Staying Motivated During CCIE Prep
I’ve only been at this 3 weeks, and am finding it hard to stay motivated. I’ll have a really good week of studying/videos/labbing, etc. but then the weekend rolls around (today for example), and I have little desire to sit here and read about HDLC, PPP, and everything that goes along with it.
I think it’s more of the overwhelming amount of information one tries to absorb during this time, versus not enjoying the material. Sure, some of it’s pretty dry, but all in all, I still find most of it enjoyable. It just feels that even thought I’m making good progress (I think…), there’s so much more to absorb, remember, regurgitate, repeat, etc. This material has to become part of who you are, not just a collection of memorized facts stored away for future use.
I think that’s the part I have a hard time with…trying to determine which specific facts about the technology/protocol are important to remember permanently, versus which facts are needed, but easy to correlate with the task/question at hand during the written and lab exams. I know that I understand the concept and how a protocol works, but I worry about not remembering that one random fact.
The more I read about some of the OEQ horror stories, the more I become concerned. I can’t imagine putting in all this time, just to be shot down for 4 lousy questions. Sure, the concept of the OEQ is well-intentioned, but the results seem to be discouraging. I know there are people that still pass, but as time goes on, the OEQ’s weigh heavily on my mind.
I think part of the other issue is that the network I manage on a day to day basis is very small, and most of the CCIE topics are generally not something I can use/implement daily. I’m sure there are many out there in a similar situation, so how do you stay motivated? What gives you that extra kick to keep going? Coffee is having limited success for me at the moment….*sigh*
August 8, 2009 at 10:29 am
Take a walk and spend some time off. I am in the same situation (but for a much lesser exam) today.
I think it helps just to relax the mind and come back fresh. My girlfriend has noted that I just cannot do any worthwhile study when I am tired or bored, so I take those nights off if I can.
or: imagine the smile on your face when you nail it – or your next job
keep going!
August 9, 2009 at 8:21 pm
It’s hard…I’ve gotten into feeling guilty if I don’t study when I know I can, so I find it hard to not focus on studying for at least a little bit each night.
Tonight though, I watched 45 minutes of an INE Class on Demand, and that was enough for me…you can just tell when you can’t focus anymore, and I was definitely at that point.
I guess I have to realize that there’s no race…if I take the lab in March, great. If I take it in June, great as well.
September 7, 2009 at 7:37 am
Achieving the CCIE appears to be like eating an elephant. Made of sawdust. You can’t fit the whole thing in your mouth at once. You can’t eat it all in one go. You can’t even taken on a tusk all at once – you have to just keep eating it and eating it and eating it and eating it and eating it until the trunk is gone, then eating it and eating it and eating it until it is “one ear down, one to go”, etc. It really seems like a test of will power.
Good skill!