Three years ago, I was at a crossroads.
I already had my CCIE Routing & Switching for quite some time, and I was asking myself the big question: whatโs next?
DevNet? CCIE Security? I started exploring bothโฆ but something kept pulling me towards one thing: design. The kind of work where you donโt just make networks run, you make them make sense.
So I went all-in.
I poured every spare hour into the CCDE path, starting with the written exam (400-007). In June 2024 I passed the CCDE Written in Las Vegas and thought, right, now itโs โjustโ the practical.
I knew the practical would be tough.
I did not expect it to take a year and a half of my life.
Early mornings. Most weekends. A few nights every week with the study group.
And, if Iโm being brutally honest, a lot of it was time borrowed from my family. Time they graciously sacrificed with me, even when it wasnโt fun, even when it dragged on.
But todayโฆ I walked into the Cisco office in London knowing it was the day.
Almost 7 hours exam (yes, I finished a bit early). Then, I waited. Waited. And waited. In the end, the email arrived.
โ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฑ (๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฐ)โ
Iโm proud. Iโm relieved. And Iโm genuinely grateful.
To my study group: you kept me accountable when motivation wasnโt enough.
To my family: you carried a chunk of this journey with me.
To everyone whoโs grinding through something big right now: keep going, but donโt forget why you started.
Nowโฆ Iโm going to take a breath. Then Iโll decide whatโs next. ๐
#CCDE #CCIE #CCNP #CCNA #NetworkDesign #Cisco #CareerJourney #Learning #NeverStopLearning
