02
Apr 13

Stuff that not everyone blogs about

As a tech guy, what I notice when I read many tech blogs is that they seldom speak about their struggles and difficulties, which leaves me overwhelmed with how *super-human* that man/woman is. So in this blog post (I promise the next one will be a technical one) , I’m going to share some of the difficulties/challenges that I am facing now . This is part therapeutic(can’t afford a shrink) and part ,just me being honest.

 

Time Management

There are many many people I look up to in the Wi-Fi space specifically and in the Networking business in general. The one thing I find that most of those people are good at is time management. That is something which I’ve never been able to fully hack and master. For the last few months, work has been really taking up all my time and my study time and family time have really suffered.  This is causing some stress personally and I’ve started hate getting up and going to work on mondays now ( Although the job is, semi-exciting )

 

Travelling

My current job involves working in a different city than the one that I live in. Because of this, I have to travel to my work-city (if you can call it that ) every monday morning and come back every friday morning. This is something that I signed up for knowing the strain involved, but geez, looking back, I don’t know if that was the best thing to do.

 

Studies

I would really like to knock out the CCIE-Wireless and CWNE by EoY this year. Why not aim for the sky, right? I am unable to develop a good study plan to do this and stick to it. Could it be because of me taking up too many responsibilities at work? Could it be because my study plan isn’t solid and it’s bound to fail? Could it be because I’m not motivated enough? Could it because I get distracted a lot? Could it be because I don’t have a solid time-line in place and there are no “stakes” involved? Lots of possible reasons. This is something that I need to think about.

 

Time will tell where this all goes. I would really like this year to be more productive than my last year (really effing horrible,btw) and get a lot of things done.

 

Or,maybe all I need to do is put my head down and sprint to the finish.

 

Cheers,

TacACK

 

10
Mar 13

Where have I been?

Around.

It’s been a while and i’m feeling pretty rusty again as i type my first blogpost in almost 1.5 yvears. The reason for the hiatus? A deadly mix of new things going on in my life + sheer laziness.

However, for the 2 people who read my blog (yes, i counted myself) , there is good news. I’e added this to my daily plan to do and i’m going to be blogging daily. This blog is both a personal blog for me as well as a technical blog which i use to discuss technical topics and stuff that i come across on a regular basis.

Right after i type this i’m going to rant about an issue that has been affecting my professional life for a while now . Nothing like a good rant to kick-off blogging, right?

Cheers,

TacACK

06
Jun 11

DMVPN webinar!

Hello All,

I was recently part of a project in which i did some teaching, and guess what, i LOVED it! Teaching gets me real excited and motivated to work hard and i’m seriously considering it as a full time profession.

But i’ve to overcome some things before i can start confidently teaching!

1) Get better.Technically.

2) Try real hard to not swear during the classes

3) Get better.Technically. Have i said that already?

As you all might/might not know, i have restarted my CCIE-security study and i’m now digging deep into VPNs. I spent about 2-3 days last week reading up and labbing about DMVPNs and i thought it’d be cool if i can share all the stuff that i had learnt with others. Hence, the idea for the webinar.

It’s going to be a live session and i’m going to try and keep it as informal and fun as possible :) . I’d really appreciate it if you can join me as i go through what DMVPN is all about and how to kick some ass using this technology.

Here’s the link using which you can register -> http://tacack-dmvpn.eventbrite.com/ .

As the date for webinar nears, i will provide more details about the medium i’m going to be using to teach this topic.

So go ahead, tune-in , grab a beer , get comfortable and join me as we tear DMVPN apart!

Cheers,
TacACK

09
Apr 11

Aloha!

Hello All,

I thought it’d be a cool idea to say hi to all of you instead of just typing it out here, so please listen to the small clip .

Cheers,

TacACK

12
Jan 11

CCIE-sec INSTRUCTOR interview – Brandon Carroll

Hello All,

It’s been a long time since i posted a CCIE-sec candidate interview and what better way to start things off again other than an AWESOME interview with CCIE instructor “Brandon Carroll”.

I was fortunate enough to interview Brandon regarding a while back and because of a lot of reasons i got held up doing my own stuff and i couldn’t post it. However, i felt it was about time i posted this article and i’m sure you’ll enjoy this as much as i do. So here we go!

TacACK : Hello Brandon! How are you doing today?

I’m doing well.  I’m working on a number of projects and getting ready for TechFieldDay so its a pretty busy week.

TacACK : For the few CCIE-sec candidates who do not know about Brandon, he’s a CCIE(Security) and a CCSI. Brandon, could you please tell us a little about your CCIE(sec) preparation?

