Eman (Emmanuel Conde) has the destinction of being the only CCIE recruiter promoted by World Wide Channels of
Cisco Systems. Eman earned this
distinction because of his tireless efforts on behalf of CCIEs and developing
Cisco talent. He has spoken at Cisco
Academy events, developed an international CCIE mentor program, writes for
ITWorld magazine, has a very active blog focused on CCIE career concerns, and produces
the CCIE Flyer an online magazine published monthly. He has developed a unique approach to
recruitment which includes giving back to the CCIE community through his advice,
career columns and CCIE Mixers which are networking events he hosts
internationally. Unique to the industry
is his specialization in CCIE recruitment and the many ways he has created a
presence in the CCIE community.
The whole world is going nuts and the best way to
distinguish yourself from the herd during this crazy time is by raising the bar
on your own accomplishments every day. I
do it and it keeps me fresh and in demand as the CCIE Agent™. Those around me that I associate
professionally with do it too, like M and Jack Taylor my team. We hustle every day and try to take care of
our network of clients and CCIEs as we navigate the muck and mire.
Training material for CCIEs is another area of distinction
for some authors. I have personally seen
some very good ones out there and distinguishing themselves becomes difficult
for some of the authors. CCIE training
material is written and published all the time by various sources and
authors. I have heard of some plagiarized
products out there from several of my network members. I speak with one author regularly, Narbik who
recently called while I was in Jamaica (did you know only one CCIE lives in
Jamaica?) talking to him about his new 2.0 Boot Camp. I get excited about CCIE stuff so I was
excited to help spread the word about this news.
So when I landed back in the states I called Narbik back and
asked him to answer a few questions about his latest work and activities on
behalf of CCIEs around the world. What
follows is my best effort to capture that call.
Q: Narbik why do I go on vacation to get away from work just
to end up taking your calls? Is it the
love of what we do or are we both nuts?
A: Eman I think we are both nuts driven by a passion that is
based upon our love of helping others.
What we do is not all for money we both spend so much time helping
others and we are lucky we get paid for what we do and love. Vacation is for people who are stressed out
every day and need a break. We are
kindred spirits in that way and we don’t need a relief from stress, just more
time with family that is less interrupted!
I know you took my call because it was me. How many calls did you not take?
Q: Narbik I am asking the questions here. Yes I took your call because it was you but I
also took a few others. I actually added
two new clients while on vacation since they called out of the blue and
rekindled an old relationship with another channel partner. The call from Dubai was a good one since some
of my CCIE network will have a chance there to get submitted for new
roles. But in all I did avoid a few
callers and M was instrumental in keeping everyone happy for me.
Tell me what’s new with you?
I know you have been working on new training materials and had a few
calls with Cisco lately.
A:As of Aug, who ever attends my book camp, they
will get “THE
BEST OF THE BEST” the reason I call it the best of the best is
because the students get my ALL NEW 2.0 boot camp which is by far the best, and
they also get another best which is Cisco’s CCIE training called “The 360
program”.
Q: Whoa! You are now
offering the 360⁰ Learning Program?
A: Only select Cisco Learning Partners are invited to
deliver the Cisco 360 Learning Program, and I am proud to be a company that is
recognized by Cisco. BTW, I am also a Master instructor.
Q: How did you come to the conclusion that combining your
efforts with Cisco was a good idea?
A: I have been thinking about this for the longest time and
I had to come up with a program that best serves MY students, a program that provides
a passing rate of 80 percent, and I mean that, therefore, I wrote the all new
foundation called “Foundation 2.0”, “Advanced CCIE R&S 2.0” and “The ALL
NEW Boot Camp 2.0”. We are also coming up with an “Advanced Troubleshooting
2.0” which is 10 rigorous Mock labs, basically you load the initial
configuration file and start going from task to task and resolve one problem
after another, you see I never cared for 8 hour mock labs, NEVER, but this is
very interesting and actually teaches the students to troubleshoot one task
after another, and let me tell you, they are pretty tough, as a matter of fact
very tough BUT RELEVENT.
Q: With all this did you feel you would be diluting your
offerings?
A: The last thing that I wanted to add to this program was
another program, and who better than CISCO or I should say who better than
Bruce and Val’s program.
Q: Do you think this separates you from your competitors?
A: I don’t have to brag about our boot camps, but if you
thought the old boot camp was great, you have not seen anything yet. Come and
see the difference in philosophy. This
program is what I had BUT on Steroids. I
honestly believe that this is by far the BEST of the BEST.
Q: Ok. You are
getting all worked up again and I can’t keep up. Give me a real run down.
A: Some of the new offerings are as follows:
Ciers-1 PLUS my 2.0 boot camp:
This
providers 60 percent lecture and 40 percent hands on.
Ciers-2 PLUS my 2.0 boot camp
material.
This
provides 5 days of intense MOCK labs + lectures.
Once again, my retake policy is still
in place, you can retake any one of these classes any number of times. As a matter of fact, I RECOMMEND
it.
Micronics has a total of 24 R&S
racks and these racks can be rented by our students for a price of $450
per month.
Soup-to-Nuts on special for $50
The new “Advanced CCIE R&S 2.0”
for $395.
Q: Will this affect your delivery? I mean come on, the colored markers and white
boards are a hallmark of your teaching style.
A: I will NEVER change the style of teaching, because if I
do, I will be another vendor offering boot camps. When I tell everyone that my
philosophy is different, some vendors get upset but, hey… my philosophy is
different, my philosophy is to “TEACH” and NOT “LECTURE”. I have combined the two courses so my
students get the BEST, I have added another 5 hours to my lectures, and if you
have been to any of my boot camps you know that I DO NOT COVER FAT, I cover the
MEAT of the subject.
Always remember it is NOT the company that the students
should look for, it’s the instructor, I do not care if the company has been
around since Rocky Marciano days, the company is NOT the one teaching the
class, it’s the instructor. In real estate there is a saying and I quote “Location,
Location, Location”, in CCIE or any training for that matter, the
saying is “Instructor,
Instructor, Instructor”.
When taking on the subject of learning I have taken on a lot,
I know. But when you look at it this
subject can take you many places. I am
lucky because for me learning in this forum is about you, the folks in the
Networking space who have an interest in the future of the technology as a
whole. CCIEs, future CCIEs and Network
Academy students along with Cisco Channel Partners and employees all deal with
adding to their continuing education in a field that makes leaps daily.
Keeping up involves a lot of Learning.
In our formative years most of us were taught in settings
where a teacher took the class from point A to point B as we took a journey
through whatever subjects they had mastered.
If done right we were being taught to learn. Being taught to learn is its own reward just
as learning to teach is very personally enriching, learning to teach ourselves
is truly a pinnacle milestone. Often the
influencers of the next generation, those outside influences that cause the
individual to make choices of what to teach themselves, come from the media and
aggressive marketing. Recently my sons
were witness to a campaign by Cisco on television and became interested in what
I was doing. My ten year old son asked
if I could help him to pass the CCNA this summer while on break from school!
I hear crickets or is that the sound of the hamsters in your
heads turning the cogs of thought?
“Whoa uncle Eman, what the heck are you talking about!?”
Intuit is not a tribe of nomads living in Antarctica; it is
the ability to understand in nearly a precognitive way. Like birds know how to fly and frogs know how
to jump there are skills that this next generation seems to be born with. Our internet became the world’s internet,
became the global highway for information.
