How to train CCIE

There is no typo in the title - today the conversation will be about how, from a regular network engineer, for a year, make the holder of the title Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert. The story will be on the other side of the barricades: about people who have shouldered the burden of being tutors on the difficult path of obtaining one of the most prestigious certificates in the world of network engineers.
The new project of the guys from the podcast Linkmeup, the first and, still, the only Russian-language podcast dedicated to network technology, from which they continue to leave the best training course on networks, popularly known as Network For The Littlest. But the main merit belongs to a number of experts who came up with the idea to help throughout the year, free of charge, without registration and SMS, to several engineers to fully prepare for passing the exam CCIE RS.

CCIE - what's in my name?

For a start, a little more about what is hidden under the abbreviation CCIE.
Having a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certificate implies a level of expertise in networking technologies and protocols. Until recently, it was the highest level of Cisco certification, because only recently the Architect level has been added, but its purpose leaves many questions, so the CCIE level has not lost a single gram of prestige.
The first certificate was issued already in 1993, and the level of certification has been constantly updated throughout the 20 years of its existence, meeting all the requirements of the market. Currently, about 50,000 people can boast the status of a CCIE owner, but most of them are so-called “inactive”, as certification is valid for 2 years, after which it must be re-confirmed. Although no one will select a beautiful five-digit number from you. It is assigned for life.

The process of obtaining the cherished washer is divided into two stages: the first is a written test, where the applicant shows the availability of necessary knowledge, and the second is where it is necessary to demonstrate the ability to apply this knowledge on a laboratory stand. Moreover, the practical part lasts 8 hours, during which all skills will be tested, ranging from basic equipment configuration, diagnostics of the network status and the ability to solve problems.
The test part costs $ 350, the practical part costs $ 1600. And do not forget to add here also the cost of travel and accommodation. Thus, one unsuccessful attempt to obtain a certificate can easily result in a loss of $ 3000.

The main thing that will be waiting for you at the end of the road is knowledge, honor and respect. It’s not a fact that your life will change drastically for the better, but that new opportunities will open up before you is a fact.
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Who are all these people?

Undoubtedly, people who promise to spend you on the difficult path of CCIE knowledge should themselves be competent and inspire all kinds of trust, otherwise there is no point in listening to them.
So, we present our heroes:
Emil Garipov is the author of the idea and the whole project, the holder of the title Instructor Excellence Expert in the countries of Central Europe, Russia and the CIS, an instructor of the network academy in the direction of CCIE.
Natasha Samoilenko - - a Cisco course instructor, the main author of xgu.ru and almost all of the worthy articles in Russian by Cisco, a holder of such titles as CCDP, CCNP R & S, CCNP R & S.
Ilya V - Acting CCIE R & S, owner of valuable baggage of knowledge.
Dmitry Figol is a true Cisco Global TAC engineer in Krakow. Now actively preparing for the delivery of CCIE.
Marat Sibgatulin eucariot is the founder of Linkmeup, the author of a series of articles for the web for the smallest. The main occupation, in his words, is not to interfere with smart people .

Or to simplify it a bit - two professional teachers, one current CCIE and one Cisco engineer. I do not know about you, but it seems to me that such people should be trusted or, at least, worth listening to them.

What is the difficulty of preparation?

To begin this difficult process, not having a plan from beginning to end, is a deliberately perilous occupation. The duration of preparation, on average, is about a year. During this time, it is necessary to drive through a huge array of data through yourself, so a critical skill is the ability to filter and classify the information received. In the later stages, a new requirement is added - not to forget what was studied at the beginning. Therefore, it is useless to simply take a list of topics that will be on the exam and start reading / watching everything. You can dig too deep on level ground - too many unnecessary subtleties and trifles.
Another important aspect is the search for a group of like-minded people. The collective mind is always better, and this becomes especially noticeable during the analysis of the practical part. Many aspects are much easier to understand during a lively discussion, so finding at least two more people for joint preparation will be very cool.
And the last point is time. The preparation process absorbs all the free time that you only have. If you can’t take at least 2 hours a day, it’s better not to even start. The further you immerse yourself in the preparation process, the more difficult and offensive it will be to stop and throw away all the resources spent. Time, as we know, is the only resource that no one compensates for us.

