That’s right folks. As promised, it’s back to the plan- pass my last CCNP exam (ONT), and conquer the CCIE written exam. Look for the new articles to be posted within the next two weeks! Can’t wait! Let me know what you think of them!

Damn! It’s been a long time since I posted here. I guess that goes hand in hand with my studying as of late as well. In my defense, I expected studying to slow down or stop completely due to my wedding, and all kinds of other stuff going on at the moment….and well, it did. For what it’s worth, my motivation is extremely high, and I’m anxious to take the written (looking to take it in January 2010, I think). I may be going out of town for work, and if I do, I’ll study plenty, and probably take the lab upon my return (late next year). Anyways..so here’s some highlights of what’s been going on..

-Went to the E6 (staff sergeant) promotion board, did very well. E6 in less then 5 years isn’t too bad! We’ll see how it all goes…someone at the board recommended that I compete for the Noncommissioned Officer of the Year competition..I’d rather devote time to the CCIE, but it’s a nice thought.

-Wedding is SO soon. 12 days! While Shanna is doing mostly wedding stuff (ceremony/reception), I’m in charge of anything logistical, or travel related for our guests coming into town..and it’s definitely keeping me busy. I just reserved our white wedding stretch limo for the night of the wedding, and we have a room at the Hilton reserved for that night. The next morning we’re flying to Miami and ultimately Jamaica, where we’ll have a private towncar to take us from Montego Bay to Sandals Negril (most travelers take a group bus to the resort). Supposedly upon arrival we’ll be greeted with Champagne and cheese..pretty cool! It’s crazy to think that someone like me is able to get that kind of treatment, even if only for a week. I can’t help at times like that but to think of my time in Iraq and the other bad places I’ve been…then realize I’m at the total opposite of the spectrum. It’s pretty wild.

-I’ve been running/hitting the gym a lot. Trying to get into shape for Jamaica. It’s going OK.

-In order to facilitate my promotion in the Army, I need to get the maximum promotion points available for civilian education possible. Since certifications count (only full, not individual tests), that means I NEED to finish my CCNP next month. After that, I have 3 more certifications that I can apply towards my promotion. I’ll probably be taking the Security+, CCDA, and CCDP, I think. That equals out to taking the following tests (in this order): ONT (complete CCNP), Security+, CCDA, CCDP. Not too bad. Lots of work, but I feel the only tests that will be really challenging will be the CCDP ARCH exam. Oh well. If all goes well (and I think it will), by X-mas, I’ll have several new certs, be promoted ($$), and then be heading full steam to the CCIE written with nothing to stop me. I think I was trying to be too ambitious by taking the written before Christmas. The original plan was to take the written in Jan/Feb anyways, so I’m actually still on track. Of course we’ll see how it goes..I have a pretty high standard when it comes to learning the material- I want to nail the written out of the park and start my lab prep the right way.

-Since just hearing of the new CCA (Cisco Certified Architect) cert coming out..I want the CCIE that much more, so I can pursue the CCA in a few years (once I meet the exp. requirement). The CCIE is still extremely sought after, but I feel the CCA would just place someone that much higher on the totem pole. Anyway..time to hit the pool…I ran today, and my legs are killing me (damn shin splints)…

Take care all, I’ll probably post some updates in the days leading up to the wedding, and after the wedding they’ll move back to their normal technical nature…and I will have more articles like the QoS series posted…

Mike

I started today (one of my days off) with a trip to the gym with Shanna (fiancee), and did some free weights, and came back home to get in a couple of hours of studying as the usual Florida storms kick in. I’m studying HSRP/VRRP/GLBP at the moment, taking a lot of notes, etc. It’s going pretty well I think. I just got word that I am most likely getting the network tech position I had sought after, which is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing in the sense that I’ll leave my NOC manager role, and get ‘in the trenches’ again, and get my hands dirty with networking once again. I’ll also not have to work anymore 12 hour shifts, weekends, or holidays…a true blessing. The downside is that we’ll just say I have a very strong chance of having to do some work out of town for about 6 months. I’m not looking forward to that, but if I do go anywhere, I promise..repeat I promise…..that I will take the CCIE R&S lab when I get back. That means I need to get this written exam knocked out around Christmas. If I keep the slow and steady pace I’m on now, it should be no problem. Once I start this new position, I should have more time to devote to studying (and posting up informational articles), so that’s always good.

Anyway, back to the books..since I left my CCIE exam cert guide at work on accident, I’m studying up with my BCMSN book until I can get there and pick up my IE book. Take care all..

Well, an opportunity at work may have presented itself, and passing the CCIE written may set things in stone. That being said, I’m tentatively planning on taking my CCIE Written in mid to late July. What does this mean? LOTS of reading in the meantime! Here’s a rough layout of what I think I’ll do.

Today (May 25th) until June 1st- QoS

June 1st until June 21st- Anything layer 3..IGP/EGP/Misc layer 3 technologies

June 21st till July 1st- Multicast, Security

July 1st till July 15th- IPv6, MPLS, Layer 2 review

July 15th to July 21st- Review layer 3 and any weak sections

As I said, that’s a rough sketch of what I think I will do. My work schedule varies greatly, so it’s hard to say if Multicast will take a week or a month. I would PREFER to spend a minimum of 2 weeks per subject, but I just don’t have the time. I’ve got to take this thing before August if I want this new position. It’s a blessing and a curse, I suppose. By knocking the written out, I can schedule my lab, and get down to the real good stuff. Obviously the downside is I am rushing myself- But if I am able to get this new position, that means working amonst several CCIE candidates, and getting to do a LOT more hands-on then I get in my current role..it would undoubtedly help my CCIE lab preparations.

That’s all, gotta get back to reading QoS exam cert guide!