Friday, April 12, 2013

Read the News Today, Oh Boy! I Passed the CCIE in Cisco RTP

Yesterday, I sat for the CCIE Voice lab in RTP.  At 0300 EDT my mailbox received the grade notice. A few hours later I actually opened the email and followed the link to get my exam report. 

For some reason I stared at the screen for what seemed forever before it sunk in that I passed this beast. Though, in a way I am still numb. 




The Experience

The experience of getting a passing score on the IE lab must be wonderful. I still don't know yet because it hasn't really "hit me". I spoke with the president of my company today (he is very excited and has been very supportive) and he noted that my energy was a little lower than he was expecting. He's right. I am somewhat in limbo. Though, as I sit down to write this blog and share the news, I can feel it start to sink in.

This morning when I saw the email from Cisco, I wasn't sure I wanted to open it. It wasn't that I felt I had failed. I actually had no "gut feel" on how it would turn out. I completed all of the tasks and I was confident that all requirements were met. However, I felt I nailed the exam on a previous attempt and that didn't turn out in my favor. So, I guess you could say I was cautiously optimistic? In fact, I was so cautious that I wasn't sure I was reading the results correctly and asked my wife to confirm. 

Once confirmed, my wife gave me a big hug and that felt great. So perfect in fact, that it is how I want to remember this experience. 

The Journey

Can a journey be absolutely awesome and super sucky at the same time? Yes, it can. I passed the written IE in May 2012. I started my lab journey at the end of June with an IPExpert bootcamp. Sacrificing evenings and weekends for this journey started mid-July. Aside from taking time off around the holidays, preparing for this lab has been an ever-present fact of daily life.

So, what is that ... 9 or 10 months and an absolute ton of hours. 

There is an aspect to this journey that is pretty awesome. Anyone who knows me, knows that I like to deep dive and see what makes something "tick". The "awesome" side of pursuing the CCIE comes from the fact that to legitimately achieve the goal you HAVE to geek out and explore things you wouldn't normally bother with. You have to break things to see how everything behaves. That's right up my alley and I enjoyed that part of the journey very much. 

There is an aspect of "suck" too. For me there are several things I didn't enjoy. Number one, I had to take time away from my family. Don't like that at all. I got to the point where it was pissing me off. No other words for it. Number two, it was taking time away from my team. I work with an outstanding team at NetCraftsmen and they have all been very supportive. But we have work to do and this thing was distracting me from that work. Number three, it's the same as Number one and Two. Haha.



The People

Like many journeys, this journey is one you have to do on your own but you don't have to do it alone. There are several people that deserve my deepest gratitude.

First and foremost, my wife Kyle Bergner deserves a huge thank you for her patience. Life keeps going on while you have your head stuck in this rabbit hole. I'd be lying if the journey didn't affect my family. It did and I am very thankful that Kyle was there to support and motivate me.  You need both to get the steam to drive this home. So, a special shout out to my partner, my best friend, and my lovely wife. 

I'd also like to thank the UC/Collaboration team at Chesapeake NetCraftsmen. Especially, David Hailey and Andre Wright. We have a small and extremely talented team of people. I am very fortunate that these guys were willing and able to carry some of my work load while I was focused on the IE. If you could hear the voicemail Hailey left me then you would know how this achievement isn't just about me. It feels good to have you guys as colleagues and friends. Damn good.

Of course, I have to thank all of the folks at NetCraftsmen for supporting me. We have lots of CCIE's in our camp. We have folks involved with this program since its inception. We actually have the first CCIE outside of Cisco. Needless to say, these folks know what it means to do this thing and they gave me every resource I needed to make it happen. That is uncommon and much appreciated. 

Finally, I gotta give a shout out to Vik Malhi at IPExpert. I used their training exclusively and Vik is an instructor who really cares. He was willing to spend his own time to work through things with me. To share ideas and discuss strategies. Definitely above and beyond the call of duty. His approach to this is very practical and focused on learning the material, not memorizing the exam questions. That's important, to me anyway.

