GlobalConfig.net» CCIE General

Cisco Learning Labs Quick Look

Brandon Carroll, CCIE #23837 — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:00:52 +0000

This video is a quick look at the Cisco Learning Labs released by Cisco Recently.

I Get Around! Do You?

Brandon Carroll, CCIE #23837 — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:41:15 +0000

These days you can find me all over the place. I tend to multitask. In this post I’m rounding up the places on the interwebs and the likes where you can find me. Please feel free to “Friend” me or “Follow” me in these locations. If it’s a live venue please stop in and say hello or even join me for the event.

Facebook

On Facebook I use a Page. You can find the page Here. What I appreciate about the way facebook pages are now used is that I can get notified when you post something to my wall and it’s easy to interact with you.

While I do have a regular Facebook Profile, I use it exclusively for Family. So if you have tried to send me a friend request in the past I must apologize for not accepting. “Like” the page for a more focused interactive experience.

Twitter

I’m on twitter quite a bit. Follow me @brandoncarroll or

This is pretty much where I am most often.

The Cisco Learning Network

I also frequent the Cisco Learning Network. I try to help out a bit there when I can. You find my profile and “friend” me there as well.

Various Blogs

I blog in various locations. Here, of course, at GlobalConfig.net. I also blog on these other well known blogs:

Packet Pushers

I’ve joined the Packet Pushers on occasion. If you haven’t discovered them yet you should Check Them Out!. Great Podcast!

Cisco Live

This will be my third year speaking at Cisco Live. The session I’m covering this year is TECCRT-3961- CCNP Security: IPS Deep Dive. This is a 4-hour session and should be tons of fun!

Youtube

You can also find some of my technical videos on YouTube. The library is not huge yet but it’s going to continue to grow as this is my main place for sharing my free video content now.

Wrap-Up

Like I said, I Get Around! I enjoy it. It’s nice to be able to interact with so many people in this community.

Join me for a (Twitter)chat.

Do You Feel De-valued by the Cisco Certification Pyramid?

Brandon Carroll, CCIE #23837 — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 02:50:14 +0000

Today as I was poking about on the Cisco Learning Network I surfed on over to the Announcement for the new Security Specializations. What I found while I was there was not surprising to me, but it was the first time I saw the graphic and at first glance it made me feel like the world was not right. I’m referring to the graphic seen below, which is a screenshot of the post linked to above. The Announcement is designed to focus on the Security Specialization but the new Pyramid certainly puts the “Expert” level in it’s place in regards to the “Cisco Certification Food Chain.”

Maybe it’s just me, but it really bothered me. It’s as if to say that although there is an “Expert” level for Service Provider, R&S, Security, Wireless, Design, SP Operations, Storage Networking, and Voice, one who possesses the CCAr is in fact an “Expert” in all of these respective disciplines. While I don’t doubt that one who possesses the CCAr is extremely bright, I do doubt that they could sit each of the CCIE labs back to back and successfully pass each one of them. Of course, that’s just my opinion of what would constitute an expert in all of these disciplines. I know the world doesn’t work that way.

While I don’t have any plans to pursue the Architect certification you might. Or perhaps you have one, two, three or more CCIE’s. How does this make you feel?

Certification Starvation 2011

Eman Conde — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 13:00:09 +0000

Originally Posted on The CCIE Flyer by Eman Conde.

The year 2011 started off for me with a bang. In the first two weeks of 2011 I have received calls and emails from dozens of Cisco Channel Partners from around the world. It seems like the drought is at an end and maybe one of my prediction for 2011 is coming true. This year I predicted on a friend’s blog that it will be easier for a Neophyte Network Engineer and Newly Minted CCIE to find a job. I am not saying the jobs will pay as much as a senior level engineer, but the jobs are out there and employers seem to be willing to interview. Yeah it’s a good time to be a young and smart Cisco certified person. So listen up all you greenhorns and tenderfoots get ready for the interview as if each was a final exam. Study up, make yourself comfortably conversant on the details in your resume and stave off the crickets during an interview. Active listening is critical, so make sure to be conversant in general, not just in technical discussions. Remember crickets can kill an interview! But I am getting ahead of myself; I do that when I get excited!

What Are Cisco Channel Partners Looking For?

Money! Yup that’s right, M O N E Y (no dummy, don’t hide your wallet). A CCIE in the eyes of a Cisco Channel Partner represents revenue, they all want the highest ROI (Return on Investment) and that is the bottom line. Do you want the big bucks as a CCIE? You have to earn them; you did not win the lottery when you were certified, you won the chance to stand out in a line up.

