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Even as I start to write this little article, I do so with a great sense of remorse and sadness. You see I actually like certifications, studying for the exams, reading countless books, doing endless research just for one more question that motivates me to take the next step in my career, practicing test question banks until perfection is achieved, scheduling the exam... and taking it... Pass or Fail... To be even more truthful, I live for it. I do. I'm a certification junkie.

The biggest prize in the certification world to bag is a well known beast of a certification... often lamented, never undeserved... prime steak in the certification world... A Salary survey will reveal salaries exceeding $100,000.00 per year with all the perks... many consultants can earn as much as $10,000.00 a day for complex projects requiring the greatest of skill.

That's the CCIE.

However, there is a problem. No I don't blame those who would seek to be a CCIE anyway they can... No I don't blame Groupstudy.com for letting basically every mystery of the CCIE that the NDA tries to protect be openly discussed under one guise or another... No I don't blame CCIECERT.NET, Real Labs (dot) whatever... and who knows who else... they gotta earn a living too and ultimately the CCIE Program makes such an easy mark...

Easy? Yes, I did say easy didn't I...

Well I just purchased an e-book for grins... How to pass the CCIE Lab in 30 Days (or maybe less)... by Padillo Reyes or at least that was who I paid. Anyway this remarkable book told the most truthful story about how to pass the CCIE Lab in only 30 Days...

Remarkable? How can that be?

Well it starts by telling the reader to buy a set of dump questions... for $100-200.00 and the book for about $100.00 (I bought mine for like $25.00) and then to just study the questions a few at a time using a test engine and then just go take the damned certification exam.

Just like that.

Well I'd love to argue... but since judging by forums... and the number of people claiming a pass after doing such a thing or claiming too...

I'd say check mark!

FYI - This renews the CCIE and all certs too... for that matter - not that the rest of the certs are not equally diminished...

Hint: Cisco needs a bigger and more diversified test bank... even the mythical 400 questions are not really enough for the people who have a whole week to study....

So then the reader now has to wait... Yep...

Then the reader is told to go ahead and schedule a date with fate... after all a date is hard to come by and it will only take less than 3 weeks to learn the necessary material to pass the most coveted IT certification in the whole world... THE CCIE!!!

Truly remarkable!!! Unmistakable!

So the book tells our reader how to do this thing by going to certain sites... Hell just get out google and save $25.00 and pick any one you see or if you are scared pick two...

Anyway for about $1400.00 or less if you find the other companies that black-marketed the $1400.00 copy of the material that turned the CCIE Certification to a bowl of mush...

You can probably get it for as little as $40.00 - 50.00 USA...

So there if you shop around or find a groupbuy from one of the "Certification Forums" commonly scattered throughout the Internet like http://www.certcollection.org/gb...

Then you now have what you need to successfully pass the CCIE Lab and then earn $100,000.00 or a lot more...

Don't worry this is a 10+ year old process by now and apparently it works so well that many CCIE's will question you profusely or snap at you if you "Tell it like it is"...

Hint to Cisco: If you are still testing using the same basic labs from that party like it was 1999... the world really didn't end in 2000 and is not likely to end in 2012... either... better make some new labs and a hell of a lot more of them... and change your testing patterns... too...

Since some people are even clever enough to pick a date and score the exact lab they are trying to take on that date...

Who knew?

Or better yet... New CCO and a repeat using the same technique...

Clever... absolutely clever...

A CCIE in Only 30 Days...

Now I want to leave you with a thought... How many CCIE Trainers ever passed a CCIE 1-Day Lab even though they teach the stuff day in and day out?

Now how many people passed the CCIE Lab on the 1st attempt? Interesting huh?

To be fair to the trainers they are some of the sharpest cookies I know most of the time - So no disrespect there, none at all...

Just needed a basis for comparison... that's all.

Now...

I seriously doubt a person could crack the CCIE Lab in 30 Days even if all the stars were in perfect alignment and the Mayans were all partying like it was 2012...

However, 60 Days? 90 Days? 6 months? 1 Year? With some very nice training materials that cover mostly everything...

Not bad really... 1 Year to a $100,000.00+ career... Not bad at all really.

EXCEPT the other part...

Most companies that hire CCIE's are typically top tier or very desperate Cisco Silver and Gold Partners who need a discount very seriously to do business and who also will do whatever it takes to stay in business or excel in business... So CCIE's will either get a severely interesting interview or as little as none at all.

Last plea to the CCIE Program:

The NDA is busted again and they really should have changed the OEQ and the Hands-on Labs... apparently adding the Frame and MPLS to the mix was not quite enough... even though it gave most people who took the CCIE RS Lab in the past 30 Days a run for their money (pardon the pun)... FYI - The Security and the Voice... yep... down the tubes too from the way the wind is blowing...

FYI - I'm tired of going to the CCIE Lab that I paid as much as $1400.00 for to watch a re-run... I really get miffed if I see a lab I've seen before show-time...

Time to spend my time, money, and effort on my home network these days...

If I'm right the numbers of CCIE RS's will sky-rocket... and if I'm wrong the current trend will more or less continue...

Any bets?

Oh there's a catch...

It's not a rumor or lie... Employers usually require a CCIE above the age of 12 who has more than 30 days experience on Dynamips...

I'm just saying... 4 year olds are braindumping the MCSE these days...

At that rate they'll be CCNP's "BEFORE" they turn 5 years of age...

And I'm strongly considering buying myself a chimp and some bananas...

And calling the Book of World's Records... to watch my little friend pass an entire track in on sitting... (less Banana Breaks)...

Unless someone beats me to it...

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all...

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