8 tahun impian, akhirnya CCIE #40572

Alhamdulillah, syukur dengan hadiah dari Tuhan pada hari ini. V lulus CCIE Lab exam di Jakarta, Indonesia pada 16 September 2013. Perjuangan dan impian yang tersimpan sejak mula keluar dari university. Maaf kerana tidak ber update blog ni kerana terlalu sibuk dengan study. Inilah hidup sebagai seorang network engineer yang mendedikasikan hidup dan masanya untuk sebuah impian, menjadi yang terbaik dan berada dalam kumpulan engineers elite dunia.

The Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certification is accepted worldwide as the most prestigious networking certification in the industry. Network Engineers holding an active Cisco CCIE certification are recognized for their expert network engineering skills and mastery of Cisco products and solutions. The CCIE community has established a reputation of leading the networking industry in deep technical networking knowledge and are deployed into the most technically challenging network assignments.

Cisco introduced the CCIE certification in 1993 to assist the industry in distinguishing the top echelon of internetworking experts worldwide. Today , CCIE certification holders represent less than 3% of all certified Cisco professionals and less than 1% of the networking professionals worldwide.

- Cisco Systems.

Segalanya telah berakhir disini. Usaha yang segigih habis, study macam orang gila, berseorangan dalam bilik sepanjang hari hinggakan mimpi pun terbayang-bayang akhirnya membuahkan hasil. Permulaan kepada impian ini bukan dibina dengan penghormatan dari sekelian rakan dan taulan. Sepanjang perjuangan ini, ada kata-kata yang tidak mempercayai yang V boleh berjaya. Seperti yang V katakan, perjuangan ini sunyi, hati ini perlu memujuk diri sendiri terhadap kata-kata yang sinis, memperlekehkan impian ini. Tapi V tukarkan itu semua menjadi doa yang penuh bermakna, tiada yang paling menyenangkan hati apabila membuktikan yang apa yang mereka katakan itu akhirnya meleset.

I went from zero to my own hero

3 kali gagal di Hong Kong, tak sangka berjaya di Jakarta. Jumlah 4 kali attempts. Cuma 1 kali ditaja company dengan setiap kali attempt kosnya mencecah 7K ringgit. CCIE is not for faint heart. When you have decided to take the journey, there is no turning back.

So now I want my life back!!!

Ok tak? or maybe another CCIE track perhaps...or maybe its time to get married kot...haha... that is the hope long time gone. I should focus to repair my present and future, tak mahu lagi buang masa untuk perkara remeh. Kata Marilyn Monroe, "if you can not stand me at my worst, surely you don't deserve me at my best". Kejayaan ini datangnya dari Allah, tiada daya dan kekuatan kecuali dengan izinnya.

Dan kecewa kini dipulih rasa kasih-NYA

BTW, in my previous entry for the previous attempt, did I say someday I will make you a believer?

So do you believe now? More importantly do you believe in yourself? I am telling you my story so that it can inspire you to do same and even better.

"When people undermine your dreams, predict your doom, criticize you, and generally resist the truth about who you are, remember, they’re telling you their own sad story, not yours."

Pengalaman mengambil CCIE Lab exam di Jakarta, fuuhhhh...sangat mencabar. Terima kasih kepada sahabat dari saudia yang menjadi tuan rumah di Jakarta Selatan ni. Jika bukan kerana bantuan logistic yang diberikan, mungkin ia menjadi terlalu sukar. Terima kasih sejuta kali kerana menumpangkan diri ini untuk 4 hari ni.

Pada pagi sebelum exam, dah call teksi tapi teksi tak sampai-sampai plak. Jalan di jakarta ni memang dasyat jemnya, kalau makan dengan roti, roti pun habis dulu.

So member cakap, ini kena naik ojek, iaitu teksi moto lebih kurang gitulah. So V merempitlah pepagi tu membonceng meredah jem. Bila tengok sendiri jemnya jalan-jalan Jakarta ni, rasanya kalau naik teksi memang tak sempat lah nak ambik exam tepat pukul 8.30 pagi. Bila sampai jer kt area office Cisco ni, rasa dah terketar-ketar tangan ni sebab duk pegang besi belakang moto ni. Fuhh...laju giler bawak.

