Internetwork Expert, this is very dissapointing!
1
Category Archives: Catharsis
Finished IEWB RIP
Finished IEWB RIP and moving to EIGRP…
OMG, when this is going to be over? I’ve finished RIP, quickly just to catch up with the time to get my written done once I finished all of the IEWB Vol. 1.
Can’t even face my computer anymore when I’m home. I’ve given it a 2 weeks break but I could get off the boredom.
I’m stuck!
(Almost) Finished IEWB RS Vol1 v5; Bridging and Switching.
Well, kinda finished. I need to redo some weak spots such as dot1q tunneling, MST, PPPoE, Protected Ports, Flex Link, Fallback Bridging, and Private Vlan which I couldn’t really do it because the remote lab is full booked until Saturday.
I’ve been spending 7 6-hour sessions just to practice over and over for this workbook. I know, It’s kind of over doing it but I’m glad that I’m making sure I got a good grab for each subjects on the workbook.
Every Saturday I dedicated to 12-hour lab and for each day I dedicated at least 2-hour for reading or doing another lab.
I’ve read most of the subjects on Catalyst 3750-E and 3560-E Switch Software Configuration Guide, 12.2(50)SE. I actually intended to read all of them but I think I would be better of reading from another sources for subjects like DHCP, EEM, QOS, etc. I can always go back to this doco when I need them. At least I’ve read all of the Layer 2 subjects on this doco.
And yes, I had those moments when my brain just couldn’t take anything anymore. Well, a 12-hour sleep will do the trick to rest it, at least for now.
Moving on to the next chapter, Frame Relay.
Burnt Out
My mind is not getting any satisfaction tonight. This is actually my cooling down after 6 days of working and study and I really can’t take it anymore. I’ve been resuming my study starting it all over again since the last three weeks yet seems It’s getting harder just to read few more pages of Cisco Documentation.
For the last three weeks I’ve been reading 3750 Software Configuration Guide and trying to nail down anything that seems unknown for me. I guess that’s just pretty much reading cover to cover for everything.
I don’t know how I can recover from burning out yet a day of not doing study scares me as I can’t afford to forget something.
Sleeping doesn’t help and ceasing to study is not an option. I guess I just have to keep pressing on…
Moving On…
I downloaded the IEWB materials on Jan 1st, yes, that’s a new year and I couldn’t convince myself not to go near any computer.
I started the WB about 2 weeks ago. Kind of hard to resume studying after couple of months busy with work and fixing stuff for my new place. Anyway, excuses won’t keep me forward, perseverance does.
Back in late December 2008, I was struggling to convince myself to buy InternetworkExpert materials. Luckily, InternetworkExpert provided 25% discount and financing. So, I took the deal with 6 months financing. It was on 31 December 2008, the last day of the offer.
Downloaded the EIGRP WB on Jan 1st and I had to put it down until I make a commitment to resume my study, and it was about two weeks ago.
When I started to resume my study, I really couldn’t focus myself as I have so many things to do at once. I have to study several materials such as Security, Wireless, and Voice for work. It’s not that my company doesn’t have other resources and fall everything to me, I just thought that I need to have a bit of understanding for those areas before asking around.
Again, excuses won’t move me forward. Like yesterday, I had a request from the customer to add a new subnet on the data center and I had to do some discovery how should it be done. It took me a nearly 5 hours straight just to get to know the routing plus the core switches are Alcatel 7800. I dug down the documentation and starring the monitor for hours.
Went back home sat down in front of TV for nearly 3 hours and felt didn’t want to study. Then I said to myself to have a shower and move-on to study. Yes, shower heals!
I just doesn’t work by pitying myself and give all of the excuses.
A friend of mine told me that he has to drive to office for an hour every night to lab and drive back home around 1-2am every day. And he has a wife and kid.
I’m no par of him, despite any excuses to make justification, I have to keep moving on and pressing on.
Ok, EIGRP is finished, along with Bridging and Switching I did few months before.
Well, It’s hard but look at me, I’ve finished two WBs.
I’m moving on…
Christmas Stole My Study Time.
Since I commited my CCIE journey the road seems never ending. On those early months, I passionately studied and feel like I can counquer the any mountains by taking more coffees. Apparently, it takes more than just coffees and lack of sleeps. November and December was the hardest time where all of my time sucked up to work and family matters. At work, as a consultant, like everybody else, I need to do more than one project and one of them sucking my time badly. I also moved to a new place where I need to pack and unpack all of my gears, organizing with agent.
Well. Christmas holiday seems too short for us. I need to repaint the whole place and fixing broken things (those bloody silicon sealant was the hardest of ‘em all. I don’t understand why people want to carry those around). Family time meant that I had to go around everyday to enjoy the holiday yet also buying things to repair the place. This Christmas time I’ve spent most of my time with relatives and friends coming over, going around, and be a chauffer. It’s fun and the best way to forget that I need to study.
Now, the family time if over. Although I still need to fix the house I can now have time to study. It’s been a while since I postponed my study and I feel strange when I’m back reading those books. It gives this funny feeling when I touch those books and start reading it again. I think I really need to redo my Switching, Frame Relay, RIP, and EIGRP study as I feel that I’m losing it.
On 31 December 2008, I bought myself InternetworkExpert materials to start with. For this end year season, IE offers 25% discount for all materials. I haven’t sat for any written exam therefore I’m thinking to finish IEWB vol 1 then do the written.
I should’ve taken my written exam last year but it didn’t happen. I need to revisit my strategy on how am I going to do this. Hopefully I can have written in early of this year.
