How will we obtain success on this business? It was the query I contemplated 20 years in the past after I got down to take my profession to the subsequent stage and attain what few have: the Cisco Licensed Internetwork Skilled (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 business.
This 12 months, 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.
Transient 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 – often known as “Networkers.” The convention, later renamed Cisco Stay, permits prospects to study, collaborate, and develop the business 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 packages go away off.”
- Enjoyable reality: The unique title of this system was going to be “Cisco High Gun.” Nonetheless, the well-known Tom Cruise film by the identical title had simply been launched. We figured there could also be some authorized points in utilizing that title… so as an alternative, we selected “Cisco Licensed Internetwork Skilled.”
- 1993: First CCIE Award: The CCIE program selected to begin 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 individual 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 completely different from immediately. The internet was evolving, and networking was a very new idea. I used to be on the lookout for a problem to advance my profession.
When researching learn how to take my profession to the subsequent stage, I found Cisco, a reasonably new tech firm on the time. Not solely did I discover a technique to check my abilities with the CCIE program, however a window of alternative. The examination ensured perfection, and I preferred the problem.
Turning into a CCIE opened profession developments for me. Not solely was I capable of 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 change into a part of an elite group.
Usually, worth is instantly equal to the relevancy of a product. If the CCIE check was irrelevant to what I did in my job, I might not have pursued it. And if it was not up to date to the know-how of immediately, 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 know-how has developed, 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 fundamental configurations. Then, candidates would come again for a second day to carry out extra superior configurations, spending the second half of the day troubleshooting eventualities.
Immediately’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 your entire spectrum of community options.
Beginning final 12 months, we launched Cisco Certification Roadmaps, an agile and iterative cadence-based mannequin to replace exams extra steadily and incrementally, maintaining them extra present and related, aligned with speedy know-how evolution, and guaranteeing relevancy for immediately. The roadmap will present well timed and related info to maintain you forward of modifications being launched as you examine 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 change into part of the #CCIE30 group!
In June, we kicked off celebrations at Cisco Stay in Las Vegas, however we might be celebrating all over the world all year long. Every CCIE lab website will host “birthday” celebrations, bringing prospects and workers collectively to share tales and talk about how the CCIE program modified their lives.
How Can You Turn into a CCIE?
This examination is about validating your expertise—within the area and in actual life.
Most individuals who fail lack expertise. I might know. I failed beforehand, not resulting from 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 eventualities introduced within the examination in my job, my studying accelerated, and so did my CCIE prep. It was all about getting hands-on and training.
Even after getting ideally gained 5 to seven years of expertise, you continue to should put together. Turning into a CCIE is tough work, however we’ve sources obtainable to you.
Whether or not you might be in your journey to changing into a CCIE or working towards advancing your profession basically, I go away you with this recommendation: Deal with pursuing excellence, and success will comply with.
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