Pengalaman di dalam lab plak, Inilah kali pertama V solat ketika time lunch 30 minit break bersama CCIE candidate yang lain. Kt Hong Kong mana ada tempat utk solat tapi kt Indonesia nasib baik ada. Di Hong Kong V jamak takhir lepas selesai exam. Tapi di Jakarta agak sukar kalau nk jamak takhir sebab timingnya asar mungkin dah nak masuk maghrib bila exam habis. So jamak takdim la jawabnya.

Mungkin itulah pelajaran dari Allah, bila kita tetap utamakan akhirat dan perintahnya maka Allah akan beri dunia kemudiannya.

Lepas habis exam, V turun bawah lobby terduduk kejap sebab letih menaip atas keyboard ni. Sakit tangan ha, 8 jam tu.

Lepas tu balik naik teksi pukul 6 petang. Time ni jem belum habis lagi. So V duduk dalam teksi tu sampai tertidor la, macam-macam gaya position tidor nya, rasa macam nak bengkok tulang belakang sebab 2 jam dlm teksi.

Bila sampai rumah member, dah pukul 8 mlm, rasa letih giler yang amat bangetttt....

Ada email notification CCIE result kt IPhone, cepat result keluar just beberapa jam jer. So check online, akhirnya V passed. Terkejut kejap, pemberian dari Allah ni terlalu hebat sangat. Syukur sesangat. Pada mulanya family pun tak faham kenapa nk spend duit untuk semua ni, but finally they understand.

Some are born to have normal life, some are destined to be great.

I am not great, Allah is GREAT.

Hong Kong sekali lagi and everything in between

Dah berkali-kali datang sini sampai dah biasa sangat dengan jalan-jalan kt sini. Kt sini memang senang nk tahu mana jalan nak kena ambik, just naik MTR jer kalau nk pergi memana.

Hotel Renaissance Harbour View, Hong Kong

Tapi kali ni dapat stay kt hotel yang lagi dekat dengan bangunan Great Eagle, office Cisco System. Tempat untuk ambik CCIE lab exam. Untuk rekod, ini dah kali ketiga attempt. unfortunately, kali ni failed jugak. Sedih rasanya, tapi untuk attempt kali ni, troubleshoot section dapat PASS, tapi FAILED configuration section. Pencapaian yang lebih baik dari yang sebelumnya. Cuma satu habit yang masih tak dapat nak tinggal, V cuba untuk jawab satu-persatu soalan, try to achieve perfection. In the end terpaksa paksa diri jugak, tinggalkan soalan ni, kemudian terus ke soalan yang last sekali kemudian jawab secara menurun. Maka dengan itu dapatlah markah 100% untuk network optimization. Sekalipun tak lulus, tapi peningkatan. Lepas balik dari exam, terus bukak macbook, kemudian run simulation balik kt mana yang silap tadi. Ehmm....baru tau ini salahnya. At least utk set question ni, V dapat tahu di mana yang perlu improve. So possibility untuk dapat set question yang sama jugak ialah 50-50. Set yang pernah V dapat tu belum tentu dapat lagi. Tapi ada satu lagi set yang tinggal yang belum muncul.

Proctor tu pun dah kenal muka ni ha, "your face look familiar, you come again right?". Haa...mesti dalam hati proctor ni, "datang lagi loser ni"...haha.

Anyway, V tanya proctor, "any possibility that I will get the same set of question?" Dia jawab "ooo...that's confidential man...haha" ketawa.

Bila dah failed tu, hanya ada sorang jer kawan V yang masih memberikan kata-kata motivasi. Dia CCIE in Service Provider. Dia pesan jangan putus asa sebab dia dulu pun pernah melalui jalan yang sama. Orang sekeliling semua duk mengata, awatlah bersusah payah spend duit banyak untuk sebuah professional certificate. Itulah nasib bangsa sendiri, tak nak improve diri, tak nak berusaha untuk menjadi aset penting dalam organisasi tapi bila gaji tak naik, bising. Semua nak gaji tinggi, tapi malas. Maaf cakap straight ni, ini la yang kawan tadi tu cakap. Yer memang betul pun, bab dengki toksah cerita la.