Sun Boxes To Be Destroyed
What You Choose Defines You
I believe there are always at least two sides of point of views for everything that is happening in our lives. One that can make us moving forward and the other one that makes us not going anywhere. The way we see things, even though what we see are the same, will have a different impact in our lives. What we are seeing will be interpreted differently according to our point of view, thus, our point of view is determined on how we are seeing ourselves.
Few days ago I watched a TV program about 9/11 incident. On this particular program, engineers gathered and investigated the cause of the building collapsed. Obviously, people saw this as catastrophic disaster and blame could be pointed directly to the terrorist and plane that crashed the building. The day I watched the program, I suddenly realized how lucky are those engineers to have an opportunity to investigate this type of disaster which I believe, according to my knowledge, there has been no building collapsed due to terrorist attack involving a plane with a lot of fuel loaded. Many of structural engineers will probably try to avoid being put to investigate this problem due to the magnitude of the issue. Yet, from my point of view, I saw the opportunity being part of the great team. I bet they weren’t looking for newbie with several years of experience.
I had a small project where the customer was not really sure what they needed and the job handed to me with not enough information to go forward. To add this up, there was a problem with previous similar project so that I didn’t know what was happening before. On the first day, I spent my time discussing a pre-sales job. Sitting down with customer, defining the expected outcome, and gathered more information. At the end of the day, job got done.
If I see myself on the current point of view, I surely have things to complain. Why should I done this while the first stage wasn’t properly executed. However, on the contrary, I was actually quite excited and fascinated to get the job done, whatever it takes. I see myself 5 years from now that I would be able to do whole package from pre-sales job, design, implement, testing, and creating documentation. That is the place I want to go. So, this is a no-surprise for me as the way I see this issue really depends on what I want to be in the future.
Another story to add up. I spent two hours driving to work. One hour in the morning and another one hour on the afternoon. Yesterday, on the way back home, I was caught on traffic for two hours. I was really excited to know this happening so that I can have my time to listen CCIE audio. It was a quick and intensive 2-hour and I finished my Switching audio.
We cannot change for anything that is happening to our lives, but we can choose what is going to happen to ourselves, how we react. We have the option. What we choose today defines what we will be in the future.
It is not what happens to you. It is what happens in you.
Living Out My 3 Lives.
It’s been two months since I joined to a new consulting company, changing my work from support role to professional services. Life’s been really fast. From the first day I started, my manager handed a project documentation to build 3 data centres, reading through it and get involved on day 2. This is when I realized all my study and hard work was challenged and moving to a whole another level.
My first assignment was done about 4 weeks ago, and then I had to come back to office. I thought life was running fast on my first assignment, I was wrong. Once I showed up on the office, several projects already waiting. Currently I’m holding 8 small projects, next few weeks I’m already booked for QOS audit, Wireless project, and Wireless dot1x project.
My knowledge is limited, thus the projects requires me to read more, and more, and more, and more. This is where I feel stretched to the maximum level. I have to learn about Voice, Wireless, and I thought I know about Routing & Switching, I was wrong.
My CCIE study obviously being postponed until I can get my rhythm back. Currently I’m living three lives. As a technical consultant, providing technical solution to the customers. This is taking 8 hours of my life.
Once I got home, I need to spend two hours with my wife. This is my life as a husband and trying to keep my marriage life sane.
the rest of the night up until 12 or 1 am, I spend to study whatever I feel need to learn. From knowledge I need to know to support my work to CCIE reading materials.
I cut unnecessary activities and I have to say no to my friends. I only have time to go out on Sunday, while from Monday to Saturday I’m living out my 3-lifes. What a life.
This is what I call investment because I can see what I can be in the next 5 years. If I can see it, I can achieve it!
Himawan Nugroho, a triple-CCIE, has his blog Living in the Fast Lane. I’m totally not on his par, but I think I get what he means by that. If you living in the fast lane, you gotta run!
And The Journey Begin…
Today, I’m marking my day to start my CCIE journey. I will try to finish my written this year and head up for the lab next year.
My plan is quite simple, finish reading several books recommended by Cisco Press then do the written. Actually, I’m not even sure that I can finish all of those books by this year. However, at least I’ve made my mind that I am starting my journey. What happen next? I’ll see and observe.
I’m actually doing this because of my job commitment. I join this new company for project services and I will take my best to be meet the expectation. Almost all of my colleagues are CCIEs and one of the person I met has 2K CCIE number.
I believe this is the right time to make a commitment that I’m trying my best to fulfill the expectation even if I have to do it and learn it in a hard way.
I’m no match, at all, with those CCIEs. Even, it only takes one breakfast for them to do the job and for me will take breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I will do it!
I found these articles (CCIE R&S Syllabus, Part 1, CCIE R&S Syllabus, Part 2, and CCIE R&S Syllabus, Part 3) from Ethan Banks to help to get started. Arden Packeer and Himawan Nugroho are also have been my great inspirations to help me to realize that CCIE is just a mind game. A game about focus and time management while the skill will be the bonus.
I believe accepting this job and crafting my path to CCIE are a conscious commitment to increase my capacity. I believe that if I want to go further, I can use CCIE as one of the foundation.
I’ve been praying for this and talk it through with wife, over and over. I don’t know how many times I talk about this to her and she keeps listening and supporting. I need Him and I need her to make sure that I won’t stop ’till I win the prize.
You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally. 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 (The Message)
Let’s get busy!