Keep Going!

Keep Going!

It’s now November and we are now 4 months away from the big update to the Cisco Certifications program.

I’ve recently had some failed attempts at the CCNP Route and TShoot exams. I’ve been very transparent about my attempts and boy let me tell you I’m glad I have been.

Coming out of the exam center after a failed attempt has been one of the worst feelings, particularly after all the preparations. But, I’ve taken to Twitter and announced my failure publicly and I just got this out pouring of both public and private comments. These comments lifted me up when I was feeling down. They kept me motivated to keep going when I was really feeling like I should just stop.

So, I’m here to tell you the same thing – KEEP GOING! You can do it! Yes, the certifications tracks are changing in a few months. However – What you’re learning today will still be very applicable after the change over occurs. OSPF will still be OSPF. Routers will still make routing decisions based off the same work flows, and Switches will still be using MAC Address tables. It’s not like networking as we know it is going to tremendously change.

I also want to say thank you – Thank you to everyone that took the time to reach out and discuss their own personal experiences with these exams, and to encourage me not to give up and keep going. I heard what I needed to hear, exactly when I needed to hear it.

Some advice based on my recent personal experiences – Burn out is real. I didn’t see it at the time but I’d been burning myself out trying to study all the time. Every minute I had I was watching videos, reading, or working in my lab. After last week’s failed route attempt I took some time off. I have not looked at a video or a book all weekend and I feel more refreshed, recharged, and ready to start studying again!

If you’re looking for a place to either get help yourself, or give help to those in need then join a Slack I’ve created for just this purpose. People are connecting already and looking to start studying together. We’ve seen a lot of great collaboration in just a short time. Join here.

So, don’t give up – keep your eye on the prize. Remember why you’re doing this. At this point getting the CCNP is about making myself a better engineer. I want to better serve those that I work with and keep my skills sharp, and really just prove to myself that I can learn and master the CCNP level of knowledge. And, I’m also looking forward to putting a CCNP sticker on my laptop ; )

Keep going!