckr0uter

For me, I look at it as an investment. I want to break 100k within the next few years and CCIE:S/GSE/RHCE along with a BSCS would be an epic combo (with the possibility of other certs in there, such as wireless, virtualization or ITIL). I want to make as much money as I can so I can retire as soon as possible (since I don't really know what I want to do just yet). If I could find a security and linux job (even as a JR admin) I would be so happy.

stuh84

echo465 wrote: »

Because it's there.

Kind of this for me. The knowledge is something I want. While I could get it on my own, theres a bit of structure here and another goal to put in front of me to learn it.

Also, I can't ignore the fame, fortune, gold chains and cornucopia of women I'll get when the email with the PASS comes through on it.

froggy3132000

I would give up CCIE to shovel crap for 500K/yr. Please let me know where I sign.

gbadman wrote: »

Ego Ego Ego

Whoah. Bro. Let's sit down and talk about this for a minute...

burbankmarc

Mine's gotta be for my ego. I've been wanting to be a CCIE since I was 18.

shodown

recognized expert who has been put through the ringer and tested. There are some guys who I"ve been that don't have 1 cert to there name. I mentioned here before he's a telecom technician IV. He can design global dial plans, setup gatekeepers and the whole 9, doesn't even have network plus so he's only recognized by his peers on the larger scale if he was go go apply for a Voice Architect job(which he is more than qualified for)I doubt he would get many call backs.

Turgon

shodown wrote: »

recognized expert who has been put through the ringer and tested. There are some guys who I"ve been that don't have 1 cert to there name. I mentioned here before he's a telecom technician IV. He can design global dial plans, setup gatekeepers and the whole 9, doesn't even have network plus so he's only recognized by his peers on the larger scale if he was go go apply for a Voice Architect job(which he is more than qualified for)I doubt he would get many call backs.

A good CV gets many callbacks if the agents know what they are doing. But many dont. Working in recruiting these days is a bit like your first badly paid job in advertising. Young people that have decent degrees and come over well but know little or nothing about this industry. In the UK that means people called Lawrence or Charles or Penny who have never actually done the job like someone called Steve..Having some certifications can at least help you get callbacks from the agents who dont have a clue and hopefully they will pass your friend onto someone who does! Your friend obviously has the *goods* which is important as some certified people dont, but having certifications will assist him should he get laid off and his network dissolves into a net that cant find him work.

Turgon

From the looks of things people want to do the CCIE to become elite. A refreshing change from 1999-2003 when it was swamped with salary chasers who soon got disillusioned and moved into different industries to make money.

Do it to be elite, not for money. If you become truly elite you make money anyway because you really *have* to be elite to hold a well paid CCIE job down these days. High expectations, complex networks and difficult to hide screw ups. Break SLA! Also an army of ankle biting CCNA and CCNP wannabes trying to catch you out who want your job even though they have no idea just how demanding it is in areas beyond the CLI

Expect to have to impress CCIE's out there who are entrenched in the company you want to join and excel in, we have 30000 numbers now and some have been around for 10 years.

Who wants to be a CCIE

TheShadow

Why do people climb mountains or pursue higher education or even a PhD'. If it is for money reexamine your motives as you are probably more in the hedge fund, stocks and bonds, or arbitrage mentality. If you are in it to change yourself then you are probably right.

shodown

I think the money, snottiness, and a power hunger is what a lot of the motivation is and that's why the dam failure rate is so high. Hell its tough when I was a mid level engineer, so I have no clue why in the world would someone want to be a Architect. However there are a lot of us don't get involved in things unless we can be at the top, and my goal is to be at the top of "myself" and I believe you have to be tested to say you have arrived!!!!!!!

alan2308

My reason is because it's the ultimate challenge.

And win or lose, the knowledge and self-discipline you gained along the way can only make you better.

ColbyG

Mostly money (though my salary is progressing very well without the IE)
Job security (I do well financially now, but the IE would help secure this if I change companies)
Ego (CCIE = credibility, as unwarranted as it sometimes is)

I'm off the IE path for now, but those were my reasons and will be my reasons if I decide to pursue it in the future.

SteveO86

I want it for the credential, the prestige that comes with this cert, and to be in that Top-Tier of networkers.. (Maybe my ego comes into play a bit, but I want to be that guy that can asked to step into any situation and know where to look and how to figure it out.)

Of course it is going to be some time before I decide to tackle the CCIE.. I feel the longer I hold of off the easier it might get due to my day to day experiences at work.

advanex1

I want it for the accomplishment and to hopefully be known as an expert in the field (with experience). I want it so that a company or whoever I work for can come to me and say "Hey, this guy has it." I want it to become one of the few - it would be the pinnacle of my career that I would love to retire from and would be the pinnacle of my education. I may eventually go for a Masters degree later in life, but not now. I'm finishing up my Bachelors actually, but not even that would be a larger accomplishment to me than a CCIE. It means that you ARE the expert.

