CCIE
- Why bother? There are plenty of individuals around the
world, working in the same environments as CCIEs, who make
a comfortable living as holders of other certifications
that are were less difficult to obtain. CCNP, CCDP, CCIP, and
other Cisco certifications provide career advancement and
the respect of peers, so why embark on a study routine
that will probably take months to complete, that place extra demands on you (and your family) and does not
end until you have passed what is arguably the toughest
practical exam in the IT industry?
The reasons are many and varied, but one of the commonest is the fact that
CCIE certification is recognised worlwide by people, organisations, companies,
and vendors throughout the communications field. It carries a great deal of
kudos and is the closest a networking engineer can get to a guarantee of employment.
Sadly, even CCIEs have to lower their sights when the market is depressed but
at least they are at the front of the queue when jobs are few. As economies change the salaries for CCIEs vary but they remain consistantly higher than any other similar certification.
Some people now argue that the CCIE certification program is past its peak
and that there are simply too many CCIEs now, but the program is evolving and
changing year by year, and some CCIEs fail to recertify, retire, or move on
to other things. Cisco Systems Inc. have ensured that the syllabus for both written and practical CCIE exams is updated to reflect the changes in technology. There will always be a demand for skilled and experienced
internetworking engineers. Check the Cisco
web site for details of the number and type of CCIEs in each country.
There are still very few Security, Voice, and ISP CCIEs.
So how does one go about obtaining CCIE status? Amounts will vary according to your experience and ability, but generally speaking
preparing for the CCIE lab exam involves months of daily study and practice,
so be sure you can commit yourself to the task. Talk it over with your partner
and family and be sure you have their support.
Due to the time an commitment involved you may also wish to consider taking
several months study leave. However, few of us can afford to give up our jobs
to study full time, but we may be able to persuade our employers to allow us
a few weeks study leave immediately prior to the lab date. In any event your are going to be doing a lot of reading and practical work. Your first task is to pass the written exam. There are plenty of other resources online which cover this exam (just put "350-001" in the search bar below and you'll see what I mean), but at the very least your study library will need to consist of these titles:
In addition to all this reading and study you'll need to practice answering questions quickly and confidently so invest in some testing software. Be sure to use one that is updated to reflect the changes to the CCIE syllabus. Boson Software is one of the market leaders in this field and is a Cisco Learning Partner.
Click here for details the Boson practice exams for the all the CCIE tracks Click here for details of the Boson CCIE written exam bootcamp Click here for details of the Boson CCIE lab exam bootcamp Click here for details of the Boson CCIE lab rental
When
it comes to equipment to practice on, there are several choices.
Buy
your own personal CCIE practice lab
Convince
your employer to buy a practice lab
Rent
time on someone else's lab
Practice
on router and switch simulators
Of
course, buying your own lab can be expensive so most people
buy a mixture of second hand an new
equipment over a period of time to spread the
cost. For some people the advantages of owning their own lab
far outweigh the costs involved.
Buy your own personal CCIE practice lab
It's
available for you to use at any time
It's
reserved for your exclusive use
It's
yours no matter what happens to your job
It's
an investment in your career
It
can be sold on should you need to
It
can be physically examined, unlike an online lab or a
simulator
Once
qualified, you'll recoup the cost of the lab within a few months
as a CCIE. Alternatively you could sell it and get most of
your money back.
Convince your employer to buy a practice lab
It may seem doubtful, but it can be done if the company wants to increase their
profile and revenue by expanding their skill range while at the same time becoming
some form of Cisco partner. A lab within the company can be used not only to
train employees at many levels but also to test scenarios before implementing
them on a customer network. Besides, they may have equipment to hand that is
surplus to requirements.
Rent time on someone else's lab
There are several sites online now that offer this facility. They can be booked
up for weeks in advance so be sure to plan accordingly. Plan your session in
advance so that you do not waste your time slot preparing.
Click here for details the Boson practice exams for the all the CCIE tracks Click here for details of the Boson CCIE written exam bootcamp Click here for details of the Boson CCIE lab exam bootcamp Click here for details of the Boson CCIE lab rental
Others: CCIE4U.com
Practice on Router and Switch Simulators
This is not the ideal solution but be useful
especially for practice if your budget won't
stretch to buying one. Simulators are becoming more and more sophisticated
and there are now several good examples on the market.
MidasCode Ltd.
5 & 6 The Azure Suites, Churchill Court, 112 The Street, Rustington,
W Sussex BN16 3DA Tel: 01903 779538 - International: +44 1903 779538
- Fax: 01903 856683 – Mobile: 07860 899235 – International
+44 7860 899235
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