Jason Munns, CCIE #27225

I passed the CCIE R&S lab on the 12th October 2010 in Sydney, this was my 2nd attempt, my 1st attempt was very close to passing so I took my second attempt just 5 weeks after my first. Failing the first exam was a very disheartening experience, but I was not going to give up after just one attempt, and I am now CCIE#27225. The result took 6 days to come through, it was a very nervous wait. I must have checked my email almost every hour of those 6 days. I found the exam to be a little bit more difficult than my first attempt but I was still confident I had passed it. I finished with plenty of time to verify. I studied using only INE material and the DOC-CD. I used Vol 1, Vol 2 and Vol 4, I found Vol 1 and 2 to be the most useful, especially the updated Vol 2 labs that include troubleshooting. I was also lucky enough to go on a one week bootcamp in Reno with Anthony (and a special guest appearance from Petr straight from attempting CCDE) as the instructor. My CCIE lab study began in March last year when the lab was still version 3, I began studying for version 3 but had to upgrade my lab and training material when it changed to version 4. The change of versions slowed down my study and due to other work commitments I had to put study on hold. I picked my study up again in February this year and spent the next 8 months doing hard study. All my spare time was dedicated to study, I also took the last month off work before my first attempt to spend all my time focusing on CCIE. It has been a very hard journey but well worth it, the amount of knowledge I have gained in pursuing this certification has really surprised me. I began pursuing this qualification thinking I knew a few things about networks, but the first few practice labs really put me in my place. Best of luck to everyone pursuing the dream of becoming a CCIE. I'm going to have a well deserved break and return to normal life where I actually get to do something other than study in my spare time. Regards Jason Munns CCIE#27225 (R&S)