A great example is how the Global Information Highway developed turn
offs like Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, eBay, boutiques and educational
sites providing research options never before available. These are examples of how the younger
generations have created realities out of visions based upon an intuitive
sense. What started out as a Baby
Boomer information link was transformed into the most influential discovery for
mankind in the 20th century by young visionaries, who by the way, are being trumped by the youth of today. Yup it’s true. Just ask me and I will say it again!
Learning
equips visionaries with the tools to create.
(Do you like that? It’s an Eman quote! Really I just made it up!)
Some of the young visionaries have opted to become Cisco
Network Engineers and lucky for me many of them certify. Learning for CCIEs is a means to an end. I was on the phone last evening with a class
in Malaysia. The video call was hosted
by the CCIE Flyer’s own, Nickelby Thane and we were conspiring for me to pop up
on his laptop and disrupt Narbik’s class.
I had a call scheduled for a little later with this class anyway but I wanted
to play the prank on Narbik before the time of the call. Our plan was blown when Narbik decided to have
it early! I had to settle for just a
good call with the kids in the room. I
congratulated them, as I am fond of doing with any group of future CCIEs. In Pretoria last month I did the same to a
gathering of Network Academy students.
The fire in the belly the eye of the tiger the desire to become the best
they can be was on all their faces. The
desire and the ambition of the average CCIE is inspiring. The desire to learn and be better has ignited
a spark in these folks that is not hard to see.
Learning so you can master a technology that will perpetuate
learning is a never ending cycle and motivates many future CCIEs to new
heights. The CCIE number will push many
network engineers to accomplish a lot and others to try the short route using
dumps, cheating, body doubles and even one recent person to fabricate counterfeit
certifications. (http://www.itworld.com/networking/68562/will-real-ccie-please-stand)
Learning was recently compared to martial arts by my friend
Keith Tokash; “Other journeys are about the love of the game, with the game being an
amalgamation of whatever the subject you are studying may be, and the process
of learning itself. For me this embodies
martial arts. Traditional arts,
grappling, wrestling, kickboxing, even the more esoteric arts like Capoeira ...
they have so much to offer that it would take lifetimes to master them
all. I see this as a boon, since to the
pure student the idea of omniscience ranks somewhere between hateful and
nightmarish.”
Learning is a journey
- here are some perspectives on the CCIE’s journey…
From Nickleby’s post while in the bootcamp this week; “Narbik's
quote for the day which I will always remember. "Respect your
boundaries". "Don't act over your work limit". "There is a
start and end to one's work". What this means is that we must know when a
network engineer's work begin and when it ends. A network engineer does not
need to know how BGP was programmed into the IOS but he has to know how to
manipulate BGP and makes it work the way he wants it to.” (http://cciecisco.blogspot.com/)
From Vik Malhi; “Workbooks
offer perspective -- the perspective of at least one other person who at one
stage was embarking on the same journey as you and presumably came through with
battle wounds and a certificate to show for it. The fundamental concept of a
workbook is to validate your knowledge in the same manner as might be expected
on the big day itself. Building your own rack or hiring rack rental equipment
is essential in the making of an IE. Learn by doing. Work through hands-on lab
scenarios contained in workbooks and spend the time researching topics that you
struggle to grasp. Spend time researching topics that you think you have
grasped. One thing every instructor will tell you is, “there’s always more to
learn.” Invest in on-demand media that complements the thousands of pages
you’ve printed (preferably on recycled paper to appease any environmentalists)
and tens of books you’ve purchased from the suggested reading list. Organize
your time by taking a modular approach to the topics listed on the blueprint.
Break it down by technology and explore as much as your imagination permits. Do
not waste your time by simply repeating lab after lab without thinking about
the impact of what you are doing. It’s not a typing contest, so you should try
and challenge everything. Ask yourself, “what if I did it this way?” (http://www.ccieflyer.com/Sept2008-article-03.php)
From Scott Morris; “So let's start with a very basic operating
premise: The CCIE lab is TOUGH! And it covers a LOT of very IN DEPTH material. We're ok with that, right? Shouldn't be any Earth-shattering news
there. So let's start with the next premise which will shape the rest of the
way this is going: In one week (or even in two weeks depending on the bootcamp)
there is NO WAY that a student can be taught, or can possibly REALLY LEARN
everything in the blueprint for the CCIE Lab exam. It ain't gonna happen. So, ok, what do we do? Well. In a nutshell. Prepare. This is why
(insert deity du jour here) created CCIE practice labs and study materials. So
that individuals can begin preparing LONG before attending the bootcamp. Get
the basics down. In fact get the "intermediates" down too. Your goal
should really be to NOT learn very much new material in a bootcamp. You should
spend the time honing your skills, rearranging your recall structures and
verifying the things you knew.” (http://www.ccieflyer.com/Sept2008-article-06.php)
Learning is how we thrive, not just survive as individuals
in the work force. CCIEs wear their
badge of honor with pride as an indication of their ability to learn, they show
their place in the world of technology by their ability to recall their
learning and shape a solution.
KEEP ON LEARNING PEOPLE!
There are many things that a network engineer should be
considering when making career choices.
First is one that many have already taken care of and that is their
decision to gain certification as a CCIE.
What happens next is not often as well considered or planned. With the global demand for CCIE services from
many sectors it is important to make the right decisions. Many things need to be done to prepare for
the next steps and items like Resumes and cover letters, salary negotiations
and offer letters, immigration and visas, proper wages for different regions,
pitfalls and dirty tricks (yes there are many), the CCIE number as collateral
and global financial issues. There is no
better place to get advice on CCIE careers than from Eman.
Narbik has written the book, quite literally, on CCIE
R&S training. He has traveled the
world to prepare his students for the CCIE lab and to teach them how to learn
what they need to know, not just train them to pass a test. There is a big difference in training
companies and Narbik has left an indelible mark on the industry with his
success in teaching network engineers the skills it takes to be a CCIE after
the lab, not just pass to pass the lab to be a CCIE. There is probably no CCIE trainer that has
received more high praise for his efforts than Narbik.
Eman and Narbik are now joining forces to provide yet
another new original industry initiative.
Together Eman and Narbik will now be providing Career advice and planning
to go along with the training to be a success after passing the CCIE R&S
lab. Further Eman can now negotiate group
rates for Channel Partners and other groups of individuals who want to go
through the CCIE Boot Camps together.
With the industry knowledge these to bastions in the CCIE arena posses
the students of Narbik’s classes will be in a great position to capitalize on
their CCIE certification investment.
I usually tried to avoid job fairs when I was looking for
work in the past. It always seemed that
they were so broadly advertised so the hosting company could make a profit
selling tables that the candidates were always left out in the cold. The
mix of IT jobs and non-IT jobs was not well thought out and the lines for any
good companies too long.
Thanks to CCIEs and network engineers like you, my
specialized focus has been accepted as the de facto source for CCIEs and Cisco
Network engineers. This recognition by
one of my partners Ingram Micro (one of the largest resellers of Cisco products)
has created an opportunity for us to show off your value!
In Mississauga, Ontario on April 28th Eman’s
network is featured in an invitation only career event. Each invitee will have 4 interviews during
this event with attending Ingram Micro clients.
They are searching for various skills and certifications so we will
arrange the schedule around the client’s hiring needs.
To be included in this, event please send your resume via
email to Eman @ eman@ccieflyer.com copy
M as well at emily@ccieflyer.com
I look forward to hearing from you soon!
