BANNED FOR LIFE!
by Eman
Lots of things can happen in a lifetime. We grow up, fall in love, suffer broken hearts, get an education, find a career, marry, have children, try to find happiness, and then die. From cradle to grave we are presented hourly, daily, weekly, monthly and yearly with vast opportunities that come to us from various sources. We have a chance each and every time to make a decision, a choice and sometimes the choices we make can last a lifetime. Why so much value is placed on some of these can vary in opinion but we live in a world governed by rules set in place to protect honest people.
So when I see the plethora of sites that bloom up on the internet providing cheaters with the answers and questions to the CCIE certification labs it really unnerves me, I mean it pisses me off no end. Why should I care? Because I have sat across from CCIEs, face-to-face and asked them simple questions and realized they could not have passed the CCIE lab without help. One memorable chap did not understand what I was asking when I asked about the OSI model. I went on to ask about the layers and still got a blank stare. I was not at the peak of my game that day as I thanked him for the time and tossed his resume in the trash. Had I been in peak form, I would have asked how he passed the lab and what tools he used. Also if you have cheated to become a CCIE then you dilute the pool of talent with your lack of skills. The whole community suffers.
Having a CCIE number does not equal having a high paying job, guarantee you become smart, equip you with super human strength, make you a good network engineer or contribute to society. If you cheated you are still the same cheater you were as you walked into the lab and obviously a person who will carry the same dishonest behavior with you everywhere you go. As you walk down the sidewalk and steal candy from a child in a stroller think about how your actions devalue the entire population of genuine honest hardworking CCIEs. You have committed the only true sin on the planet and that is theft. You are a thief and whether your theft is a life, a love, a car, a certification, a job or a truth; you are still a thief.
Many rumors circulate about the cheating going on in the pursuit of becoming a CCIE. Some are real like the one about the radio transmitter/receiver worm by a candidate and the team in a van in the parking lot answering the questions. Or the many who get caught with notes in their hands as reference while taking the exam. Or the whole bunch of folks who have the same score and are suspected of sharing their answers. One of my favorite comes from many sectors that entire populations of CCIEs from two countries are suspect….
Cheating to have a CCIE associated with a channel partner is no better. The CCIE who rents their number to a channel to help them achieve silver or gold status is also a thief. That CCIE stole a job from another CCIE by allowing the channel to pay a small fee to hold the number and achieve a status they do not deserve. Remember that in doing this you have lied about the channel’s ability to support their own clients and you have stolen a job from someone else.
Banned for Life
I have seen this happen to some very deserving individuals like the counterfeit CCIE I wrote about a few months ago, the CCIEs who were caught renting the certifications to a channel, and to lab candidates caught cheating by their proctors. Being banned for life from taking additional certifications or tests and having their CCIE numbers revoked is not an uncommon occurrence. How harsh or fair the punishment is subject to debate and opinion and while I always feel sorry for anyone who earned their number with honest hard work only to lose it by making one stupid decision, the rules are the rules.
What does the letter from Cisco like?
Re: Violation of CCIE Candidate Conduct Policy-Possession of notes during exam
Dear ******,
I am writing to you on behalf of Cisco, Inc. (“Cisco”). It has come to our attention that ******* 2007 your CCIE Lab exam proctor discovered notes regarding exam question configurations at your assigned testing station. The proctor reported that upon confronting you with these notes that you admitted they belonged to you. As you should be aware, possession of notes during testing is a violation of the Candidate Conduct Policy which states:
“No candidate will take any action that will compromise the integrity or confidentiality of a Cisco Certification examination or otherwise compromise the integrity of the Cisco Certification program. Such actions include but are not limited to: • Using any aids, notes, equipment or other materials not authorized by the Testing Delivery Partners or Cisco during the exam.”
You signed a Cisco Career Certification and Confidentiality Agreement that prior to your exam. To paraphrase this agreement, Cisco may at its sole discretion revoke any and all Certifications you may have earned, and permanently ban you from earning future Certifications if Cisco determines, in its sole discretion, that you have undertaken or participated in any action that compromises the integrity and confidentiality of an examination or the Program.
As a result, you are hereby permanently prohibited from taking any Cisco examinations, including CCIE written and laboratory examinations, and any Cisco certifications with VUE, Cisco’s Authorized Testing Delivery Partner. Access to your candidate records in the Certifications Tracking System is also denied.
(See the whole article http://cciepursuit.wordpress.com/2007/10/10/ccie-lab-cheater-banned-for-life-loses-all-cisco-certifications)
This candidate actually made a number of postings and claims on Sadikov.com but they have been removed. I really think a better choice would have been to study hard and to earn the certification honestly. I have not been able to put my hands around the sheer size of the problem for Cisco. A lot of activity has been focused on cheating and CCIE number associations.
There are a lot of twists and turns and drama continues with a huge announcement about revocation of Cisco certifications from CCNA – CCIE coming out this week. I have been told that this effort has taken a very long time to its culmination this week with notices going out to literally hundreds of cheaters.
Stay tuned I will have the details very soon.
Return to the top of 'BANNED FOR LIFE!'.
Send Feedback