But what skills are they looking for?

Important and often number one is the ability to communicate. You can carry around in your gray matter information on how subatomic particles influence the flow of IP data during sun spot activity, but if you cannot convey the information to a sixth grader you are not prime cut. Make sure you can communicate techy to any audience. Practice doing it even if it feels silly; drive your mom and dad crazy with MPLS and OSPF.

Next is Presales skills. Like it or not, you as a CCIE, (or any other IT eye catching certification for that matter), are the link to revenue in developing client relationships for your employer. If you are working for a Cisco Channel Partner then you have to help sell yourself because you are the subject matter expert. Yeah, those are awful big shoes for some youngsters, but confidence is contagious and it’s your job to gain it.

Next in line is technical acumen. The technical skills assessment in an interview can be debated and often is by anyone who has been eliminated in one. That CCIE number did not automatically and permanently install instant recallable technology details in your synapses. You have to prepare for an interview and be able to communicate in a way that makes you a rock star, but not a snob. That old “CCIE tude” thing I have heard so much about in feedback after a CCIE has interviewed is real to some people. Like Sasquatch though you have to be the right person in the right spot at the right time to see it. I am not really sure if its intimidation or snobbery or what, but you have to keep an eye out for the beholder’s expressions I think.

Last but not least is price. What is your price? Is it steeped in legend and was it found on hieroglyphs pointed out by some oracle from a place no one has ever been? Don’t price yourself out of a job because of a legend. The legend of the $150,000 entry CCIE job has as much to do with hype as it does with fiction. Remember you are young and you will have to climb a few rungs before you can hook the golden ring. Show a little patience and get the discussion started simply based upon your needs first. Entry level network engineers with a CCIE certification are going to be around $100k (many places lower) as a base in the USA. India maybe 1,000,000 INR, Europe 60,000 €, South Africa about 400,000 ZAR, Brazil 100,000 BRL, please note these are estimates from chatting with so many Network Engineers around the world. But my point is you have to get on the ride first. The professional journey you have undertaken is like a roller coaster. The ride will pick up speed rapidly so tuck away your ego to win the first job and the money will follow in your jet stream soon enough.

Ok, OK I hear you, “Uncle Eman what the heck are you rambling on about? I am looking for a ray of hope, a spot of sunshine, the light at the end of the tunnel!”

I am telling you that the Neophyte Network Engineers are getting curtain calls. Yeah the hiring trend is finally creating a chance for the young’uns to interview! Tenderfoot resumes are getting more reads and I have “Heard it through the grapevine”, as Gladys Knight and the Pips first sang back in 1967. And what I heard was that “Certification Starvation” along with the exodus of baby boomers from the work force is creating a void that is drawing in younger talent. So dust off the old shoes, remove some of the facial piercings, allow your hair to return to a natural color (for humanity’s sake please stop dying your hair purple and pink and orange) and yes (I know it’s hard) iron something professional looking and business dress (not casual) and “Get Ready to Rumble”!!!

I would like to say in my best radio announcer’s voice, ”Today’s trend towards casual dress has eliminated the need for gentlemen to don ties and ladies to wear blazers for interviews” but I would be lying. In fact preparing yourself for an interview must include avoiding Business Casual dress. If you are going to be taken seriously you must make the interviewer feel like you dressed up to impress them. It does not hurt to play ZZ Top’s, “Sharp Dressed Man” while you are showering and getting dressed either.

Enjoy 2011 and make it your year to shine!

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The Road To CCIE R&S.

Brandon Carroll, CCIE #23837 — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 03:27:09 +0000

First off, let me preface this post by saying that passed the CCIE R&S written exam today. This does not qualify me as a CCIE R&S, rather it does two things for me: 1. It renews my CCIE Security certification for another two years. 2. It qualifies me to schedule and attempt the CCIE R&S lab exam. So, in a nutshell, thats my reasons for taking the written exam. But I have to admit, I’ve been here before…kinda.

Looking back at 2002-2004

Back in 2003 I was fired up with Cisco fever. I had taken the CCNA twice (and passed both times, once as a student and once as an instructor). I had also taken and passed the CCNP twice, again as an instructor and a student. I also was certified as a CSS-1, which was the Security Certification at the time. At this point I had NEVER failed a Cisco exam. Like I said, I was on fire. But it wasn’t enough. I wanted more. I wanted the CCIE. So, I took the CCIE R&S written exam sometime around late 2002 or early 2003. I failed. This was new territory for me. So I hunkered down and passed it on the second attempt. I was READY for that lab…or was I?

