Darren Horobin, CCIE #16366, CCDE #20140071

I utilized INE products when I passed my CCIE back in 2006, so when it came to materials to try and assist with the CCDE, I thought I would utilize INE again. I purchased the All Access Pass, which was on special offer back in September 2014. This not only gave me access to the CCDE Bootcamp course, but also all of the technologies for R&S, SP and Security to name a few. I went through the CCDE Bootcamp course to understand the way of thinking for the exam questions. It was refreshing to hear the CCDE is not an exact science and design can be subjective as Brian explored different options to some exam question. On completion of the Bootcamp course, I decided to refresh myself on OSPF, EIGRP, multicast and IPv6 which I had access to through the All Access Pass. Having scheduled the exam for the 20th November in the UK, I had a final chance to go through the Bootcamp course end to end, this didn't give me anything more, but solidified my knowledge around my design options and having confidence in my choice for design options. I took the exam November 2014 and passed first time (2014::71), what a relief when you click next and you get the result! The CCDE is not exam where you can pass with brute force, where you can lab a technology and then understand the mechanics of it's operation. An overarching view of the solution and understanding when changes are made and what impact this can make to the overall design. The CCDE Bootcamp course is a worthwhile resource for studying for this qualification and helped me achieve my goal.