Scope of Blog

Narrowing the scope of a blog can be a good thing. Let's see if I can narrow down the scope of this blog to Cisco Certification talk.

Why? Why to benefit myself of course.

If I can obtain my first Cisco Certification then I am on my way to my next Cisco Certification.

We must all choose our own paths. I think I'll continue on this path of Cisco Certification.

What is the Path of Cisco Certification. Obviously it involves studying for a test, determining the date you will take that test, determine the cost of taking that test, pass that test, rinse, wash, cycle, and repeat.

How much is there to know?

Obviously the path never ends. Could one go deeply along that path and then veer off on some other path. Yes one could. However that would leave not knowing what might have been. The path not taken and all that rot.

Well let me try to think in terms of all that other rot. I think I've seen all I care to see of all that other rot and all I want to see is a CLI prompt sitting in front of me.

What does all of this information that is at your fingertips at the Command Line Interface mean?

Well to the great majority of the people in this world it means very little. It's like a completely foreign language. Even to me it is still like a completely foreign language of course, lots of the time. But I have been fortunate enough to have found myself in a position of DS3 and OCn Test and Turn up Network Operations Center, Network Operations Technician.

I see how these companies hook these routers up together to make networks, and ultimately, to make money.

But I just get the routers talking, get them up/up with good ping, and then move on to the next circuit. I turn it over to the router group from there. The configure BGP and get some routes set up. From there the customer is most likely on his own for the most part. Until the circuit goes down. And then the Assurance group picks up the ticket and fixes it and closes it out and the customer is back to being on his own again.

But in this routing and switching game, the customer is never really on his own. Unless he wants to be off on his own. Doesn't need all of this hand holding. How about UUNet. Founded by John Sidgemore. They don't need anybody holding there hand. And Sprint, and Verizon, and at&t. And neither does a good internetwork engineer.

So my first step is to take the ICND1. Let's see what I can get done tonight.