Hints On How To Learn
These study notes began as a way of learning and studying for the CCIE Routing and Switching Lab. Everybody has study notes online. So why are these better than everyone else's? For you, they're not. For me, it's the best thing since sliced bread.
So why do so many people have blogs like this? Because it helps them learn and remember. Reading about a topic will be informative. That information may or may not stick with you and be available when you need it. So a lot of people learn by reading about the topic and then getting some hands-on experience. Yeah, that's good too. But still sometimes that's not enough. Or perhaps that just isn't the way I learn. I've found that if I learn a topic, play with it (hands-on) and then write about it, I will remember it better and learn it more thoroughly.
There's something about composing a post about some topic that really cements your knowledge. In the Army, we used to say "see one, do one, teach one" to learn any subject. When you try to explain what you know to another person, you usually realize what you do and don't know about that subject. Sometimes finding out what you don't know is much more helpful than finding out what you do know. I would much rather find this out in front of my computer than in front of the Cisco Proctor. My computer is much more forgiving and will allow me to research it further - the proctor is not so lenient.
However, learning is not the only reason to create a blog like this. If that were the only reason, we would all be publishing locally instead of online. For some, it's about the consulting gig. However, I'm not a consultant. For me, it's about giving back to the community. For years, I have read other engineer's blogs. Quite often, they will use a phrase that I may remember or present a topic in a different way that might make it more memorable. I would like to do the same for someone else.
The layout of this site is pretty simple - it follows the layout of the Lab Exam 4.0 5.0 Topics. I will be filing posts in the appropriate categories as I go through the material. Anything not specifically related to those categories can be found in the General Information section. If a link is not active, I haven't posted to that topic yet. Eventually, they will all be filled with posts.
After I passed the CCIE R/S Written Exam 3.0, I took a bit of a detour to achieve the CCSP certification (now CCNP Security). Although it was helpful (look at Section 06), from a CCIE Lab perspective, it cost me a number of months and I found myself not yet ready to attempt the lab 18 months after passing the Written. So now I will be taking the Written Exam 4.0 to become eligible again to sit for the Lab. This means that a lot of the topics will have a lab and written focus instead of a strictly lab material focus. It also means that I'm going to focus more on completing the CCIE Routing and Switching certification.
UPDATE : Since I wrote this post, I took the Written exam and passed (again). Let me be honest -- the time between passing the written and the 18 month mark, well, I really don't know how the time passed so quickly or where it went. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, I was staring down the deadline again. And this time I bit the bait.
Realistically, I knew I had not finished reviewing all the material I wanted to read and had not practiced as much as I would have liked. But the time was drawing near. I really had nothing to lose. Most engineers fail on their first attempt at the lab. So if I went and didn't pass, the worst that could reasonably be said is that I'm average. So - I guess I'm average.
The troubleshooting section (2 hrs) is the first part of the exam. I was able to fix some of the tickets, but not all of them. So, I knew before lunch that this was not the day I was going to get my number. But I also knew that I had spent a tidy sum of money and I was determined to get my money's worth. I evaluated the exam in front of me for quality and quantity of content. So now I know for sure what I need to know and how deeply I need to know it.
Granted, I may or may not get those same topics on my next lab sitting. But I know certain things for sure. I know I have to be able to build a super solid Layer 2 foundation in any way, shape or form that might be required. I know I will need to be able to configure my IGPs in any way shape or form that might be required. BGP will be on there. How could it not be? IPv6 is going to show up somewhere - if not in the configuration section, at least on the troubleshooting. How could it not be? These are CORE topics. You know they are going to test you on this in some form. Be ready.
And by "be ready" I mean - be able to configure these scenarios as easily as you can configure a description for an interface. Yeah, that easy. Not that it IS that easy, but you have to make it that easy for YOU. And that takes a lot of practice. Don't think that you're going to get that at work - no matter where you work. I've been in a number of different environments - and no job does everything all the time. The guy that's a drop dead expert on BGP because that's all he does all day - when was the last time he configured any switches? And frankly, not many of us are dealing with IPv6 on a regular basis. You have to practice.
So now I have until Nov 2013 to pass the lab. My goal is to shoot for Sep 2012. It's an ambitious goal and may need to be pushed to the end of the year. But the one thing I know is - I've come this far and it's too far to back out now. I'm going all the way!
UPDATE 2 : Nov 2013 came very fast. I knew I still was not ready. So AGAIN I took (and passed) the Written Exam. How does time come to pass so quickly? [Think about it next time you say "is it Friday yet?" ] It's very hard to find enough time to study when you work full time. But I guess that if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.
And I'm back at it. You only lose if you stop trying. However, now the Lab has moved to version 5.0! So I will re-arrange the sidebar (and categories) to reflect the new version. It will follow more along the lines of INE's Advanced Technologies course - and I will put in my notes as I go through the material again and work through the Workbook. The posts that cover material which still relates to the new version will stay, but the posts from version 4.0 that no longer apply will be moved to the General Information category.