How will we obtain success on this trade? It was the query I contemplated 20 years in the past once I got down to take my profession to the following stage and attain what few have: the Cisco Licensed Internetwork Knowledgeable (CCIE) certification.
Now main the CCIE program as Cisco’s Director of Certifications, I’ve skilled firsthand the revolutionary impression of this program on my friends and the trade.
This yr, we rejoice the 30-year anniversary of the CCIE certification. Let’s look again at the place we got here from—and the way far we’ve come.
Temporary Historical past of the CCIE Program
- 1990: Networkers Customers Symposiums launches: As networking booms with new ranges of connection and extra challenges in connectivity, we launch Networkers Customers Symposiums – also referred to as “Networkers.” The convention, later renamed Cisco Dwell, permits clients to study, collaborate, and develop the trade collectively.
- 1993: CCIE launch: Cisco introduced the CCIE program publicly on September 27, 1993, when then-CEO John Chambers was quoted, “The CCIE program begins the place different distributors’ certification applications go away off.”
- Enjoyable reality: The unique identify of this system was going to be “Cisco High Gun.” Nevertheless, the well-known Tom Cruise film by the identical identify had already been launched. We figured there could also be some authorized points in utilizing that identify… so as a substitute, we selected “Cisco Licensed Internetwork Knowledgeable.”
- 1993: First CCIE Award: The CCIE program selected to start out its numbering system with 1024 (2 to the ability of 10). That quantity went right into a plaque on the CCIE lab itself in San Jose, CA, adopted by quantity 1025, awarded to the primary particular person to earn the CCIE. And the remainder is historical past.
My CCIE Journey
My curiosity in changing into a CCIE began within the late 90s. Tech was very totally different from as we speak. The internet was evolving, and networking was a very new idea. I used to be in search of a problem to advance my profession.
When researching find out how to take my profession to the following stage, I found Cisco, a fairly new tech firm on the time. Not solely did I discover a method to check my abilities with the CCIE program, however a window of alternative. The examination ensured perfection, and I appreciated the problem.
Changing into a CCIE opened profession developments for me. Not solely was I in a position to obtain promotions with extra pay, however I additionally gained extra peer respect and recognition—as did my colleagues who acquired the certification. There’s a excessive stage of respect for individuals who obtain CCIE. You turn into a part of an elite group.
Generally, worth is straight equal to the relevancy of a product. If the CCIE check was irrelevant to what I did in my job, I’d not have pursued it. And if it was not up to date to the expertise of as we speak, this system would fail. I’ve been a CCIE for 20+ years and may nonetheless apply my learnings from this system.
CCIE program is a real check of deep information and expertise, an endorsement (validation) of being an skilled – crème de la crème!
The CCIE Program’s Transformation Over Time
As expertise has advanced, this system has modified considerably. Within the early days, the CCIE program was a two-day check, the place candidates spent the primary day organising the {hardware} and initializing the pod with primary configurations. Then, candidates would come again for a second day to carry out extra superior configurations, spending the second half of the day troubleshooting situations.
In the present day’s CCIE program has been streamlined to a one-day check, eradicating the now trivial steps and focusing extra on community technique, structure, and the community lifecycle, together with planning and designing to satisfy buyer necessities. The improved lab examination is concentrated on the end-to-end community lifecycle from Day 0 (planning & designing), Day 1 (implementing and deploying), and Day 2 (working & sustaining), testing complete abilities throughout the whole spectrum of community options.
Beginning final yr, we launched Cisco Certification Roadmaps, an agile and iterative cadence-based mannequin to replace exams extra often and incrementally, conserving them extra present and related, aligned with speedy expertise evolution, and making certain relevancy for as we speak. The roadmap will present well timed and related info to maintain you forward of adjustments being launched as you research for the CCIE examination and all different Cisco certifications.
Be a part of the CCIE Celebration
Be a part of us in celebrating the 30th anniversary of this system and turn into part of the #CCIE30 group!
In June, we kicked off celebrations at Cisco Dwell in Las Vegas, however we will probably be celebrating around the globe all year long. Every CCIE lab web site will host “birthday” celebrations, bringing clients and staff collectively to share tales and talk about how the CCIE program modified their lives.
How Can You Change into a CCIE?
This examination is about validating your expertise—within the area and in actual life.
Most individuals who fail lack expertise. I’d know. I failed beforehand, not attributable to lack of learning however as a result of I used to be nonetheless too new in my profession. As soon as I began really doing the situations offered within the examination in my job, my studying accelerated, and so did my CCIE prep. It was all about getting hands-on and practising.
Even upon getting ideally gained 5 to seven years of expertise, you continue to should put together. Changing into a CCIE is difficult work, however we now have sources out there to you.
Whether or not you might be in your journey to changing into a CCIE or working towards advancing your profession generally, I go away you with this recommendation: Give attention to pursuing excellence, and success will comply with.
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