I've been doing IT stuff for almost 10 years now, and often I'll come across someone's blog with a crucial answer to a question I'm having, or an explanation to a topic that I've been trying to figure out which makes something click. Sometimes I take for granted that there is a person who is on the other end of that blog who has to learn and put those thoughts down onto paper (or keyboard). Especially for those weird things... Like trying to figure out why your legacy Talari SDWAN system started acting up all of a sudden... and the documentation seems to have vaporized from the vendor site. I've thought about making a blog for years after encountering some weird issues where I thought, how come no one wrote about this online? Why not be the change you want to see in the world? But, I've never been able to gather the motivation to get it done.
It seems like a rite of passage for a network engineer is to make a blog at some point for their CCIE training. Considering the depth you need to explore and the material you have to truly understand in order to pass the lab I see why that ends up being the case. I've also realized over the years that when I go to teach a junior something it really forces me to prepare for all kinds of questions that you would let slide sometimes.
The CCIE is a daunting task. I've thought a lot about whether or not I want to stay as a CCNP or pursue the apex of the certification path. There is a lot of discussion online about how much it will benefit your career, or what you will actually learn out of it. The reality is that a CCIE most likely will not benefit my career as much as simply continuing my work now as a network engineer and pushing myself in learning.
But, does that mean that I should stop? I don’t think so. When I was a green IT professional starting my CCNA I remember the amazement I thought imagining what it would be like to pass that test, let alone a CCIE. I remember how much my teacher supported me at the time, and when I passed I told him that I would continue and see this path through to the finish line. He passed away a few years later, and I continued on my journey as a network engineer despite the people I’ve worked with and been in school with who moved on to other things. So, after some soul searching, I’ve decided.
I will become a CCIE.
I will see this path through and keep my promise. I can prove to my younger self that it’s possible. I can give back to the community lessons I’ve learned throughout the years, and maybe a new perspective on something.
Regardless, there is work to do, lessons to learn, books to read. Thanks for joining me if you will.