As a man my opinion of women has matured over
time and as the CCIE Agent I have a huge respect for those who pursue careers
in IT. The movement by women for equal
rights and equal education is now followed by the fight for equal pay. This has been a tough fight and a long
journey for women around the world. I
will not pretend to know the struggles’ stars or the many frustrations my
gender has heaped upon them. I have been
married for nearly 20 years. My wife and
I have two lovely children and a life together where we respect and love one
another. We live in a country where our
culture is different than that of many others in respect to women, but change
is happening in many of them in favor of respecting women as individuals who
can contribute in many ways outside of the home. So my articles about a couple of women CCIEs
in the March issue of the CCIE Flyer were a start of my desire to elevate the
cause of these gifted network engineers from around the globe.
The Cisco Network Academy is a vehicle that has been used by
over a million youth as they plan careers in IT and build that core knowledge base. Women have traditionally been
poorly represented in IT with less than 35% of the population composed of
them. In Networking even fewer have been
involved with my estimate being less than 20%.
So whenever I travel and meet CCIEs and the next generation of CCIEs I
am especially interested in speaking with the women.
Before my recent trip to Cairo I was honored to be featured
with Delaware University and Cisco Systems in the roll-out of the Cisco Network
Academy at Padua Academy. This all girls’
high school was the recipient of a donation of $11,000 worth of Cisco equipment
to furnish their lab and introduce the young women there to the technology that
changed the world. This opportunity for
them to add to their education the fundamentals which can propel them into the
world of IT is significant.
The Network Academy in Cairo has some great instructors and
students. One of the instructors is
Rasha
Aboelsoud. A young woman I was very
impressed with. Her enthusiasm for her curriculum
and her belief in networking careers as a method for improving the future for
her students is contagious. She has
influenced men and women alike to pour themselves into advancing their value in
IT to secure a brighter future.
As you can see the women at the event I attended this past
week in Cairo were well turned out. I
was delighted to learn of some of their activities and advancements through
CCNA and CCNP certifications. This was
an enthusiastic group of young professionals and to one and all men and women
my hats off to you!
My journey to Egypt was a surreal mix of work and fun and
insight. I do not hide my love for what
I do for a job, I am the CCIE Agent. This position has taken me from Delaware
(where I live) to Canada, the UK, UAE, Belgium, Switzerland, and Egypt. On the horizon I have Libya, Greece, Russia
and China in my plans. But of all the
places I have gone, including my trips in the USA I have never been met with
such hospitality and enthusiasm as I met than in Cairo. I saw the Pyramids and the Spinx and I saw
Cairo both new and old. I even had my
cab driver take me to see, “The City of the Dead”. But I was taken more by the people and the
Network Academy students eclipsed the other sites for me.
Their stories tell of hopes and dreams built on the
knowledge that soon their anticipation for goods jobs will pay off. I met student who come from poverty,
refugees, and others whose dreams are no less important because of their
circumstances. But I was impressed by
the women of Egypt in the Network Academy program.
These women are inspired by their instructor Rasha and by a
recent graduate Nevin Mohed who was featured as a special guest for the Network
Academy presentations. Her story is
shared on the Network Academy website where her experience and her employment
by a Cisco Channel Partner in Cairo was detailed. As a CCNP she was able to get a job as a
Technical Project Supervisor. I was
happy to meet her and to learn she is a mentor and great person enthusiastic
about the Cisco Network Academy and the benefits of the program.
To all the women who I have met in the pursuit of resources
for the Cisco Channel Partners I must tell you that I have been impressed by
each and every one of you. Meeting the
future talent that will bring the technological discoveries my generation have
not dreamed of yet is an honor.
Women CCIEs are on average paid as well as the men in the
USA. I have learned that in the UK they
also compete well with their male counterparts.
In Canada I discovered the same was true in discussions with the few
women CCIEs in that country I have spoken with.
It seems that the CCIE certification is a great equalizer and a
certification worth pursuing by women.
The CCIE Flyer's own Diane Fasnacht CCIE #2355 came to the Padua Academy Cisco Network Acadamy kick-off and was an instant hit with the grils at the school. Here she is with some of the next generation of IT stars and hopefully future CCIEs!
Thanks Diane you are great for lending your time to this worthy cause.
DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY
University Relations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Carlos Holmes
(302)
857-6062
COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN DSU, CISCO SYSTEMS AND THE PADUA ACADEMY
GUIDES WOMEN TO COMPUTER SCIENCE
CAREERS Will Work to Close the Gender Gap
whereas only 35% of the Information Technology Workforce is made up of Women.
WILMINGTON, Del. – Delaware State
University has joined academic forces with
the Cisco Networking Academy
in a collaboration to address the gender gap in the information technology
workforce.
DSU,
Cisco
Systems – which includes the Cisco Networking Academy
– and the Padua Academy
(an all-girls Catholic school in Wilmington) will
collaborate on an initiative that will teach new IT skills to students
at Padua. To help jump start this effort, Cisco has donated
more than $10,000 in networking equipment to fund the costs of becoming
an
authorized Cisco training facility for the young woman of Padua.
In celebration of these efforts, an
event has been scheduled to take place on March 4th at Padua Academy, featuring
guest speaker Emmanuel Conde – the only Cisco Certified Internetwork
Expert (CCIE) recruiter promoted by World Wide Channels of Cisco Systems. Mr.
Conde has spoken at Cisco
Academy events, developed
an international CCIE mentor program, writes for ITWorld magazine and produces the CCIE Flyer (an online magazine published monthly). Eman will do a motivational presentation
focused on the need for more qualified individuals in technology called “IT
Rocks”.
Other guest speakers will include Eve Tahmincioglu - Columnist, Your Career, MSNBC.com,
Marie Zwickert – Business Development Manager, Cisco and Robert Morand –
Executive Director of Academic Computing, DSU.
The donation of the equipment
will be presented by Steve Bradley – Account Manager, Cisco and accepted by Sister
Ann Michele - Principle
Padua Academy.
DSU welcomes this collaboration as
a way to create opportunities for individuals to attain new skills and earn
industry-recognized credentials. Young people who successfully complete any
part of the Academy curriculum in high school will be granted equivalent
academic credit upon matriculating at DSU.
Padua Academy has been previously recognized as a National
School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education and was awarded the
Blue Ribbon Award. Schools honored in
the Blue Ribbon Schools Program represent the full diversity of American education.
Their message to the American people is that with the winning combination of
leadership, hard work, caring, vision, and common sense, excellence can be
achieved."
“Part of the challenge of getting girls interested in technology is showing
them how it is so relevant to their lives and interests," said Jacqueline
Wilson, technology coordinator at Padua Academy. “We’re very excited about this
endeavor with DSU and The Cisco Networking Academy”!
I must state right up front that Dubai was a dazzling
spectacle of sight, sound and fragrances.
I have never been to Las Vegas but I cannot imagine that Vegas can hold
a candle to Dubai. I landed in Dubai and
was whisked away to my hotel.
No not this one that is the Atlantic on the Palm
shaped island you have seen all over the news.
I stayed in this one;
The Westin was not so bad and my view from the fourth floor
was of that other hotel and the manmade island Palm Jumeirah.
My trip was in support of the Cisco HR Partner Talent Forum
and Job Fair held this past February 1st and 2nd. I was delighted to be included and to have
members of my network attend. In fact I
met for lunch with these guys;
All CCIEs with me at lunch (congrats to CCIE
#23459) right after I left Dubai the gent all the way on the right scored after
a Narbik class in Dubai. Oh that’s
Narbik standing to my right (I am the guy in the hat). Narbik is one hard working dude. I am meeting his class in NYC and he is in
Poland teaching at the time of this writing. But hey
I was thrilled to be discussing joining forces with Narbik to provide visits
with his classes in person and virtually.
He had a great idea that his classes could use the support of the CIE
Agent. We agree that up and coming CCIEs
should have the best opportunity to discuss their plans and careers with
Eman. So I dropped by his class in Dubai
where I was pleased to meet with these guys.
So in the March issue of the CCIE Flyer you will see
discounts for applying to Narbiks classes.
There will also be a raffle for a free course from Narbik. So have a look and help support the CIE Flyer
by registering for a class with Narbik through our link.
www.ccieflyer.com
Dubai is one of those places I will be returning to. I had a great evening with ten CCIEs and here
is a picture with the last of the bunch before I had to leave them to join
Charles on a jaunt through a local Souk.
So now we have many opportunities to place CCIEs in the
region with Saudi, UAE, Pakistan, and Yemen channel partners asking for our
help. So if you are interested in
working in these regions let me know and I will have you screened by phone and
submitted swiftly.
The most fun of this
entire SRS program is the great people I have met.
Thanks for reading and I will be in Egypt in March with even
more news about roles and CCIEs I meet along the way.
CCIEs need to learn from my recent experience in the Middle
East. I was asked, as often happens, by
a CCIE to help him find a job. I spoke
with him about his career goals and then found a role for him. The trouble was even though he was unemployed
in the UK his previous employer in the UAE would not release his number. Since the CCIE number was essential to the
channel partner he was not selected.
Instead my next candidate was given the position and my journey to
discovery about some of the complicated employment contracts began.
The CCIE had taken a job in the UAE and was relocated from his
country for the job. He worked two
months and then was put on unpaid leave.
Technically he was not released from the company but he was also not
getting paid any more. Think about the
horrible position the company had put him in.
How could that be an acceptable business practice? The company in question had passed their
Cisco audit to become a Silver Partner and as soon as that was done they
basically discarded the CCIE as if he was no more use to them. They had also built a contract that stated he
could not be employed in all of the UAE and if he did get a job in the UAE he
would not be allowed to release his CCIE number. What?
Banned from working from an entire country! So he left the country for the UK. In the UK he was still not allowed to have
his number back, even when I had asked for the release of his number. I actually called the company and spoke with
the person who signed the Intent to Release letter my candidate had. I was basically told he would get back to me
when he could.
The old “Don’t call us we’ll
call you”, routine.
So I called their HQ
and spoke with another person who would not even give me his name. What?
You call a company and say hello and the person in the company will not
identify themselves? At this point I
realized I needed to go to Cisco. Then another
CCIE who was also treated the same way contacted me. Yup, 2 CCIE hostages. The second CCIE was brought from another
country just like the first and he was similarly treated. He returned to his home and was still denied
the use of his own CCIE number. But he
was afraid to be put in jeopardy and asked if I could help without his
involvement. Seems he was bullied and
felt at risk if he made waves.
So with this new information I reached out to Cisco. I now have a new best friend. I was contacted by Cisco and my eyes were
opened to a new friend in the company.
Yes, they had received a complaint about the company before and yes,
they were very interested in what I had learned. While on the phone the two numbers were
disassociated from the company and in that one call I was able to release not
just one hostage but two! This series of
calls not only released the hostages but the company in question is now subject
to a new level of scrutiny which will probably result in the loss of Silver
status.
Damn I felt like a superhero, like Popeye, like Batman
(except not so glum), like Spiderman (except I would not hang upside down again
I get dizzy) kissing Bouncy!
But there is a serious message here and a lesson so listen
up. Be careful what you sign. Really there are contracts out there that can
cause you problems.
1.
Never sign an employment agreement that bans you
from working in your industry if you should leave the employer
2.
Never sign an agreement that would create a
geographic rule for working with a new employer
3.
Get a release clause for your CCIE number in the
case of separation should you be released by the company or choose to leave in
less than 6 months.
a. If you and the employer don’t make it or if the promises
made are not kept
b. Downsizing happens if the employer should have
to let you go leave, with your number
4.
Make sure you turn to your network to find out
if anyone has heard of the company you are considering and what they think
5.
Employment offers and contracts that are too
brief can be just as much trouble as those that are volumes. Get the MBO, Bennies, Intent to release (yup
the number), and the actual offer
I learned that sometimes even a smart CCIE can be lured into
a bad situation. Don’t go in blind. Call me I don’t have to place you to
help. Ask my network I stand by them and
I have learned that they stand by me.
I did it again this New Year’s eve. I waited in line for an hour to get into
Saint John the Divine for the annual Concert for Peace. The idea for the Concert for Peace was originally
developed by Leonard Berstein. He chose
Copeland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man”, as the opening piece and it has been
used since the 1980s. Harry Smith (pictured here), Judy
Collins, Martin Cortese, Lauren Flanigan, John Musto, Amy Burton, and the NYC
Philharmonic Orchestra were all in attendance once again this year. The concept for the Concert for Peace is
based upon the community gathering to send out the old year with a wish for the
coming one of Peace on Earth.
iPhone shot of the special guests and speakers for the evening.
Pictured here are Judi Collins, a contingent from Tibet and others.
I was especially pleased to hear and see the
African ensemble with Kewulay Kamara and Sarah Dioubate doing a Badenya
greeting called, “Being of One Mother.”
The main instrument used for this song was this real cool looking 22
string instrument which looks like a big banjo made of animal skin and wood.
I came away from this concert ready to start 2009 renewed
and ready for the job at hand.
The job?
Find work
for CCIEs ready for a change or hurt by the economy anywhere in the world!
I have been asked to support the drive with
Cisco’s Talent team in the emerging markets of Egypt and Africa. Botswana is an interesting place and I have
learned that the historic effort there to build a modern infrastructure for the
country includes a lot of work for Channel Partners and CCIEs. Egypt is also an area of concern for
networking talent. I am still supporting
the efforts of channels in Belgium, Switzerland, UK, Canada, UAE, USA, Mexico,
Finland, Germany, France, and more coming daily. I am in a good position to help CCIEs and
future CCIEs with career choices like never before.
2009 is here and with it there is a renewed effort on my
team’s part to connect with many of the CCIEs and Network Engineers in my
network in order to make sure they are doing OK. We have seen a lot of scary news about
lay-offs, reductions in force, downsizing, rightsizing, and cut backs. My resolve remains firm in support of the
Channel Partners since they are still hiring and Cisco solutions are still in
big demand.
Harry Smith said it felt like the whole country is waiting
to exhale when he spoke this past New Year’s Eve, but I would say the whole
world is waiting to exhale.
There is
still a lot to do to make the economy right and the mid-size and small business
are leading the recovery and this is another reason I am pleased to be
supporting Cisco Channel Partners, most of which meet that profile. It would be good advice to consider these
companies as a next move.
I started my New Year with a bang when I returned to the
office today. With dozens of CCIEs
submitted for openings and many new roles to satisfy.
So it is back to work!
Here’s hoping your year is starting off with a bang to!
In Delaware where I live the Oak trees have not grown any
acorns. Really I don’t lie about
acorns. Maybe about fish or the girls I
have kissed, but not acorns. In my yard
I have some tall oak trees so because of this I have a bunch of fat squirrels
living here. They survive on the huge
bumper crop of acorns these trees pelt my kids and me with every winter. You cannot walk in my yard at certain times
of the year without getting hit on the head by acorns. But this fall not a single acorn has been
grown, much less dropped by any of my trees.
I decided to look up this phenomenon on the internet and I learned that
it is not just a bad year for acorns it is a zero year. That’s right zilch, nada, not a single acorn
from Nova Scotia to Virginia or Kansas through the mid-western United States,
so I called Dan (yeah my big brother) because if anyone would know if this was
a sign of the apocalypse it would be him.
No? He was dumber than dirt about
the whole acorn thing and asked me if I was talking about some political action
group. Well I am worried because the
squirrels need acorns to fatten up for the cold winter and Dan should know this. So I decided to save the squirrels and went
out with my sons to buy squirrel feeders.
I set them out and feel pretty sure I had saved the squirrels for one
more year.
The squirrels act all arrogant while eating my peanuts with not a single sign of gratitude about being saved.
I have experience saving stuff. Like when I saved the world this past
November. I bet you didn’t know that was
me huh? Yup, I saved the world and y’all
know it because you saw the results this past month and the world is still
around. If I had not done it the world
would be gone. Here’s a picture to show
you how I did it with one finger. I
don’t think this picture is legal though so don’t spread it around. I did it with one finger, and in super human
form I did not take a bow, or do a victory dance or, raise a pint, or let out a
yell. Instead, like the Lone Ranger, I
just turned my back on the great deed I done, and simply turned on my heal and
walked away. I don’t own a horse any
more so I could not really depart like the Lone Ranger, but that’s not the
point, I saved the world damn it, thank me!
Yup I saved the whole world, not just America, because I am
not so selfish to think that we were the only ones who needed saving. I could not imagine the world without places like
Canada, England, China, Brazil or Jamaica, so I saved the whole thing at once
because neighbors are nice. Thank me
when you can, OK?
No hanging chads in Delaware we have a simple system with
lights and curtains to keep you private as you turn them on next to the
candidates you select. My sons were with
me this great historic day and I asked one of them to break the law and
photograph my ballot. (Oh my goodness I
asked him to break the law.) I managed
to save the world and corrupt the morals of a juvenile at the same time. Well it’s my job to make sure he can afford
therapy when he is older, so I guess he’ll have something to say about me when
he starts seeing a shrink. But it felt
good, it felt right, it felt like…cool.
Now if I can just figure out how to get people to pay me for
saving the world that would really be cool.
Sort of like Superman with a wallet that holds million dollar
bills. What would a person charge for
saving the world anyway? Maybe I could
just go around from country to country with like an eBay thingy where anonymous
donations could be made as long as they were over a million dollars, since I
would have a donation minimum, like eBay but cooler because it’s for Eman. Maybe even cooler would be the kids from high
school who used to pick on me would have to thank me and give me a million dollars. Maybe even have to like apologize because I
was so un-cool in high school, but then now I am cool, because I saved the
world and all.
So don’t try to muscle in on my gig as the world saver
because there is only room for one and you’re not the one, I am. See the picture, well I could not like be in
it, since it was illegal and all, but I am the only one who has it. When I do it again I will need to do like
Peter Parker taking pictures of Spiderman, right? I could set up the scene and act like casual
and all about saving the world and smiling for the camera at the same time. That really cool chick would kiss me hanging upside
down and all; heaven right?
(This is really not a picture of me; my chin is in
triplicate now. I tried hanging upside
down and got dizzy; I think my beer gut started emptying into my brain!)
If you want to help me save squirrels that’s cool, and I
hope you do, but I will handle the saving the world thing, ok?
2009 has begun her decent upon us like a celestial being
surrounded by a golden haze and accompanied by a heavenly chorus. The general consensus seems to be that if anything
can save us from 2008 it must be the coming of 2009, the New Year. No matter what religion, race, gender or
nationality you are, I am willing to bet that like me, you are ready for a new
year. I cannot remember a time in my
long life, when I wished for another year to be tagged on to the many I have
collected so far.
Many CCIEs in the private sector (this parlance refers to
those CCIEs who don’t work for Cisco or channel partners) have
weathered the
storm of bad economic times. Heads down
holding their breath as the ranks of their co-workers and friends have
been
made redundant, down sized, right sized, laid off or simply let go.
Racks of routers, switches, firewalls, and
telecom equipment have become redoubts, temporary sanctuary even
replacing the
trenches of old as protection and hiding places for the CCIEs in some
enterprises. Some NOCs and TACs have become a bizarre game
of Whac-A-Mole, (an arcade game where kids score points by striking a
mechanical
mole on the head with a mallet). They
can be seen gazing over their cubicle walls to get a glimpse of the
Grim Reaper
from HR, lest he sneak up on them unannounced.
These engineers can be seen bouncing up and down as they peak over the
tops of their cubicles like gophers on the prairie.
Be brave because it is not over yet!
I have often written about the things I hear
from CCIEs. What I have been happiest to
hear this year is that most of the ones who are with Cisco Channel Partners are
doing OK. I was never really worried,
but with the constant media attention being paid to all things miserable, it is
nice to know I am recruiting in the right space at the right time. For example just this past week I have had
some good offers made to several CCIEs and Network Engineers in Southern
California and the Midwestern US. This
happened while I was away in Europe so how cool is that? My trip to Zurich and London that week
confirmed the trend there as well for CCIEs.
I confirmed this when I met with several Channel Partners who shared
their continued recruitment efforts with me.
There is a ripple though with the major telecoms where I am hearing about
some movement going on but mostly from the ranks of the contractors they often
use. Their permanent staff seems to be
secure, except where you have continued shifts of personnel because of a merger
or two. In these cases data centers are
consolidating and some CCIEs are not selecting to move to other cities to keep
their jobs. (Hell who wants to move to
Richardson, Texas, isn’t Waco near there where they keep finding gun toting religious
zealots who want to kill you for Jesus?)
This is not a bad thing, since Channel Partners do pay a competitive
wage going head to head with these big organizations. If this kind of scenario is touching you give
me and my team a shout. (No not to defend
you from the gun toting Texans call 911 for that, or Mexico, remember the
Alamo?)
Start out slow don’t hyperventilate or step on your own
tongue. Ask the same questions of all
prospective employers so you can rate their answers against each other
properly. What is important to you? If you are in the USA don’t ask for a company
car, if you are in England don’t ask for an American car, if you are in Fiji
don’t ask for too little money, if you are in Dubai ask for more of everything,
if you are in Finland don’t ask to work
from home, if you are in China don’t ask for an American car, if you are in
Russia don’t ask for Chinese food, if you are in India don’t ask for less than
a 14% increase, if you are in Brazil don’t ask for more holidays, if you are a
CCIE in prison for killing your wife don’t ask for Eman!
I will always be fascinated by people. This is probably the key to my curiosity
about what makes them tick. When I began
supporting the folks at FCG in Philadelphia by providing resources for our
projects this was done out of necessity, not because it was my
responsibility. The staffing of our
projects became more important than what I was originally hired to do, but also
more interesting. So began one of the
most unexpected career journeys of my life.
After being in IT since the early 1970s I had always thought I would
remain an IT resource working for a large company as a manager or
director. Little did I know that the
decision to take the bull by the horns and make sure that my employer had the
assets needed for projects around the US, would lead to my current position
working globally in support of CCIEs and future CCIEs’ careers. Before that change in career my time working
for Bell Atlantic made me very much aware of CCIEs and their needs, so when I
was faced with the need to locate network engineers, I knew what I was doing. That funny cocktail we mix of our lives
sometimes has ingredients we had no intention of including and mine has been
shaken (not stirred) several times.
On the plane ride back from London’s Heathrow Airport this
past Saturday I was left with hours for reflection on a very successful
European trip. It had begun with a
flight to Zurich, which was a very good visit.
I had written in the November issues of CCIE Flyer about a picture my
Girl Friday, M had sent me when she started looking for booking information for
this trip. She sent me a photograph of
Zurich which was brilliant and her email proclaimed that she could not believe
I was headed there. I used the photo in
my “Work Work Work” section of the CCIE Flyer and depicted a daydream around
where I would go and live if I was actually living in Zurich. I was so amused then, when I actually found
myself in some of the places I had depicted in my writing from that picture. I met with the COO of Cisco Gold Partner for
dinner and just to be safe I had my CFO Toby Grey in tow. My first trip to Switzerland had me sacred of
the language challenges I might be faced with and since Toby speaks several languages
I felt good about bringing him with me to Zurich but I soon discovered that all
of the people I had meetings with spoke English. That first evening with Georg from NetCloud
was one of my most memorable business meetings.
He could not make the next day’s Cisco Summit and asked if we could meet
the evening before so he could have an opportunity to meet with the CCIE
Agent™. Thanks to M, my very capable
Girl Friday working virtually we had dinner reservations and we traveled to
Haus zum Ruden (House of the Hound), a venue first constructed in 1348 to house
the tavern used by the noblemen who met in the floor below. The tavern is quite a nice restaurant today,
with huge timbers supporting an arched ceiling and hardwood throughout. We had a meeting of the minds and a great
meal followed by a brief tour through the city to look at the Christmas lights
decorating Zurich. I could tell Toby was
having fun because he was staring out the car windows like a kid in a
dream. As for myself, I am eternally
grateful to Georg for the time he took showing us some of the most generous hospitality
I have ever experienced anywhere. (See more at http://www.itworld.com/networking/58649/my-trip-europe)
Zurich in the winter is cold but the beauty of the city is apparent in
the many streets and buildings I saw while I was there. Thanks Georg!
Olen ollut kiinnostunut koulutusta yrityksille jonkin aikaa ja jopa puhe
menee noin noin muutokset ja tarjoukset suoraan Cisco mielelläni puhu yritykset,
jotka ovat edelleen koulutusta huomispäivän CCIEs. Minun saada tietoja Voisin
jakaa lukijoilleni Minun täytyi kertoa teille tämän järjestön Suomessa. Puhuin
Aki Anttila CTO ja Mamentor Oy, jotka yritys on Espoo, Suomi. Tässä me
keskustelimme ...
I have been interested in training companies for a while and even with the
talk going around about the changes and offerings directly from Cisco I like
talking to the companies that are still training tomorrows CCIEs. In my quest
for information I could share with my readers I had to tell you about this
organization in Finland. I spoke with Aki Anttila CTO of Mamentor Oy who’s
company is in Helsinki, Finland. Here’s what we discussed… http://www.ccieflyer.com/Nov2008-article-05.php
Atlanta this past week was a real treat. If you were lucky
enough to have been a part of the event I hope we had a chance to talk or have
a glass of vino. The venue for the 2008
Atlanta HR Talent Forum was a winery in Georgia outside of Atlanta called
Chateau Elan. The Chateau Elan is a great
retreat which is surrounding by vineyards and built like a French mountain top
chateau.
Pictured here with my hero, Celia Harper-Guerra. Without her energy
and vision the Cisco Partner Talent initiative would not be the success
that it has become. Her team is a world class group of professionals.
I arrived on the 10th the afternoon before the
event was scheduled to start. I had time
to say hello to and meet the event organizers from Cisco; Celia Harper-Guerra,
Beth Rowland, Bill Philbrick (the Master of Ceremonies), Diane Adams, Steve
Boutelle, Paul DuCharme, Mimish L’Esperance, Eden Britt, Brooke Ellingsworth,
Kristen Adams, Billy Martin, Peter Joyce, and many more. I was on the schedule for the Wednesday
seminars and breakout sessions as a track presenter and was really pumped up
about my opportunity to support the event.
So after saying hi to everyone I did what any gent in my shoes would do,
I snuck off and played golf! I haven’t
told Charles my boss in London yet, but I had a really great evening round of
golf! What a nice course they have there
and since it was a work day and I had an evening tee time, I had the course to
myself. I was whacking the balls so far
I was hooting like a loon as I exited the tees.
If I could have sunk a putt I would have been howling nonstop, but as
usual the Yin and Yang of my game balanced out to keep my over 90 and
humble. Wednesday started off good with
many of the 40+ channel partners trickling in for the kick-off that
afternoon. This was a Veterans Day event
(in the US we celebrate Veterans Day acknowledging the brave efforts of our war
veterans) so it was fitting that we heard from a veteran and Steve Boutelle of
Cisco and a retired CIO of the Army started things off impressively. My military time was spent in the Navy in the
Pacific and sometimes in South China Sea at the end of the Viet Nam War. While I was relatively safe with my squadron
of Anti-Submarine Warfare birds located on the aircraft carrier, USS Kitty
Hawk, there were many who were involved in Viet Nam who fought and died. I am grateful for the time I served my
country and the tools in life I carry today that were realized from that
experience. So our Cisco host Bill
Philbrick kicked off the event with a tribute and tip of the hat to our Veterans
and our opening speaker Steve Boutelle who is involved in the newest
technologies rolling out to the department of defense. I was delighted to learn that Bridge
Resourcing Solutions and your CCIE Agent have actually been working on this
great effort already with a leading defense contractor in the US. You can never tell who you will bump into as
you tie the ends together in a project.
We had a wonderful evening and I hooked up with several great channel
partners but I must say that first evening playing pool with Jeff Strain, from
Waco, Texas was great for me. I get
homesick for Texas whenever I hear that accent and when I started talking with
him about his company we put work aside and tore up the pool table talking
trash and having a few brews. So a quick
shout out to my new friend Jeff is in order, “thanks for the great time Jeff!”
Day two was rough for me after staying up until 2:00AM! But my topic is an important one for CCIEs
and for the Channel Partners. I was very
pleased to see I had the lion’s share of the attendees in my session. I shared the podium time with Gregg Smith of
Chart Your Course International. Greg is
an expert on retention and the subject of accelerating the work place. He has written over 350 articles and
published nine books on various workplace subjects. My discussions were steeped in the knowledge
gained from my constant work with CCIEs and their careers. I had a chance to validate my CCIE Summer
Salary Survey results when discussions broke out around compensation and base
salaries. I also had a chance to talk
about the care and feeding of CCIEs and what will keep them loyal. What a great round of discussions we
had. Cisco’s Beth Rowland was the MC for
this breakout session and I am very happy to have her as a friend. Her focus has been on retention and she has
some great experience in this area for the SRS Program and the Cisco Talent
team.
Another wonderful member of the Talent Team, Brooke Ellingworth who is
responsible for South Africa and part of the Middle East. I learned
from her that one of the fastest growing sectors for Cisco is the
region she is responsible for. We will be working together to help the
CCIEs in my network and the channel partners from these regions locate
the best options for their careers and companies.
Ken Sockwell is the COO of pbmIT Solutions a Cisco Gold Partner in
southern California. I am pictured here with him and Jeff Bloch VP
from Decision ToolBox another of the SRS Program recruitment
companies. I introduced Ken and Jeff in the spirit of true
colaboration among SRS Team members. You hardly ever hear about
recruiting companies introducing their clients to competitors! (Don't
tell my boss)
I also enjoyed the presentation from Rebecca Shambaugh who
helped us understand the differences in generations from Baby Boomers to
Generation X and Generation Y when it comes to careers and recruitment. There are some startling differences in the
way each generation thinks about work and life!
She did open my eyes to something I was experiencing in my daily
dealings with CCIEs. Those older CCIEs
are asking different questions than the X and Y candidates do.
I attended the breakout session given by Gary Starzmann from
Radford Surveys. Gary had a lot of
international information about wages and compensation plans as well as
benefits. I found his information to be
a real education in the state of the world’s economies. Did you know that in India the salaries of the
average professional are rising by 14% annually?
My presentation did open up discussions, since many partners
want to know about CCIEs’ earnings, salaries, best practices for offer
letters,
and comp packages. I was happy to learn
that the CCIEs who participated in my Summer CCIE Salary Survey were
spot on
with what channel partners are paying.
You folks deserve a real shout out for your help. Without the many
CCIEs who responded to my
salary survey I would not be able to help increase the awareness about
standard
compensation plans and which adds power to your negotiations. So there
is a method to my madness, CCIEs are
now being heard and I am delighted to help spread the word! There were
some great moments this week. I met with one of my competitors in the
SRS
program, Jeff Bloch. As the VP of
Decision ToolBox his company is offering alternative options for
recruitment
through the Cisco Partner Talent Portal.
My boss will string me up if he discovers I introduced him to some of
my
customers while in Atlanta! I will be
featuring information about Decision ToolBox in the November edition of
the
CCIE Flyer. The SRS Program has a number
of options for the recruitment of talent for the Channel Partners and I
will
help make everyone aware of them. Real
important to me was getting to chat with Peter Joyce. He is the lead
for the Cisco Network Academy
and on my radar since I have begun sponsoring three schools in the IT
Rocks
program he is leading. This is a great
effort which has a goal of introducing kids to IT as a career at an
early
age. Because we all know that IT Rocks. Thanks Peter!
With the emphasis on the military I was happy to meet with Sandy Morris
the CEO of Bradley-Morris Group a great company helping the military
resources
coming off of active duty to find work.
Sandy has a real passion for what she does and I am going to tell you
all about her in the CCIE Flyer this month.
I am writing this first edit on a Delta flight from Atlanta to
Philadelphia. My journey has been
rewarding and filled with some of the greatest people you could ever
hope to
meet.
I don’t take what I do for granted since in a moment it can
all change, but for now I know I am the luckiest boy from Oak Cliff (in Dallas)
that has ever tapped a keyboard!
Pictured here is Eve my Career Diva who has provided some great content
to the CCIE Flyer with her very own CCIE Flyer wagon. These are great
keepsakes made of metal and the right size to hold your business cards
or other stuff on your desk. If you have had a contribution posted in
the CCIE Flyer then you have one coming in the mail as a thank you. If
you would like one simply submit your written contribution for the CCIE
Flyer and if it is posted I will ship you one right away.
I am really pleased to be offering these neat little replicas of the
original Radio Flyers we played with as kids. When I started the CCIE
Flyer magazine I had an idea for the image of the Radio Flyer as an
icon for this publication. Now you can own one to by contributing your
writings to the CCIE Flyer!
Beginning
on September 30th of this year, I began a series of WebEx Meetings with
the Cisco CAMs for Europe. The SRS launch there has now begun in
earnest, I am happy to say. What this means for me is that the CAMs
are now integrated into my efforts to find CCIEs new employment
opportunities. What it means for Cisco is that the Channel Partners
can now gain access to my CCIE network through their CAMs. The SRS
(Strategic Recruitment Solution) program is part of the Cisco Partner
Talent Portal an international initiative.
What does this mean?
For starters it means that Cisco has gathered the industries best
recruiting companies together, negotiated the best rates for their
services for the partners, and has made them available through the
Cisco Partner Talent Portal.
What does this mean for Partners?
This means that a Cisco approved focused team of companies are now
available to help locate the talent they need to grow.
What does
this mean for CCIEs? The most sought after and highest paid of IT
certified talent are now given an opportunity to work with agencies and
individuals they know are approved by Cisco. CCIEs no longer have to
put their careers in the hands of job boards and third party
headhunters who have few positions and little regard for the kind of
work environments that nurture their careers.
What does this
mean to Eman? This means that I am now able to reverse market members
of my network who are looking for new employment. This is a boon for
CCIEs since they can now name their targeted geographic locations and
using the CAMs we can go directly to the channel partners in that
area. I have a strategy built upon this concept I feel CCIEs will like!
Reverse marketing is when your CCIE Agent™ (me) has a CCIE who has
expressed a desire to work in a region or city. A notice is sent to
Cisco Channel Partners about the availability of this CCIE. The
Channel Partner can then review their strategy for growth and decide if
they have a role for the CCIE. In this way a CCIE can ensure
confidentiality and quality in their presentation to a prospective
employer.
Cisco has taken the recruiting of talent for their
partners to the next level. Never before has a team like the one
gathered under Celia Harper- Guerra been assembled to support the
growth of a company. In the world of Cisco Systems it became painfully
evident that help was needed to support their resellers’ growth. The
team has focused not only on recruiting; they have taken the problem of
talent and analyzed it from every aspect.
Train, Attract, Hire and Retain are the main areas of concern for the talent team.
Training
includes future talent, even starting at the middle school level with
kids being introduced to IT as a great career to pursue. IT Rocks and
the Network Academy are wonderful examples of this effort. I am going
to be learning more about IT Rocks and share it with my network as soon
as my sponsorship of the program begins in NYC and Delaware.
Attracting
talent is critical to channel partners. There are many things
companies can do to attract talent and one is to provide information
about themselves and their growth and their attractors. Creating an
image that will help bring talent to them is an important part of
keeping an edge on their competition. Cisco’s team has advice in this
area as well and even Cisco has begun high profile TV advertising that
puts a fresh and youthful face on their company.
Hiring the
right talent has historically been a gamble. Not every role is the
same and not any CCIE is going to be the right fit. Working with the
SRS team is a good way to ensure a best fit and highest satisfaction.
One of my coined terms is the “CCIE ‘Tude”. There is no better way to
bring out a CCIE ‘Tude than by hiring a CCIE only to find their career
does not match the company’s needs.
Retaining the best resources
has long been a struggle especially during tough economic times. It is
true that retention is a key to success for channel partners’ growth.
Strategies have been developed to share with the channel partners on
how to keep and build loyalty within their engineers and staff. CCIEs
have unique needs unusual to the IT industry, so there does need to be
a focus on retaining them.
The current phase of my journey began
with a discussion of these points during the formulation of the SRS
team. The roster of recruiting resources is available on the Cisco
Partner Talent Portal which is also a great place for Cisco talent to
post resumes. The work I have done in support of CCIEs’ careers has
lead to my current role as the only Cisco Authorized CCIE Recruiter on
the SRS team working internationally. My company headquarters is in
London and my office is located in Delaware in the USA. We have now
built a team of our own in support of this effort and the six members
of my supporting staff are helping me to match up candidates with
partners.
My network of CCIEs numbers well over 10,000 at the
time of this writing. I am not a CCIE but did at one time back in the
1990s manage a large team of them. Back when there were fewer than
3,000 globally and the lab was a two day long grueling test of skills.
