Ok so, the hard work is done, at least thats what I thought. It seems that the best is yet to come.
As most of you know i’ve been training in Amsterdam for the last 6 months. Since coming here I’ve been doing all kinds of things from presentation workshops to time management trainings. That is the user-friendly side of the course, the technical side of things is really focused in on different technologies used both on the internet and to access the internet. I’ve trained to solve the most complicated problems that a company might have in their IT infrastructure (more specifically their connectivity to the internet and various sites).
Now I face the hardest challenge yet, the CCIE. For those that don’t know it, it is considered the hardest examination in the computing world <LINK>. Many have tried (and continue to try) and fail. The exam consists of two stages, the first a 2 hour (100 question) multiple choice exam and the second an 8-hour hands on lab in one of 7 locations worldwide. The written piece is considered a pre-requesite to take the lab exam and is the ‘easy’ part of the process. The lab exam has beaten even the smartest of people with about 15% of people passing on their first attempt, and the average attempts required to pass being approximately 3.
Ok so that was all the bad stuff, now the good stuff – Given the difficulty of the exam, along with the title comes instant recognition and respect for any successor. Logically enough this results in better pay and increased job opportunities. I however would just like the challenge and hopefully the feeling of beating the odds/spread.
Anyway now for the prep, the next few months will consist of a plethora of labs from Internetworkexpert.com and other training providers. My employer has been kind enough to provide me with all the resources so I am one of the lucky ones, I will have my own rack of the latest equipment and a lot of existing CCIE qualified people to ask the questions to.
