Hi,
I just passed the CCIE R&S on my
first attempt!
And only 1 day before v5 comes along!
I just want to share the experience
of my journey with everyone.
It all started about a year and a
half ago, when I decided I wanted to become a CCIE. I knew it was going to be a
long and hard journey but I was determined to do it.
I started by getting an all access
pass and watching the videos, also read more books than I can remember, after
about 6 months I passed the written exam.
After that I continued with the ATC
videos and working on the Volume 1 and Volume 2 labs. I have to admit that
after doing my first Volume 2 lab it went so bad I had the feeling that I had
no idea what I was doing and I was never going to pass this exam.
But I'm lucky I had the support from
my family and friends, and work colleagues that always kept me going when I was
feeling down.
The rack rentals that INE has are a
really good investment. I have tried a home lab, but just the amount of hours
you waste setting things up and changing things around are better spent
practicing. With work and family you really need to make the most of every
minute you can dedicate to studying.
After working for a couple of months
on the labs I attended the 10 day bootcamp in London last January. I can definitely
say that I wouldn't have passed without this.
Dave Smith is an amazing teacher. The
way he explains everything and walks you into all sorts of problems, helps you
really understand how things work.
Also, meeting other people that are
in your same situation helps a lot. I kept contact with a few of the other
students and we formed a study group. I gained knowledge and friends from the
bootcamp, so it was definitely worth it.
After this I kept practicing and took
a few weeks of work in the final stages where I kept doing labs every day.
So that’s it, I'm looking forward to
getting my personal life back now :)
Thanks to everyone that helped me out
and just remember to keep working hard and the results will come.
Luis Da Silva CCIE #44011