So untuk give up cita-cita besar ni, is not an option. Kita dalam bidang network engineering, memang perlu memiliki cita-cita untuk menjadi bukan sekadar good engineer, tapi the best engineer. Oleh kerana ada rekod yang orang pernah attempt CCIE lab ni sampai 6-8 kali then baru pass, so rasa macam I am far from over.

If you failed but never learn from failure, maka jadilah engineer yang tak kemana. Manusia fitrahnya memerlukan inspirasi, tanpa inspirasi lebih baik pergi mati.

Orang kata kalau tak pernah gagal, then you don't try hard enough. You never learn anything.

Memang berhajat nak ambik lagi exam ni, ehmmm...baru tadi bank call, dia offer credit limit increase pada credit card. Oit, orang tak pernah exceed limit pun, setiap bulan kalau spend sampai beribu pun, setiap hujung bulan V sentiasa bayar in full. Tak pernah terperangkap dengan fenomena tak terbayar hutang. Untuk rekod pengurusan kewangan, inilah yang V bangga dengan diri sendiri. Kekuatan kewangan ini adalah amanah Allah. Tak semestinya duit yang kita simpan itu adalah untuk kegunaan kita. Boleh jadi ia digunakan untuk membayar teksi, bayar di kedai dan seumpamanya. Semoga Allah meredhai akan cita-cita ini. Ia bukan sekadar untuk diri sendiri, tapi belajar dan menjadi terbaik adalah untuk menambah pahala dengan cara mengajarkan pula kepada orang lain.

Nak belajar subjek CCIE ni memang susah, especially dalam negara tak ramai yang CCIE certified, rekod terakhir yang dilihat, ada 190 orang dalam Malaysia yang ada CCIE. Yang ada pula rata-rata bukan Melayu, so nk belajar deripada non-Malay ni memang toksah cerita la. Memang takkan tolong nyer. Sorry to say, its reality. V rasa bertuah, kerana disini V ada kawan CCIE yang berdiri menyokong penuh cita-cita ni dan juga bersedia untuk menolong anak bangsa yang sanggup untuk menempuh cabaran dan mahu berusaha untuk bergelar CCIE.

Siapa kawan V yang CCIE tu, satu-satunya CCIE yang pernah kerja di Jaring, sekarang dia dah tukar kerja di tempat lain. He is my junior back in university. Masa dia nk resign dulu, boss semua menghilangkan diri tak nak approve dia resign, ini orang cerita la. Ha...sampai begitu sekali, kita kena menjadi aset kepada company bukan semakin kita tua, kita menjadi liability. In the end, bila nk resign, boss dengan gembira cakap, "resign jugak ko akhirnya yer?"

So mana-mana Melayu di luar sana nak menjadi CCIE tu, V boleh ajar sampai berjaya sekalipun kalau V sendiri tak dapat CCIE certificate ni. Ini tujuan untuk mencari pahala bukan sekadar satu kebaikan untuk dunia.

Cita-cita pun kena keluarkan duit ni, untuk attempt kali ni under sponsor by company. Tapi rasanya CEO Petronas-ICT takkan nk approve lagi kot. Bila tanya colleague, dia cakap CEO dah tukar dah, mana ada lagi John Miller, ganti orang lain. Ooo...so boleh submit satu lagi proposal la.

Anyway, ini antara view yang menarik dari bilik hotel, pemandangan kawasan Tsim Tsa Tsui.

 

View sunset yang indah di bumi Hong Kong

Kalau nk study CCIE, cari orang yang memberikan motivasi kepada kita, jangan join study group dengan orang yang merendah-rendahkan kita. Ini cita-cita besar, maka berkawanlah dengan  orang yang sudi membantu kita yang menyumbang manfaat kepada kita. Tinggalkan kawan yang tak berfaedah.

"When people undermine your dreams, predict your doom or criticize you, remember they are telling you their story, not yours."