Getting a Book Contract

I went to Austin Texas for a Train-the-Trainer on Managing Cisco Network Security (MCNS) and in the TTT with me was Andy Fox , Earl Carter, and Dave Chapman. We talked at lunch and I told them how awesome I thought it was that they had written for Cisco Press. They encouraged me to do the same, gave me some much needed guidance, and sent me on my way. So I went back to the hotel room, wrote up a proposal and sent it to Cisco Press. In fact, I used their web site to guide my proposal.
About three months later I got an email from Brett Bartow and the deal became real. But… I still had this CCIE thing to do.

Recap of Changes and One Last Deal of the Year!!!

Brandon Carroll, CCIE #23837 — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 17:37:25 +0000

Many of you have noticed that there have been many changes here at GlobalConfig.net. We’ve added a podcast, web sessions and now a members area. Here is the run down.

The Podcast

The podcast is a resource to help people understand methods in preparation and with some recent interviews it will provide valuable tips for finding employment and handling interviews.

The Community Lab

I announced a community lab, much in the style of Jeremy Stretch at Packetlife.net. This lab should be ready for access sometime on February and will be free of charge. The lab bandwidth and much of the equipment is provided by Ascolta.

The Members Area

We’ve had great response to the 4-hour CCIE Security ASA Web Session that will be running tomorrow, December 30th, however, you may be wondering what you get with the web session. Basically you get me for four hours teaching everything I can, minus VPN, about the ASA. Will that be enough time to cover everything there is to cover for the ASA? Not likely. That’s where the members area comes in.

I decided that while I can’t run live web sessions every day I can record shorter sessions and make them available online. These videos will rage from VPN configurations on the ASA to NAT to Failover and more. But they don’t stop there. The videos will also cover other aspects of the CCIE Security Lab Exam blueprint topics such as Zone Based Firewalls, Flexible Packet Matching, IOS CA Servers, AAA, 802.1x, and so on.

So, the web session itself is priced at 40 bucks. The membership to the site is 75 bucks monthly. What do you get for 75 bucks? You get enrolled in every live session I do beginning with the first session following your registration, plus access to every video I post and all topics of the blueprint.

The Bootcamps

Finally, I’ve just launched a Bootcamps section where you can purchase a 12 day bootcamp here in Irvine, Ca, which will run in March of 2011. This bootcamp will be lab focused and designed to prepare you in each aspect of the lab exam blueprint. It will help you identify any weak areas you may have and you’ll get specific attention on those areas. You’ll get a number of labs to work on during the 12 days as well as your own rack of equipment to work on. The 12 day bootcamp is currently priced at 4500.00 but will go up after the 1st of the year. If you get in early you score the lower price.

The Last Deal of the Year!

I promised one last deal of the year. Actually I’m going to give you two deals to take advantage of.

Deal #1: Sign up for the CCIE ASA web session and get a 2 month membership for free

This Special Has Ended

If you enroll in the CCIE ASA web session using the “Buy Now” button just above this line, you’ll get a two month membership to all sessions and videos. The cost of the CCIE ASA Web Session is $40.00.

Deal #2: Sign up for the bootcamp and get a lifetime membership along with it.

CCIE Security Bootcamp with Free Lifetime Membership Cost: $4500.00

Enroll in the bootcamp using the button above, before January 1st, 2011, and I’ll throw in a lifetime membership to the web sessions and videos. Of course, if you’d like to use one of the flexible payment options you are welcome to, however this deal applies only to bootcamps paid in full prior to January 1st, 2011.

So what’s in the Pipeline

We’re not stopping there. I’m currently writing technology specific labs for CCIE Security candidates and plan to release them early next year. Additionally members will receive an exclusive discount program on Cisco Training in other areas.

Also, there are more technical blog posts to come as well!

Interview with Scott Morris

Brandon Carroll, CCIE #23837 — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 17:46:45 +0000

I was extremely busy this week and missed my regular “Training Tip Tuesday post. My wife has been out of town with her aunt who is fighting cancer so I was left to get as much done at work as possible. Needless to say, the blog suffered a but. But, on a brighter note, I had the pleasure of interviewing Scott Morris, CCIE #4713. You probably know of Scott already, but if you don’t you’ll get a little exposure to his insight in this interview.

