The road to CCIE

This is the first of an IT pro's quarterly account of what it's like to go through Cisco's most rigorous certification program.

By Jeff Shapiro
Network World, 08/21/2000

When I pitched this concept to my editor she was sure I was nuts. Going from network know-nothing to Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) is an arduous and lengthy process. Yet here I was, proposing that I not only become a CCIE, but do it in a year and a half and write about my experiences every three months.

My quest started simply enough. I'm the technology coordinator for the Kingsport, Tenn., city schools and was in charge of a network upgrade at our high school. The Board of Education approved my plan to tear out the ancient token-ring network and replace it with Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet. We purchased about $200,000 worth of Cisco 3500 and 3600 series switches and routers and my staff and I needed to learn how to configure and operate them.

Why I want to become a CCIE
Shapiro explains his motives for becoming a CCIE in this Fusion exclusive.

Classroom training is the best way to learn about Cisco equipment, especially if you don't have any hands-on experience. Tuition ranges from $1,595 to $2,695 per class, with discounts available for repeat customers and companies that send multiple attendees. If the classroom option doesn't fit your budget or schedule, you can sign up for "e-learning" courses taught over the Internet. Cisco also offers self-paced online courses that may be a good choice for those who already have some hands-on experience.

I signed up with Cisco-certified training partner Global Knowledge to attend two courses. The introductory course is calledInterconnecting Cisco Network Devices - that's ICND at acronym-happy Cisco. The closest Global Knowledge office to my home is in Atlanta, and it's a top-notch facility with big classrooms, wide screen projectors and comfortable workspaces.

When I arrived at the training center this spring, I found a mound of materials waiting for me. Cisco supplies manuals with presentation slides, footnotes, additional information and hands-on exercises, but most training vendors supplement these materials with their own. Global Knowledge provides a large book of detailed replacement hands-on exercises.

Cisco requires its instructors to hold the Cisco Certified Training Instructor designation, so the teaching quality is likely to be good wherever you go. Our instructor was no exception. Five days of intense, gratifying work seemed to fly by. At the end of the week, I believed I understood what I was doing.

The class learned a lot, including how to configure multiple protocols, set and change options, diagnose and troubleshoot problems, and integrate routers and switches into large networks. We participated in exercises to model a global network with each two-person team representing a country. The group also simulated ISDN and frame relay networks using the only non-Cisco equipment in the lab, an Adtran Atlas 500 Integrated Access Device.

A few weeks later, I took the second class, Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks. My schedule required me to travel to another Global Knowledge site in Orlando. Because the course was held in a rented facility, the equipment arrived in wheeled plastic cases with 19 inch racks permanently mounted inside. Just pop the doors off, plug the racks in, and voila, instant network. Five days later my head had been stuffed with volumes of new information. At this point, I had learned what I needed to become a Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), Cisco's lower-level certification.

I returned to Orlando in July to attend Networkers, the annual Cisco user conference. If you plan in advance, you can arrange to take a number of certification exams at Networkers for free. Spots fill up fast, but there are also a limited amount of walk-in tests for $50, half the usual price. I registered too late to get a free CCNA exam, but got a walk-in slot for 7 a.m. on a Saturday, the last day of the conference.

Testing firm Prometric conducts the automated testing. Depending on the exam, potential candidates must answer up to 90 multiple choice questions. Scoring is automatic and when you walk out of the room, you already know how you did.

As for me, it was close. I had inadvertently purchased test preparation software for an earlier version of the exam, so there were items on the test that I had never seen before. Nevertheless, I passed and am proud to report that I am now a CCNA. The next stop is Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), a stepping stone to the CCIE.

The second installment of this article series will cover certification requirements, exam format, study tools and preparation strategies.

Shapiro is a CCNA and the technology coordinator for the Kingsport city schools in Kingsport, Tenn. He can be reached at jshapiro@kpt.k12.tn.us.