It is going to be time soon to start thinking about my next CCIE exam. People who know me remember the two years of my life that were totally consumed by passing my CCVP and then CCIE certifications. It was hellacious, and that is being kind. But all of that work that I put in will help make the next attempt a little bit easier, and I am certainly not under as much pressure as I was before.
The next concentration that I’m going to do is Routing and Switching. This is the fundamental CCIE that will give me a good foundation to build on for the future. After passing my CCIE Voice, I understand that getting the certification does not make you an expert. It just gives you the training and methodology to become one. My goal this time is to pass the lab in 3 tries or less. I think that is a reasonable goal.
Before I get ahead of myself, I’m going to get my CCNP first. This will consist of 4 regular computer-based exams. I should be able to finish that up by the end of the year. After that, I will need to recertify my CCIE Voice by May, which will be just a written exam. Once that is done, I can concentrate on the CCIE R&S. All told, I want to have my CCNP and CCIE in Routing and Switching complete by the end of next summer.
In the meantime, I have a baby on the way, and that’s all I’m thinking about right now. But the wheels are always turning and I have a plan….I think it’s a good one.