You can find the audio over on the Podcast Site as well as a PDF of the transcript of the interview. The transcript was transcribed from the audio, so it may not be entirely accurate. It’s best to go subscribe to the podcast in itunes and listen for yourself. Also, this was a list minute interview and we did not have an outline. I hope you enjoy.

Scott Morris Interview

Brandon Carroll: I want to welcome you all to the globalconfig.net podcast. Here at globalconfig.net we’re dedicated to helping you study for technical certifications. I’m Brandon Caroll, your host and blogger here at Globalconfig. And today we want to welcome to the show, quadruple CCIE Scott Morris. Scott, how are you doing?

Scott Morris: [sound].

Oh, very good, very good. Great to be here.

Learning@Cisco Makes More Announcements

Brandon Carroll, CCIE #23837 — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 22:35:55 +0000

Associate and Professional Level Announcements

Today Learning@Cisco made a number of announcements. They announced enhancements to the CCNA Voice program. They renamed the CCVP and CCSP to the CCNP Voice and CCNP Security to make the certification path more clear, and they also announced a number of courses that have been developed as part of those. If you’re interested in theProfessional level certifications head on over to Ascolta and check out the new courses:

CCNP Voice

CCNP Security

CCIE Service Provider v3.0

In addition to these lower level certifications Cisco also announced that they have introduced version 3.0 of the CCIE Service Provider exam. According to the information on the Cisco Learning Network,

The update covers configuration and optimization of IP core technologies (including Packet over SONET, GE/10GE, BGP, IGP routing, LDP, MPLS and MPLS TE, multicast, HA, and QoS), aggregation/edge technologies (including Ethernet/FE/GE trunking, PPP, SONET/SDH, frame relay, ATM, T1/T3, and E1/E3), and remote access technologies (IP over wire line, DSL, and cable), Layer 2 and 3 VPNs, plus managed (voice, video, security) services traversing an IP core network.

One thing I noticed was that the announcement didnt mention any changes to hardware. The Lab Equipment page still reflects 3550′s and 7200′s. Maybe that’s current, but I would have expected the announcement to mention something about it.

You can also find the detailed blueprint (Password Required) on the learning network.

I don’t think this one is in my plans but it may be in yours.

CCIE Mobile Labs

The announcement also indicated that the CCIE Mobile labs are going global. The labs support CCIE R&S and CCIE Security and the list of locations can be found here.

Joe Astorino Gets the Digits!

Brandon Carroll, CCIE #23837 — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:49:32 +0000

Go Astorino, over at the CCIE Journey Blog just got his digits and is now recognized as CCIE #24347 under the Cisco CCIE Program. Congrats Joe!

If you haven’t already, head on over and give Joe a pat on the back. Also, read about his experience. It’s a long road if you are just starting out but totally worth it in the end.

Again, Congrats Joe!

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Congrats to Aaron Rohyans – CCIE Security #21945

Brandon Carroll, CCIE #23837 — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:35:30 +0000

Posted to groupstudy this morning:

Aaron Rohyans – CCIE Security #21945 just passed in RTP.

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GlobalConfig.net» CCIE General

Cisco Learning Labs Quick Look

Related Posts:

I Get Around! Do You?

Facebook

Twitter

The Cisco Learning Network

Various Blogs

Packet Pushers

Cisco Live

Youtube

Wrap-Up

Related Posts:

Do You Feel De-valued by the Cisco Certification Pyramid?

Related Posts:

Certification Starvation 2011

What Are Cisco Channel Partners Looking For?

But what skills are they looking for?

Ok, OK I hear you, “Uncle Eman what the heck are you rambling on about? I am looking for a ray of hope, a spot of sunshine, the light at the end of the tunnel!”

Related Posts:

The Road To CCIE R&S.

Looking back at 2002-2004

Getting a Book Contract

Related Posts:

Recap of Changes and One Last Deal of the Year!!!

The Podcast

The Community Lab

The Members Area

The Bootcamps

The Last Deal of the Year!

Deal #1: Sign up for the CCIE ASA web session and get a 2 month membership for free

Deal #2: Sign up for the bootcamp and get a lifetime membership along with it.

So what’s in the Pipeline

Related Posts:

Interview with Scott Morris

Scott Morris Interview

Related Posts:

Learning@Cisco Makes More Announcements

Associate and Professional Level Announcements

CCIE Service Provider v3.0

CCIE Mobile Labs

Related Posts:

Joe Astorino Gets the Digits!

Related Posts:

Congrats to Aaron Rohyans – CCIE Security #21945

Related Posts: