Have whiteboard, will travel
by Dan Conde
The week of July 6th through the 11th will probably be best remembered for the passing of a pop star, an angel, and the current recession. For sixteen others, including myself, this week found us in the Kona training room of the Cisco Campus in Richardson Texas. We were attending the Micronics Networking & Training Routing and Switching Boot Camp. Yes, we were in the Routing and Switching Boot Camp taught by Narbik Kocharians.
I knew of Narbik from having read about the boot camp experiences of many CCIE Flyer readers and bloggers. I have read his bio, Googled the man, and finally I had a chance to meet him in his element.
I arrived Monday morning, got my Guest Pass from the receptionist and met Doug Starr. Doug was a gracious host who made sure we did not lose our way on campus. I would like to thank Doug for all that he did to make our time on the Cisco Campus a real pleasure.
I introduced myself to Narbik as Eman's brother, CCIE Flyer Editor/Webmaster, and CCIE 'wannabee'. The first two took some convincing, but when you call yourself a student something happens. Narbik is quick to assess your state of preparedness. He quickly asked a series of qualifying questions and placed me in a seat where I could do the least damage.
Then out came the marker and we started with the first of a series of lectures, labs, and question. The first thing you notice is the lack of slides and videos. Regardless of the topic Narbik could detail, diagram, and present real world implementation for the topic at hand. The whiteboard fills with meaningful diagrams complete with IOS commands and so many variations as it leaves one to wonder if there is anything this man has not seen. This is when a decade of teaching reinforced by over thirty years of real world experience becomes evident.
This is when you appreciate having made the decision to attend this boot camp.
If you expected a distillation of all that was taught during that week, then you will be dissapointed. This is just a first impression, my opinion, my first step from the sidelines onto my own personal path to certification.
Let me introduce my classmates from left to right:
- Mike Stuckey
- Todd McKown
- Jared Sutton
- Kinner Oza
- Rick Tyrell
- Mark Chappell
- Andy Mueller
- Robert Roling
- David Raney
- Doug Starr
- Marcus Bedford
- Khalid Elhassan
- Steve Rossen
- Michael Wong
- Brad Beck
- Tad Felex
- Phil Walsh
- Narbik Kocharians
David Raney passed and is CCIE #24900! Congratulations!
I want to wish Good Luck each and everyone.
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