Ask Uncle Eman
by Eman

I often get emails and calls from aspiring or current CCIEs. The questions are often reflections of the industry confusion or professional aspirations of many. Here’s one email from this past week I wanted to respond to publicly.

Eman,
Hope this email finds you in good health and a pleasant state of mind. I'm a CCIE aspirant from India, aged 24, working for 3 years for xxxsys supporting Microsoft internal users on Tier 2 issues. Basically a helpdesk support job with high performance expectation from Client.

Completed my CCNA and MCSA certification in 2006 May and in May 2009 gave a single exam for CCNP (ONT) just to secure my CCNA as I have plans to move to either security or voice in future.

I have a sound bookish knowledge at the CCNA level and I can very well work on simulators too. Now that I have enough saving for the CCIE program, I have started to research on choosing the Specialization for CCIE.

I was searching for advice on CCIE and found your website this morning. Amazing work I should say. Have been going through various posts of yours and found some amazing facts about the CCIE and people who pretend to be a CCIE and the moral never lie to Uncle Eman is my favorite of all.

Coming to the main business here, I need your advice on my CCIE specialization. I have been enquiring people about this but I fail to get satisfactory answers from them.

I plan to do my CCIE from XYZ Solutions but in a dilemma between Security or Voice. Which one of the two would you recommend and why?

My interest is to have the tag Security engineer to my name but I have to look at the career prospects and job opportunities too. Also I found boot camps information on your website ,XYZ solutions is offering this CCIE program for 7days and they charge 2250$ plus service tax as applicable. Do you have any boot camps that charge you less than this and has a good track record in India?

Request you to please answer the questions I have for you and help me to decide and get started on this.

भतीजा/bhatija/Nephew Syed: I am pleased to hear that you are making strides in your career based upon a love for the technologies not just a need to add bragging rights on your resume. The certifications you mention CCNA and CCNP are very good mile posts for marking your advancement and as I have always said, we need these in our careers to mark success. Now when it comes to selecting between Security or Voice, I think you have shown in this email an attraction for Security. Too often I am asked which pays more or which has more demand. There was no demand for a CCIE Agent when I started. I took a path un-trod and that was a gamble that paid off well for me personally and professionally. In your case you have two very good options, yet Security is the one you mention several times here. It is always easier to take an interest and make it a focus. Anything you have an attraction to will enlighten you more easily. So select Security as your certification goal, don’t hesitate. In the US, Canada, India, UAE, Greece, China, Bulgaria, KSA and Africa I have seen roles open with Cisco Channel Partners for CCIEs with Security as their focus. In many cases the demand has nearly equaled the call for Voice and R&S CCIEs. I will also go on record as saying that when you love what you do it shows in your passion for getting things done right. Implementing security solutions is a high profile and rigorous undertaking often times regulated by licensures or audits and those professionals proficient in the collateral certifications and regulations are very successful as well as in high demand. Make sure your education in this area includes those regulatory rules which make a secure network in some sectors, like finance, a legal requirement. Boot camps for CCIE Security certification are not the most plentiful. Don’t pay the price marked on the shrink wrap, instead call the company in question and ask for a better price. It has become a buyer’s market in all boot camps for CCIE certifications, regardless of the track. So don’t pay the cover price, haggle! India may not have the instructor you want to mentor you. Research the instructors and then make a decision after you have done your homework. I personally have had a lot of interaction with Piotr out of Poland a well regarded Security instructor. The price of getting what you need to be successful is worth the research. I have not been exposed to any instructors in India who teach the Security track so I am not the best resource for that region and promise to get better acquainted ASAP.

I have told many neophytes to seek employment in TAC or NOC environments if they want a chance to gain exposure. These environments are often rife with opportunities to collaborate with mentors and peers as they solve solutions. By their very nature these environments have infrastructures which allow a future CCIE to earn skills. If you are exposed to those people who are working in areas you are interested in growing in often times you can get a chance even if unpaid to do so, to learn more about networking in your enterprise. Don’t be shy!

In closing I would like to thank you for the email and your trust.

If you have any career questions you would like to see responded to in the CCIE Flyer, just ask Eman. eman@ccieflyer.com