CCIE first attempt, an expensive lesson

Today I will be flying to Hong Kong to take CCIE lab exam, it will conducted at Cisco office for 8 hours straight. So I've come early to KLIA at 7.30am. My flight would be at 9.15am. After months of preparation, but actually my mission here is to check out for the first time how is the CCIE lab will be conducted and whether pass or fail it is another story....;p

It is my first attempt and because the period of 18 months after written exam has passed, I have no choice but to take this exam anyway, otherwise my CCIE written will expire. So I will try not to be paranoid here as to be honest, I dont hav enough time to cover all chapters.

Anyway, I am going to tell my story here so you can take it as a lesson

My passport and HK immigration form


It looks like I am the one who came early...;p


Arrived at Hong Kong International Airport. After that, I took airport express train to Hong Kong station and it cost me HKD 100. And from there, I took MTR to Wan Chai station, the ticket fare is HKD 4 only


And for muslims out there who arrive at HK Airport, there is a prayer room at the corner of Terminal 1. Read the sign board.


View inside the prayer room, there are also prayer mats for use.


Room at Harbourview Hotel. I booked via online reservation and made an early payment. It cost me HKD 2005 for 3 days 2 nights.


View from window. I can see HK Convention Centre from here and during the night at 8pm sharp, I can watch the symphony of light, so marvelous.


The next day, it is time to take the lab. The Cisco office is situated not far from my hotel where I stayed. From this pic, you can see the black/dark building at the far end on the left road.


Ok, this is the place, Great Eagle Centre.


Take the escalator down to the office lobby.


Now take an elevator to 29th floor and wait outside until CCIE proctor come and greet you.


Now at 29th floor


I wait outside


View inside the office, I wait at the pantry

So, the lab begin, at first I was required to produce my passport as prove of my identity. The next thing to do is to remove anything in my pockets and place them in my backpack. I only allowed to bring in water bottle and light sweater.

OK, we now entered the room and the proctor has given instructions about the lab and how it will be conducted. The lab will now begin at 8.21am and will stop for lunch at 12.21pm.

So, I begin my lab session, the first session would be Open Ended Question, 4 questions in total need to be answered within 30 minutes.

Than move on to Troubleshooting session, at first when I was looking all the questions and the topology. I said to myself, "My God, I don't prepare for this...haha" I laughed in shock...there are 11 incidents and I took very very long time to answer the questions. To be honest, I am lack of speed and my fingers are not very strong to stroke keyboard keys for straight 8 hours. And no need to tell about how is my performance here, because I am very disappointed of my own performance...;(. This session is capped to 2 hours only.

Lunch would be half an hour only and the proctor will bring in the food, but as a muslim, the proctor has asked me what kind of the food I am allowed to consume. Actually I never realize that I can bring my own lunch pack, so I have no choice but to request any vegetarian food. So he asked me whether I can consume egg or fish. So I just replied both would be fine.

After that, I continue to the main lab. And this is how I am going to die in shock....I only practiced Internetwork Expert labs for couple weeks and surely it is not enough to train myself to gain speed and deep comprehension. I only rely on my knowledge in theory and surely it doesn't help much and of coz, the behavior of those switches and routers are not as we expected. I only managed to go thru half of the lab questions because time is almost up. I am too slow....;(

So, people might ask, if I am not ready enough, why do I take this lab, the answer is in the second paragraph and I am now hav 18 months left to pursue this certification. And honestly I don't like to write about my preparation because people tend to put pressure on me by wishing me luck and hope I will pass the lab. My objective here is not to just pass the lab but to gain knowledge and deep understanding along the way and the certificate is just the end of the journey.

During my stay in Hong Kong there is a small restaurant I went for Halal food. It just walking distance from the hotel. The name of the restaurant is Ebeenezer (I don't know whether my spelling is right)


You can read the Halal sign next to the counter.

The next day, before going back to Kuala Lumpur, I went out to Hong Kong Convention Centre that is just walking distance from the hotel.

The Bohemia flower at in front of HK Convention Centre


View at in front of HKCC

I have learned the lesson, the expensive one and so my preparation for second attempt would be conducted in secrecy and I am not telling where and date of my next attempt....;p. So be passion ok, I will write once I am done. And sorry for my english as it is not my native language...;p