Why should I spend time on you?

The main task of the project is to solve the problems of filtering information, the need for repetitions and the search for like-minded people.
The project site has already posted a full training plan, with dates and topics for the whole year.

For the repetition of the material studied, the interleaving technique will be used - dividing the flow of information across several channels. With regard to learning, this means that all the topics that need to be studied are not in order but in cycles. Within one cycle, several topics are touched on at once, but none of them is entirely. Thus, at the beginning of the next cycle, the student will constantly refer to the knowledge gained in previous cycles, preventing them from falling out of memory. In addition to the overall effectiveness of the process, this approach allows you to identify gaps in knowledge obtained in previous cycles, and fill them in a timely manner.
The technique is rather complicated, but extremely effective, which more than compensates for possible inconveniences in the initial stages.

The task of finding a group for training is solved with a large margin - all those who wish to participate will be divided into two global groups. The main group, with which the authors of the project will work directly, will be 30 people. But this does not mean that everyone who does not get on this list will have to spend the night under the fence. Firstly, all educational materials will be in the public domain, and secondly, the project will have a forum where no one will forbid to communicate.

For the main group of bonuses are:

• They participate in the competition for the main prize - a voucher for the delivery of CCIE RS Written
• Full laboratory test, with the formation of the report and the explanation of the shortcomings
• The possibility of direct dialogue with experts

For a group of sympathizers:

• No time reference. You can take your time and study only at your convenience.
• Full access to all information and training plan
• Opportunity to study only interesting technology

Also, for everyone, webinars will be organized on current topics, with absolutely free access. They will be recorded and published on the site. Two types of webinars are planned - in the form of explanatory lectures to the most complex topics and in the form of laboratory works. During the second type of webinars, the expert conducting the webinar will have a booth deployed and assigned the task for the audience. Further, the expert does not do anything himself, but only enters the commands offered by the participants, accompanying them with the necessary comments. This is a rather non-standard format of holding, however, it has proved its practical value.

Also in the process of studying the material will be held classic laboratory on the topics covered. Proper and timely laboratory performance is mandatory for all members of the main group. Three laboratory tests are scheduled per week. Additionally, at the conclusion of every two cycles, participants will make one large lab that covers all the material covered. The UNL engine was chosen as a single platform for having the functionality necessary for preparation, and in addition, the guys from UNL sponsored the main prize - the CCIE Written voucher for delivery, for which we thank them separately. A ready virtual image with the new version of UNL will be posted on the project site, with the initial topology created, where you just import the images and you can safely work with labo. Upon completion, it remains to unload the final state configs and send them for verification.

Persuaded! I want to get into the main group!

The most difficult thing to do is to go to ccie.linkmeup.ru and register. The authors of the project ask to enter real data, since it is much more pleasant for them to communicate with living people.
Further it will be more interesting - a mention will be sent to the post office that you need to send a small essay in which you need, in a free form, briefly tell about yourself everything that you see fit: why do you need to participate in the project, what do you want to achieve, what are your expectations Do you have enough time, and further on the list. Writing an essay is quite an important point, so do not write it carelessly. It is clear that we are all technical people, so they do not expect creative delights from you. The essay carries only the idea of ​​giving the opportunity to tell the authors of the project about themselves so that they can see the motivation of each applicant to join the main group.
After the end of the reception of the essay, March 12, will be published a link to the entrance test. This should happen on March 17, and the test will be designed to identify the level of knowledge of CCNA. There will be 50 questions that need to be answered in an hour and a half. For successful passing it will be enough to answer 60% of the questions. Such a relatively low level is due to the unspoken essay competition, which will be taken into account when forming the main group.

Brief total

Among network engineers, both beginners and experienced, this ambitious project caused an extremely positive response, as evidenced by the surprisingly large number of applications submitted on the very first day after the announcement. The geography of the already submitted essays includes not only the whole of Russia from Moscow to the Far East, but also the CIS, several European countries and even America.

The entire project was also dedicated to a separate release of the Linkmeup podcast, a recording of which is available here (or on iTunes ).