JNCIP Certified - Finally...

Today I receive an email from Ramesh, the proctor in JNCIP exam I took yesterday. He told me that I passed the JNCIP exam. Finally....:D

Actually before he sent me that email, after the test was done, I've already felt very happy :P. That's because I'm confidence that I will pass after re-checking my work repeatedly.

It was not done without any struggling.

For this test, I sacrificed my holiday a week for doing preparation thoroughly. I just want to make sure 100% that I will pass the test. Having failed two times because of not enough preparation, I learned my lesson very well. The preparation was done using excellent Sybex book pdf made freely available on Juniper website (Thank you Harry Reynolds for such a wonderful book ^_^) and olive.

So what does it means - passing the JNCIP exam? It proves three things.

First, everybody with a determination can pass the JNCIP. (I used to be OSS engineer, didn't I :P).

Second, it shows that my claim was right that I was ready and needed a couple of weeks for doing preparation. Well, actually I was worry I would be a laughing stock if I fail again this time -> that's why I couldn't sleep on the exam day. Bad for me, because it made me sleepy. That's why checking and re-checking tactics over and over again at that time works very well.

And third, if you don't want to attend official Juniper training, you may still pass the exam like me. But you have to prepare yourself mentally for facing the failure (I've told you that I failed two times, haven't I?). Among other engineers in my office, I was unfortunate to not be sent to any Juniper trainings by my company. The other engineers who passed JNCIP, all have attended official Juniper training. So when it comes to calculation cost, you can count yourself. I gained JNCIP certification by taking it three times. The other did it at their first or second time. Add training cost and you can count which strategy more sufficient for you (and your wallet :P) .

Actually there is a funny story behind my passing the JNCIP exam. On the test day, I accidentally skipped reading the OSPF area assignment because the paper was hidden accidentally under other paper. So I thought it was my task for doing OSPF design as well. After thinking for a while, I decided to separate the area according to the summarization task I have to do later. And the area name was assigned based on the clue in redistribution task. It was not 30 minutes before the end of exam time that I found the missing paper. Hurriedly, I checked the area assignment I supposed to do. Fortunately, all was correct!

So I feel very glad. It's not only I have passed the exam and gained JNCIP certification, but it raised up my confidence level of my networking skill. I'm still not an expert - though. I think I still need to learn many things anyway :).

Well for you that want to take JNCIP exam, I will share you some tips below :

1. Read Sybex book very carefully and read it until you understand not only the task for configuring the router but the essence of routing protocols.
2. Do lab practice by using M-series router or olive. It was possible to practice almost every configuration in JNCIP using olive. I have proven that since I did lab practice only using qemu since the M5 and M7i lab was occupied by my colleagues.
3. Never feel over-confidence for we are human. And human do mistakes! So always check and re-check again your configuration eventhough you feel everything have been put into the right place.
4. Enroll to Juniper official training if you don't want to face failure several times like me :)

Next target is to retake my soon-to-be-expired JNCIS-ER and to finish CCIP. Well actually since I have gained JNCIP, I think I won't push myself off limits for CCIP. I am only a human and human do need recreation time :). This year or next year won't be a problem for me because I take it only for fun anyway ;).

Enough said.

Soft Opening New Datacomm Office

Today is a good day and is chosen as the day of soft opening our new office in Mampang, Jakarta. While almost our company employees are there, attending the event, I chose to not attending it. The reason is quite simple, if it is a celebration, then there is nothing for me to celebrate yet. And besides, it was only an invitation, not an obligation so I must have a choice, mustn't I?

Rather than joining people in a party, I would prefer to do some JNCIP lab exercise. My exam will come in less than three weeks. And I haven't 100% confident that I will pass it. I'm different from the other colleagues who manage to pass it in term of field job experience. There are several respectable colleagues from Datacomm that have passed the JNCIP. But almost of their time are spent for doing JUNOS configuration, either in lab testing in our office or in customer site. So it's not quite a surprise that they are be able to pass it.

