From: Frank Xu (xzmail@hotmail.com)
Date: Wed Oct 03 2007 - 10:51:54 ART
Amazing job well done. Congratulations man. Good luck for the SP exam.
/Frank.
> Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2007 20:35:13 +0900> From: meriedbekele@gmail.com> To:
ccielab@groupstudy.com> Subject: Lab passed - First Attempt - At the age of
24> CC: harith@winnetsystems.co.uk; david@winnetsystems.co.uk;
lafirzaman@gmail.com; bdennis@internetworkexpert.com;
bmcgahan@internetworkexpert.com; sales@internetworkexpert.com> > Dear All,> >
I have been waiting for long time to write this email. I was a silent> member
of the group except some of my few questions like 'time management in> the
lab'. I have got my number - CCIE#18988 - passing the R&S lab exam in> Tokyo
yesterday 2nd October 2007. I will be the first CCIE to be counted for> my
country - Ethiopia - in Cisco's CCIE database. Here is my journey to> CCIE.> >
My background is electrical engineering. I became CCNA when I was college>
student and I had been working as part time network administrator of the>
university for two years until I graduated. After graduation I haven't taken>
any of the CCNP exams for two years but I was working as a network engineer>
for a private company and I was doing many Cisco projects not only on> routing
and switching but also on voice and security areas. That experience> was very
useful for me and I had to do many readings to complete the> projects I was
assigned to do. And the other advantage for a person like> me was that I had
to do many advanced things without any senior> person helping me. So my only
option was reading and I love reading.> > Ok enough about my background. I
took the written exam last October 2006.> After that I had to find a sponsor
for my lab exam because, it was very> difficult to cover it by myself. My
company director general accepts my> request immediately but the financial
process took about 8 months. So my> study at that time was on and off. I have
really started my lab preparation> at the beginning of July. For one month I
revised all the technologies using> IEWBv4.1 volume 1 and most of the
recommended books like Jeff Doyle's and> the others. I was also using CBT
Nuggets. I have been studying the whole> month full time. Then I went to
Harith's 12 days bootcamp in UK. It was> really nice in clarifying the core
part of the exam - IGP/BGP. Then I came> back home and continue my preparation
for another month. This time I> installed the IE dynamips topology in my pc at
home and start IEWB for> Dynamips. I have tried to do the first 10 labs but
time didn't allow me to> finish the other 10 labs from IEWB4.1 volume 2. So I
have gone through the> last 10 labs by just reading the question and answering
it in my mind and> checking the solution if I am right. I have also taken both
of Cisco's> Assessor Labs and one mock lab each from IE and NMC. At that time
I was good> in technology readiness but I was not good in time management.
Then I went> back to UK for Harith's another 5 days bootcamp. It was really
helpful in> making me completely prepared. Then I went directly to Tokyo for
the lab. I> have finished exactly in time. Since I was doing verifications in
every of> the questions, I was not worried by not having extra time for
checking.> > Generally my lab preparation was three months full time. My
company (I can> say Ethiopian Government since I am working for government
agency) was very> cooperative in many things from covering all my expenses up
to giving two> years annual leave without counting the 3 weeks of the
bootcamp.> > Now I should take a little break to celebrate Ethiopian
Millennium that I> missed during study and then to another track - most
probably SP. I am> thinking of getting married in the time of the little
break. My fiance was> all the way with me in the CCIE journey.> > Thanks and
Best Regards,> > > -- > Meried B. - CCIE#18988> Network Operations Senior
Expert> National Data Center (PMO)> Mob. +251 91 1349519> >
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