What kind of study plan is right for you?
Its been a few months since I passed the CCIE Security exam. Since then I have been working on Voice and R&S but jumping back and forth. It’s not the study plan I would follow if I had things my way. Alas, work, family, and study all have to come together in a fine balance for me to acomplish anything. It took me 2 years and three attempts to pass the Security Lab. The reason it took me so long is because I wasn’t seriously studying for much of that time. So when people ask me what plan I followed it’s a tough one to answer. Once I put it all together and subtract the on-and-off periods I can however, see a distinct path. So for those who are interested, let me share.
To begin with I was a CCSP prior to taking the Security written. This, in my opinion, was the “core knowledge” understanding that you must have. I used CCBootcamps CCIE Security Written Workbook to study for that. Once I passed it was technology focused labs. If I couldnt figure something out I went back to what I know of the core knowledge topics and reviewed/re-learned. Then I would go back to the technology specific labs. Once in a while I would throw in a mock lab just to smack myself in the face and prove how little I really knew. When that started getting smoother I began doing multiple mock labs per week.
At this point I took a bootcamp with Jared at IPexpert. I KNOW it pushed me over the edge. After that I changed the way I studied because I was less than three months from taking the lab. It was after the bootcamp that I eased up, rented rack time 24/7 all the way up to two days before my lab. Now when I would do a full scale mock lab I would not start over every day. I would work on as much as I wanted whenever I wanted and if I got bored I would go watch TV. If I got frustrated I would go watch TV or go outside or something. The point is I would remove myself from the labs. When I felt guilty for not studying I would go back to it.
Two days before the lab exam I stopped working on the racks and spent the last two days just thinking about things, listening to some audio bootcamp material in areas where I felt weak, and I spent time with my kids and my wife.
Thats it. There is no trick. There is no Golden Rule, no “Best Practice” so-to-speak. Here is what I say: You know you. Just study hard, let your mind absorb the information you are cramming it with and enjoy what you are learning.
I’m sure there is more….but I’m feeling guilty for not studying for a test I have to take. Time to get back to that!
CIPT1 test closing in on me.
Well it’s been an interesting week for me. I took a little down time to camp with the kids. I spent a few days over on Whidbey Island at a camp site on the beach. It was pretty relaxing but in the back of my mind I knew I had this CIPT1 test coming up. At any rate, I am not quite thru the Cisco Press book by Dennis Hartmann, I’m actually about 80 pages shy. I also have the Quick Reference Sheets that I will scan thru tomorrow night before the test on Saturday morning. Provided I pass with an instructor score I should be clear to teach that class and can add it to my list of about 20 Cisco courses I can teach.
Then on Sunday I am off to Denver, Co to teach a BGP class. That class is one of my favorites!
I’ll have a few technical content posts coming shortly. I want to take some time to get ahead and schedule posts. As of yet I have about 100 drafts that I need to polish up and then I can publish.
Well, back to the labs….
Update on my progress.
It’s been a few days since I’ve had a real post, although I have added some comments into the link posts that I’ve added. If you haven’t noticed I just installed a new toolbar on the bottom of the site for your reading enjoyment. If you find something you like you can easly share it now.
As for me, it has been crazy. At one point in time I had 13 people in my house. Now that all the visitors are gone and things are settled down I am getting back into the swing of things. I’ve done some light studies for R&S and it looks like the CCIE in 90 days is not going to work out. That’s ok with me, I wouldn’t feel like it was quality study time anyhow and going to take the lab would be like throwing 1400 bucks away. I’m going to slow things up a bit. Not because I want to, but because I have to.
The work front is interesting. I have been at home since Cisco Live and don’t have travel scheduled until the last week of August. I’ve been asked to pick up some of the voice classes, which brings me back to the issue I had before about whether I should work on the Voice or the R&S CCIE. The R&S classes that I teach keep coming up, QOS next week and BGP in a few weeks, but at the same time I have to focus some of my learning time on what my job requires which is Voice. So I am working in the CIPT1 course and getting certified to teach it. It’s mostly all CUCM so it’s not too bad to study but it’s different when you are learning how to teach something versus how the technology works to impliment it. It also cuts into my R&S study time. Who knows if I will ever find the right balance. In the mean time I will jump back and forth between R&S and Voice Studies. I have the IPexpert BLS for both and plan on getting both of those CCIE Certifications someday.
Also, since everyone talked so highly of it, my wife and I have started P90x. 1-week down and I’m feeling pretty good.
Well thats if for now. I hope to have some more technology focused posts in the near future. Until then…study hard!