I graduated as an Engineer, with a good interest in understanding the how and why of Internet communication.
After graduating I cleared up the CCNA and started working up as an Instructor, I was learning continuously and purchased the self-study material for my CCNP, the Cisco Network Academy Program (CNAP) courseware books were really good in explaining the things to greater details, I was able to get the hold of them from some of my friends doing the MS in Advanced Computer Networking Program in UK. Finally using them I cleared my CCNP and switched my job to our national ISP VSNL.
VSNL was a great exposure to me, I was able to see through the entire Internet cloud troubleshooting the issues with BGP, and learning the new techs with a Service Provider of MPLS and QOS applications. I was working towards the CCIE in R&S but my work brought me close to the SP technologies. Everyday I was exploring some new corner of the ISP cloud. I was exposed to all kinds of challenges I could have been exposed to in such an organization. I learned well from this experience. I worked at this organization for more than a year, by now challenges in the job began wear thin. I had faced every possible issue. I found the job here less and less interesting. I had aspired to clear CCIE when I had gotten into this field. So I finally decided to quit. It was a very difficult decision, but the one that I had to make. I knew that I will have to justify taking this break, so I jumped right in.
I cleared my written exam before quitting my job with VSNL, by this time I had gone through most of the recommended books and some more latest books. I started working on myself back as a student with no one to guide, just myself and my collection of books to finish with. I worked daily without any holidays and without anybody to support other than the trust from my family. Continued like this and completed the books that I decided I should. Than in order to get some direction on the labs I decide and purchase the Internetworkexpert lab workbook, the COD price was out of my reach I knew that ;).Thanks to the guys @ Internetworkexpert they gave me concession as I am from a developing country, something nice :).
I could not begin with Internetworkexpert lab right away, so I started going through and labbing up all the books that I had already done theoretically. I was improving day-by-day finally I completed all the technologies from my stacks of books, got to the Cisco site and checked the technologies briefings, scanned them through and selected some which aren't still covered in books, labbed them up again and understood them. I was regular @ various forums, Cisco netpro, Internetworkexpert SP forum and many other blogs of the candidate's pursuing the same CCIE but in different track. This is what kept me moving. The days were passing and I by this time, had lost all my personal life contacting my friends got from rare to none, eating on time...... never, my Mom finally stopped calling me for breakfast/Lunch/Dinner as I always used to say that I am coming, and was never able to leave my desk where I work with my securecrt console and books. I lost all the habits except sitting in from of the screen, and typing in the commands, configuring and verifying. I used to eat only twice, once morning Breakfast and the dinner, I still can't believe what I could think of was entirely the problem and the possible solutions to get them resolved, nothing else was there in my head. I kept myself motivated by assigning short term and long term goals and regularly checked up on the progress. Days were passing and I never stopped, no breaks from my schedule, I never realized that in order to work on this I used to take a walk @ any time in the night, it never mattered what was the time in the clock I used to wander outside on streets for fresh air @ unearthly hours. I was regular @ groupstudy, the environment is healthy there, and I never got the chance to ask, as I got all my answers from the conversations, they are a nice family under good supervision. Thanks a lot Paul for this group. After the techs I reviewed the Cisco documentation, downloaded most of it to check and study it offline. Labbed the corresponding techs not yet caught from the books, I was now pretty confident about the technology section for the Service Provider. Then moved and started with the Internetworkexpert full-scale labs, it helped a great deal hone my skills they made me wonder, but as I knew all the possibilities from the tech labs there was never any problem. Still after finishing the full-scale labs, I referenced up some more technology and protocol specific books, which weren't under recommendations but was Cisco press published and was very nice protocol specific they saved some of my points in the exam.
Finally lab is approaching and I started just revising through all this that has been done. After toiling hard for almost a year, the d-day has finally arrived. I was flying for the first time, when I flew to Brussels, reached there a day earlier. The Lab day was nothing exceptional and I did the things like I used to do while practicing, with strict time considerations and understanding what they are asking was important, completed the exam with all the possible verification steps.
All through the return journey to home, my minds kept defending the solution and the verification done for that. Finally @ home , it's done. Peace ...... was the first thing that came to my mind.
And it's been exactly an year through this journey, my habits have changed, I eat only twice during the day, I have to recover. All through this only my family and some of my friends stood by me, which gave me something important to learn and reason through before getting with anybody. I still am learning daily.
I have yet too see what I can get for and work in after completing this...........