Sure thing.  I’ve been an instructor with a security focus for a number of years.  I teach all the CCSP, now CCNP Security, courses and that was my initial primary preparation method.  I used the knowledge gained there, along with the CCIE Security Written Exam Guide by CCBootcamp to pass the written.  I then used a combination of INE and IPexpert material for the lab.  I own all the workbooks from both vendors as well as the Audio products and Video Products.  I took a 5-day online class from INE and a 5-day live Instructor-led class from IPexpert.  My instructor at INE was Brian Mcgahn and my instructor at IPexpert was Jared Scrivener.  Bot were great instructors.

TacACK : Did you clear the lab on your first attempt? If not , what do you think was missing in your prep?

No I didnt.  The frist time I took the lab was more of a test run to see how it was.  I had no formal training and was in way over my head.  I simply had no time to learn about stuff I had not seen prior to that lab.  The second attempt was after the INE class and I was well prepared for the technology but had no strategy.  The final attempt was after the IPexpert class and I had the perfect strategy and without it I would not have passed.

TacACK : For many candidates (including me) , who couldn’t pass the CCIE on their first attempt, what would your advice to them be? What is the one or many “special” thing(s) that we have to study/lab to cross the hurdle?

Have a plan and stick with it.  Its easy to get sidetracked when you get nervous and frustrated.  If you say you will only spend 10 minutes on a task you MUST move on, even if you will need to come back to it later.  Just stick with the plan.  Also, your life should be spent on the racks.  You should be dreaming about the lab before you go to the lab.  It sounds goofy, but thats how it is.

TacACK : Haha :) I know a good friend of mine ( Ryan Schuett ) has dreams about configurations! Alright,  now coming to the OEQs. Are there any pointers that you could give us regarding prep for them?

Use Yusufs flash cards.  Other than that, if you know your material they OEQs are a non-issue.

TacACK : What according to you are the most difficult/tricky sections in the CCIE(sec) blueprint?

The ones you don’t know well.  It varies by the person.  For me, it was probably DMVPN troubleshooting.  I think FPM is giving people a run for their money along with GET VPN and multicast rekeying.  Its all fun stuff though!

TacACK : What changes do you see in the near-future in the CCIE(sec) track?

At the moment, not much.  Eventually IOS 15 will need to be introduced along with ASA 8.3 and IPS 7 or 8.  Depending on when things change.  I cant see much in the way of technology being added unless more focus if give to datacenter security which I doubt.  Cisco has been in a bit of a lull with Security in general and i think that drives what the program does.

TacACK : What do you feel is the #1 mistake that CCIE(sec) candidates make?

They overthink some things and underthing others.  You have to find a balance.  Yes you only do what you are told, but you better think about what is affected by what you change.

TacACK : That’ s a tough one. I have the same problem. Ok moving onto more lighter things, what is your daily schedule like? :)

Basically I’m up at 6 or so, sometimes earlier.  I spend about an hour reviewing email, twitter, facebook and so on.  If I’m teaching a class its basically start teaching at 8:30, lecture / break/ email/ read RSS feeds/ Start a new blog post.  At lunch I typicall schedule all my conference calls or I read and lab.When students are doing labs so am I.After work I hang out with my kids a bit, read some more, blog some more, lab some more.I head to bed around midnight every day.

TacACK : On an average, how much time do you spend reading everyday?

I couldn’t even guess.  I read off and on all day long and its usually multiple sources, books, blogs, etc.

TacACK : What are the 5 things that you recommend every CCIE(sec) candidate to do

Read, Lab, Listen to VoD and Audio, Rest, and take at least one class with a live instructor

TacACK : That’s great advice  Brandon! Thanks a lot for the interview , where can one reach you if they wanted to talk to you/take some of your classes?

Im on twitter @brandoncarroll, of my blog at http://www.globalconfig.net.  You can find my contact info there for links to facebook, linkedin and so on.

TacACK : Again, thanks a lot for the interview Brandon. I really appreciate this and i bet so will all the CCIE(sec) candidates who read this!

Thank you! I appreciate being able to assist people in their journey to CCIE!

Wasn’t that a great interview! One thing i absolutely admire in Brandon and many other CCIE instructors is the fact that , despite their hectic schedules, they still keep aside time to talk to their students and answer their questions patiently. I guess that’s the difference between an instructor who is good and an instructor who is just plain Awesome. Brandon definitely falls into the latter category! :)

Cheers,
TacACK



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