I get excited just talking about it. I don't get a lot of hands on in my 25B job in the Army, but I do get some with taclanes/ASA/switches/routers, it's just in a limited capacity.. talking about these things and the theory and why they work and what's doing what is just amazing to me...

I wouldn't care if it only made me 50,000$ a year, I would love every bit of my job. I love technology.

One day... one day I will be posting that I've achieved it here.

Good luck to the rest of you on this journey as well.

tearofs

Combination of all I would say.

JoJoCal19

Question for those here in the CCIE forum and this thread specifically. I'm working on my CISSP among other security certs. As a security professional who is trying to advance his career to the highest InfoSec ranks, would the CCIE:Security be worth my time/trouble/money investment or should I pass? I have some networking experience but my current specialty is not dealing with networking, its more on the other InfoSec domains.

shodown

It depends. The CCIE security has more practical application in the use of Cisco products, while the CISSP covers move theory, policy and other domains of security. If you want to work firewalls, VPN's, IDS's and so on the CCIE security will be worth it. With that said I don't see a lot of cisco only solutions, I see ASA's, with a lot of Juniper, and checkpoint out here.

Bl8ckr0uter

JoJoCal19 wrote: »

Question for those here in the CCIE forum and this thread specifically. I'm working on my CISSP among other security certs. As a security professional who is trying to advance his career to the highest InfoSec ranks, would the CCIE:Security be worth my time/trouble/money investment or should I pass? I have some networking experience but my current specialty is not dealing with networking, its more on the other InfoSec domains.

I think a CISSP would be more for you. I am studying/reading for the CCIE:S (at the same time as CCNP:S). If you don't work with Cisco gear I think it would be a waste of time. Why not GSE? It would be pretty epic (and would look awesome with a CISSP).

GIAC Security Expert - GSE

GCFW and GCIA would be good for IDS and IPS stuff too.

JoJoCal19

Bl8ckr0uter wrote: »

I think a CISSP would be more for you. I am studying/reading for the CCIE:S (at the same time as CCNP:S). If you don't work with Cisco gear I think it would be a waste of time. Why not GSE? It would be pretty epic (and would look awesome with a CISSP).

GIAC Security Expert - GSE

GCFW and GCIA would be good for IDS and IPS stuff too.

Thank you for the response. I am doing the CISSP now and was curious about CCIE:S. I was looking at either going for the CCIE:S or going for the GIAC certs. Being that I don't see myself doing hardcore Cisco device work, I guess the CCIE:S would not be the best route. I definitely plan on getting some of the GIAC certs so I'll probably focus on those instead of the high level Cisco certs.

sieff

i'm doing it for a few reasons ... i want to put those digits in my email signature block. recognition, pay increase, most company job listings have it listed as a requirement, also I'm done haggling over salary. I'd like my cert to serve as my resume. I think the CCIE-V and my years of experience will give me that. lastly, for the bitches. ladies dig it when you talk about how fast you can deploy a CallManager cluster.

Slowhand

Turgon wrote: »

Do it to be elite, not for money. If you become truly elite you make money anyway because you really *have* to be elite to hold a well paid CCIE job down these days.

You know, this is the same advice I gave one of my best friends when he was worried his degree-path in school wouldn't lead to a high-paying job. He wanted to go to grad-school, but he kept getting bogged down by the money-issue. I told him to go and nab up that PhD, and do it in a field he loves. It was for the same reason I keep on climbing the academic-ladder: if you strive for something you enjoy, you'll eventually get pretty good at it. Once you get good enough, the money will come.

Turgon wrote: »

Also an army of ankle biting CCNA and CCNP wannabes trying to catch you out who want your job even though they have no idea just how demanding it is in areas beyond the CLI

This made my whole year, Turgon. Another reason I want to have that big degree on my wall someday, and why I too have toyed with the idea of spending a couple of years pushing my fondness of networking from CCNA-level all the way up to the CCIE neck of the woods. . . those ankle-biters an be a pain, but man do you look good standing next to them.

and36y

Not for money, though that is a bonus, more for future job security,. After having a couple of bad years contracting, not through ability, but through the incapability of untrained and untechnical agents, giving the run around and the market flooded. I believe with the CCIE on the front page, my cv should float to the top of the pile... There used to be the case of no such thing as an unemployed CCIE, don't know if that is still true today, would think so.

Andy

mikearama

tearofs wrote: »

Combination of all I would say.

Me too. The fame... the fortune... the legend. I just as soon have it all.

ipSpace

He,

Another way to view it is for my future kids.

So they know their daddy is an expert

at his job. And of course for the money.

Brain_Power

100k+ Salaries! Also the CCIE # will provide gratification to achieve something that not many IT professionals have accomplished.

shodown

100K salaries can be had without the CCIE. You can get those with professional level certs and real game