The Road to CCIE-V

I meant to start a series on my "Road to CCIE-V" a while ago. Actually, it was one of the reasons I started a new blog. Of course, I didn't account for how much time I would be spending on studying and how it would affect my other extra curricular work activities (like blogging).

I guess we can say "better late than never?" as it has meaning that goes well beyond the confines of this blog. I have been working with Cisco voice technologies for a long time and I have conveniently excused myself from pursuing the CCIE Voice (CCIE-V). I have always spent a lot of time outside of normal work hours studying, exploring, and testing. So, working hard is not an issue. The issue was making the commitment. Well, this cowboy has put on his spurs and that horse is riding head first into battle. 


I say horse but it started off as more of a slow pony. It took a CCIE bootcamp to truly light a fire under my you-know-what. I have been working on CCIE studies for a few months now and it is progressing. To save me from going back in time and doing a play-by-play, I think it best to focus this entry on the one event that made a difference: the CCIE Bootcamp.

The Original Game Plan

I did the CCIE-V written in May 2012. My original plan was to shoot for a test by September. I referenced several blogs on the internet to get an idea of theory and lab hour commitments and came up with something in the neighborhood of 800 hours. [NOTE: 800 was the number I chose, the range I saw was between 600 and 900.]

Aside from building out a spreadsheet and updating my calendar to show intended study days, I didn't have much of a plan. I also knew that my original timeline was aggressive. Perhaps too aggressive. Despite the fact I have a lot of advantages others probably don't. I have a supportive company (NetCraftsmen) that works with the schedule and helped provide the gear I needed for the home lab. My team (which is an outstanding group of professionals) totally backs me up. Most importantly, my wife is 100% on board with the effort. She knows how important my work is to me.


The New Game Plan

Realization

Even with all of these factors in my favor I knew I needed some additional help and guidance. Obviously, I was going to get some workbook study materials. You can't take on something like this without some organized preparation. But I had to ask myself: "was that enough?". The answer is an emphatic "No!".

My start up process was a struggle. Primarily because it was hard to find the "path to modularity", as I like to call it. How do you take this big beast of a task and break it into small, more manageable pieces. Where are the boundaries? There is a lot of freakin' stuff in the exam. Figuring out where to start was only a small part of the problem.

After some deliberation, I knew that the best way to kick start the studying was to pick a reputable partner and do a bootcamp. NetCraftsmen is BIG on professional development, so when I said I was thinking about doing a bootcamp they were very supportive.

Choosing a Partner 

I think it is very important to have the right partner when tackling any large task. There are a few folks in my company that write CCIE study materials and that was very helpful for me. I also spoke with several colleagues who have pursued or achieved their voice IE. It was pretty easy to narrow the choices down to two industry leaders: INE and IPexpert.

I researched both companies and their voice instructors. Both are very reputable and have quality programs. I spoke with people that had reasons to prefer one of the other, but from what I could tell you couldn't go wrong either way. I thought of it this way, those dudes are not taking the test for you. They are preparing you to do your job. In the end, it is all on you and what you need from an education partner is flexibility in schedule, diversity in material, depth in experience, and just the right amount of structure to build a plan.

In the end, I chose to go with IPexpert. Primarily, this came down to scheduling. The bootcamps IPexpert was offering lined up better with my plans. I also really enjoyed Vik Malhi's VoDs and blogs. Vik's depth of knowledge and presentation style really works for me.
   

Bootcamp Numero Uno 

IPexpert has a 10-day bootcamp. The first week is essentially a walk through of a single lab with a deep dive on each major topic that is likely to be covered in the real lab. The second week is called the "One Week Lab Experience" where you are given three full mock labs to fine tune your "flow". 

I decided to break that 10-day bootcamp into two separate weeks. I thought getting through the first week sooner was the best approach for me. I wanted to jump into the material to zero in on a successful approach and I didn't want to wait. Now that I am a month down the road from that first bootcamp, I definitely think I made the right choice.

So, what were some of the immediate benefits I received from doing the bootcamp?

1. Understanding the scope. The CCIE-V blueprint covers a lot of ground. If you were to study everything in depth, you would never see the end of it. You need to identify the core topics so you know where to focus. That isn't to say you ignore topics that are less-likely to be on the exam. It just means you focus developing your understanding (and speed) on the things you know are absolutely going to be on the exam. 
2. Better appreciation for the home lab. Prior to the bootcamp, I thought I had a practice lab that was close to the real lab. Well, it wasn't close enough. When you are honing your skills to become more efficient, you want to have a practice lab that is almost identical to the real thing. Seeing how IPexpert built their pods helped me see a path to getting my own practice lab updated to being closer to the real deal. I had to compromise on a few things but having the home lab is proving to be a huge asset.
3. Need...more....speed. I was slow during the bootcamp and I am slow now. Of course, I am not focused on speed yet, but it is always in the back of my mind. At this stage in the game, I am focused on improving my understanding. Where the bootcamp helped is that I have several tools that allow me to steadily progress in the speed department.
4. I am in good company. Probably the best part of the bootcamp is that you meet other people who are on the same path. Granted, there is a mix of people who are just starting their journey and those that are tightening up loose ends. In all cases, it is really enjoyable to share ideas with some of the best and brightest.

Moving Forward 

I took the information gained from the bootcamp and used it to improve my original plan. Which is to say that I now have something that more closely resembles a plan. I also adjusted my timeline to be something more realistic.

My recommendations to those of you who are looking at pursuing any IE certification are:

First, get your "peeps" (spouse, team, company) behind you. You want to make sure everyone is on board and supportive. It is also a good motivator because (if your like me) you won't want to let those people down. 

Second, do a bootcamp. I recommend picking an education partner that has a phased bootcamp approach. Schedule the first week (or phase) early on in your studies. Not too early, give yourself 4 - 6 weeks with the workbooks before showing up. It helps.

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