My story in Datacomm is quite different. From the beginning I join Datacomm, I was told by my boss to do many different kind of projects. While it is exciting, the consequences is that I must always have to look back on things I've done. It's impossible to remember all things I've done. Well, I'm still a human after all :P.

In the last meeting, my boss praised me for having many Juniper Certifications. Yes, among all engineer, I have collected the most. And it's because I always took JNCIA before taking JNCIS that make me able to be like that. I know that one of my colleagues is very proud of passing JNCIS without taking JNCIA first and I admire him. But I know I'm not a very special and intelligent person, so I decided to take the basic first before advancing the next level. I always took JNCIA as practice. So when the score is high, it would make me comfortable to take the JNCIS later. After all, I'm not the kind of person that believe success can be reach instantly.

But what is the impact of having many certifications to my career? Many will surprise that my career actually not as good as my certifications number :P. It took me more than three years working in Datacomm before my boss promote me to be a consulting engineer. Well, most engineer manage to reach that position in only 1,5 - 2 years. The secret is they are focused to do only one thing so they are faster to be an expert in their field. So I'm not consider myself as a very highly successful employee. I think I'm average but that doesn't matter since my purposes is different from the other.

Many people join the company for pursuing their career (equal to money, of course). Some people are overdoing it that sometimes they don't even care that they humiliate themselves in front of others. It's not a secret as in every companies, everybody wants to look good in front of their bosses. While they hold knive in their back, it's a different matter. As long as the bosses don't know, usually they will achieve a good position. It's a fact, a sad fact.

But I'm really happy in Datacomm I don't have to do that kind of practice. There are many toys and things to learn here and I'm so happy right now I'm able to get acquainted with them eventhough I'm not the expert of all. There are always people in my company who have more expertise than me. And for them we should also admire their achievements, that they have taken the long road to be in that position.

JNCIP Exam again, finally....

It's been a long time since I updated my blog for the last time. Well, I've been busy - as always. One of the reason that keeps me really busy is I will undergo JNCIP exam again at the end of this month. Finally, the time has come again for me :). I'm really excited this time.

And this time my preparation is really better than the past. I've done JNCIP lab since last week...uhmm repeating the same lab that I had practised at the beginning of this year when my JNCIP application is rejected by my superior.

It almost two years since my last JNCIP exam. And yes, I have forgotten all the exam questions I had before. But I have no worries since I'm now very comfortable with myself. And last *cough* Cisco *cough* test showed me my strength and weakness :D. I'm really aware of it and I know I have to do practice it more in the next few weeks if I want to make sure I'll 100% pass it.

I know there are people who dislike me and I believe they will be very happy if something wrong happens and I fail in the exam again. But suppose I fail again, it won't be the end for me because I will pursue this eventhough I have to use my own money. This time, I'm really happy because my company are willing to sponsor me again :D.

Maybe because I haven't received any trainings in the last 1,5 years from my company. But that's quite understandable because I think I made some people very upset by resigning from my position in OSS and chosen to take the Routing path more seriously. And have I told you that I still keep my IVCD certificate safe in my home instead of submitting it to my company :P?

They don't appreciate my work well as an IVCD holder so I think it's best if I frame it and hang it on my room wall in my house as a proof of my achievement. That way, someday I would be able to tell my kids the story of their father when he was young.

Okay, so I think I have to do lab again now :D. After I pass this JNCIP, I will have to renew my JNCIS-ER that is about to expire in next month. If I count it well, I have collected 5 JNCIS that is still valid now plus JNCIA-EX. And don't forget I'm still pursuing my CCIP. Well, I postpone it for a while since JNCIP is my priority now. Still a lot of work until the end of this year. I don't know if I would be able to accomplish all but I wish to and I also wish at the end of this year I will be able to play basketball as good as I was again.

Still struggling with my back injure as I spend one hour a day for the treatment. Well, actually in my condition, I'm still be able to play basketball but my movement is not as free as before. I score average 12 points on the practice session but I cannot do pivoting movement well and I feel really bad about it :(.

But I'm in good spirit now anyway, very good spirit :D.