You know, I should mention the folks that were part of a study group where I was an infrequent participant. I think that being part of a study group is key and while I wasn't a "regular" visitor to this particular group's sessions, I did enjoy exchanging ideas via email and it was certainly beneficial sharing in a collective experience. You guys know who you are. Just know that I appreciate your efforts.  

Wrap Up

If you got this far then thanks for reading. My next steps are: (1) Turn off all of this freakin' equipment in my lab and (2) try to relax and enjoy the weekend with my wife. After that, I think I may actually take a dozen or so blogs/notes I have taken on the IE and post them here. Just because. 




Thanks for reading. If you have time, post a comment!

20 comments:

  1. You deserve it, congratulations!

    You're finishing your journey. For me it's just the beginning, Tonight i'll start to connect my four used routers and configure my home-PC server.


    Thanks for share!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for congrats. I appreciate it. I wish you good fortune on your journey.


      - Bill (@ucguerrilla)

      Delete
  2. Bill, congratulations, that is wonderful news.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congrats, great achievement. From the quality and depth of your blog posts it was only a matter of time before you passed. Keep up the blogs, they're certainly helping me along the journey (I share the same frustrations!).

    Cheers
    Steve

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Steve,

      Actually, I had several articles queued up that I plan to revisit and post here soon. Thanks for reading!

      - Bill (@ucguerrilla)

      Delete
  4. Congratulations Bill! Well deserved. Must feel strange stepping back into the world!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Bill,

    A big congrats from the entire Cisco Support Community team! Not that I ever doubted you'd have trouble passing the exam :-)

    Cheers,

    Dan Bruhn

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank Mr. Bruhn! Maybe now I can give CSC a little more attention!

      -Bill

      Delete
  6. Bill,

    Good to see the "karma" you've placed into the "universe" has made its way back to you. I along with many others check your blog almost daily to see what we can learn from you as you detail your experiences with VoIP. It is much appreciated as hopefully you already know.
    One question I have is if you would at some point detail the lab you had at home for your studytime. I'm looking to build a few pieces and would like to see what you had in the basement.

    Thanks and congrats again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anon,

      Almost missed your comment as it was in my spam folder. Glad I checked when I did. I had another request asking about the lab gear. So, I'll make a point to put something on line in the next couple of days.

      Thanks for reading!

      -Bill (@ucguerrilla)

      Delete
  7. William
    I just want to say congrats on the IE Voice, I'm going to start the long road myself very soon

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey Bill Congrats Man... Thanks for share your great knowledge with us

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hey Bill,

    That's Awesome! Congrats!! I knew it was only a matter of time before you had that bad boy knocked out :-)

    Chris Harrold

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hey Bill,

    I am so sorry for missing this most AWESOME milestone my friend! I knew in my heart that if anyone could master the "IE" journey it would be you! Kudos, high fives, virtual beers & and 3 meows coming your way ;-)

    Well done! Well deserved! Well.........everything nice!

    Cheers!
    Huff

    ReplyDelete
  11. Huff,

    Thanks brother. Next time I am near your latitude I will make it a point to take you up on the beers. I am even inclined to make a trip just to meet you!

    -Bill

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hey Bill,

    You are welcome at my home anytime buddy! We'll fire up the Q, get some cool ones and talk some Collaboration ....or not :) Maybe just have some laughs and a Tee Pee campfire instead!

    Do you actually ever head this way?

    Cheers!
    Huff

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Huff,

      Actually, I have never been in your neck of the woods but have passport and will travel. Maybe I can try to drum up some business near you so that I can have an easy excuse? Barring that I think that Calgary would be an awesome place to take a holiday.

      -Bill

      Delete
  13. Hey Bill,

    A nice Canadian tour would be a good thing eh ;-) As I said, you would be more than welcome anytime buddy! You have a place to stay, not right in Calgary but a little west and nearer to the Rockies!

    Would be fantastic! And you'll feel right at home with the cRazY cat people....hahahaha!

    Let me know when you're coming so I can stock up the beer fridge.

    Cheers!
    Huff

    ReplyDelete