If you would like to discuss your career or to link up with a channel
partner give me a call (1+302-438-1681) or send me an email
(ccieagent@verizon.net).
The legend of Sasquatch is a story often told in many forums. In fact
on the West Coast of the United States is a town called Happy Camp,
California. In this region the most prominent Bigfoot (Sasquatch)
researcher says that a migration pattern of the bipedal creature has
been established. So armed with this information an encounter between
a Bigfoot and a bear was filmed and supposedly made available on a
pay-per-view website. I have since read that the encounter filmed does
not seem to contain anything but the bear. This enduring legend of the
elusive Big Foot has become a true icon in folk lore here in the US.
Although seldom spotted, the legend as told by many is that you just
need to know where to look because Sasquatch is lurking in the
underbrush. With the sheer size of these huge beings I find it hard to
believe they are simply disguised by the foliage. After all Sasquatch
like CCIEs stand head and shoulders above the rest of the fauna. When
in the IT Jungle CCIEs are often deferred to for their knowledge and
skills. A lot is taken for granted about their knowledge since the
CCIE training and testing complexities are known by many. So it is
hard for me to believe that they like Sasquatch, just blend into their
surroundings. With the growth of the CCIE population we have been told
of sightings of the CCIE ‘Tude which have been reported, but seldom
recorded.
I was an upstart back in the 90s at BANI long ago when
I had my first encounter with the CCIE ‘Tude. I remember the first
time I encounter the CCIE ‘Tude in public. I was treating some of my
team to an outing in NYC where an IT convention was being held. Six of
the CCIEs from my team joined me that day and were wearing their bomber
jackets with the CCIE emblem embroidered on the breast. (Remember the
CCIE bomber jackets? These seem to have become legends as well.) We
walked in as a group and as we wandered through the crowd I noticed a
phenomenon which impressed me. The crowd seemed to part as we walked
around together joking and stopping at different booths. Several times
people simply stared at them as if they had spotted some aberration or
alien life form. I must admit this was the first time I realized the
respect and notoriety these geeks commanded in public. Some of the
CCIEs were stopped occasionally and spoke with different engineers who
were attending and some of the sponsors in the conference hall actually
attempted to recruit them from my team. We had a great time, but this
experience helped me to realize how the CCIE program was creating a
stir in the IT community. Every day I was aware of the demand placed
upon these skilled Network Engineers. They were asked to share
experience and knowledge across not only their peers and other TAC
members, but from outside our organization other network engineers in
their professional networks would ask for their support on complex
problems. I did not yet understand much at all but I was learning
about two different kinds of networking and the CCIE ‘Tude.
Flash
ahead to 2008; I have remained friends with several of these original
CCIEs from my team in Philadelphia. Several have added additional CCIE
certifications to their achievements and are quite successful others
have chosen to move ahead with the single Route Switch CCIE first
earned. But I know and feel their confidence in their knowledge gained
over 12 years of experience. Confidence is a great thing and often
times those less understanding of this confidence think they have made
a sighting of the CCIE ‘Tude.
Unlike Sasquatch we can get very
close to the origins of the CCIE ‘Tude and I will take a stab at it
now. When beginning my IT career, for example, I early on made a
decision to focus on management. Mainframes, mid-range and client
server systems were a natural progression for many like myself. I was
asked on a number of occasions to sit at a keyboard and enter commands
for a network engineer on the phone who wanted to make changes to our
network. I was not fully aware of the impact these devices which were
to become known to me as routers and switches or how they would impact
the future of IT. What amazes me is the mystique attached to some of
the CCIEs I have come to know. Scott Morris who moved to Internetwork
Expert, for instance who I was delighted to meet at Networkers this
year has been no secret in the training space and Terry Slattery who I
had lunch with recently has really been featured a lot in many articles
as the second CCIE. While in San Jose at ipexpert I was happy to meet
Vik Malhi who has made an impact on the slowly growing pool of Voice
CCIEs. Significant are the small number of Voice CCIEs and the large
number he has prepared for the written and lab tests. Jeremy Filliben
who is running for a state representative seat in Delaware is a notable
CCIE with aspirations beyond the certification he worked so hard to
obtain. Oleg Berzin who immigrated to the USA from Russia and since
has earned his 3rd CCIE, is also a Ph.D. candidate at Drexel
University, and has applied for a patent on a new protocol stands as
another example of how different CCIEs are. Yet, when you work with
them or talk to them they may be shy or not, loud or not, extraverted
or not, one thing stands out and it is their confidence when discussing
technical issues relating to Cisco Solutions. This confidence is what
I have heard referred to as the CCIE ‘Tude. So I submit for evidence
that this confidence is mistaken often as the CCIE ‘Tude.
I will
admit I have bumped into a few who will swear the CCIE ‘Tude is an
aberration that should be dissected and studied, hides hung to dry and
internal organs used for predicting the future. But I will go on
record as saying I am glad that they know so much about what so few
understand!
Unlike Bigfoot I have personally encountered the CCIE ‘Tude many times and have survived!
Eman (Emmanuel Conde) has the destinction of being the only CCIE recruiter promoted by World Wide Channels of
Cisco Systems. Eman earned this
distinction because of his tireless efforts on behalf of CCIEs and developing
Cisco talent. He has spoken at Cisco
Academy events, developed an international CCIE mentor program, writes for
ITWorld magazine, has a very active blog focused on CCIE career concerns, and produces
the CCIE Flyer an online magazine published monthly. He has developed a unique approach to
recruitment which includes giving back to the CCIE community through his advice,
career columns and CCIE Mixers which are networking events he hosts
internationally. Unique to the industry
is his specialization in CCIE recruitment and the many ways he has created a
presence in the CCIE community. 
There are many things that a network engineer should be
considering when making career choices.
First is one that many have already taken care of and that is their
decision to gain certification as a CCIE.
What happens next is not often as well considered or planned. With the global demand for CCIE services from
many sectors it is important to make the right decisions. Many things need to be done to prepare for
the next steps and items like Resumes and cover letters, salary negotiations
and offer letters, immigration and visas, proper wages for different regions,
pitfalls and dirty tricks (yes there are many), the CCIE number as collateral
and global financial issues. There is no
better place to get advice on CCIE careers than from Eman.
Narbik has written the book, quite literally, on CCIE
R&S training. He has traveled the
world to prepare his students for the CCIE lab and to teach them how to learn
what they need to know, not just train them to pass a test. There is a big difference in training
companies and Narbik has left an indelible mark on the industry with his
success in teaching network engineers the skills it takes to be a CCIE after
the lab, not just pass to pass the lab to be a CCIE. There is probably no CCIE trainer that has
received more high praise for his efforts than Narbik.
The Cisco Network Academy is a vehicle that has been used by
over a million youth as they plan careers in IT and build that core knowledge base. Women have traditionally been
poorly represented in IT with less than 35% of the population composed of
them. In Networking even fewer have been
involved with my estimate being less than 20%.
So whenever I travel and meet CCIEs and the next generation of CCIEs I
am especially interested in speaking with the women.
As you can see the women at the event I attended this past
week in Cairo were well turned out. I
was delighted to learn of some of their activities and advancements through
CCNA and CCNP certifications. This was
an enthusiastic group of young professionals and to one and all men and women
my hats off to you!
Their stories tell of hopes and dreams built on the
knowledge that soon their anticipation for goods jobs will pay off. I met student who come from poverty,
refugees, and others whose dreams are no less important because of their
circumstances. But I was impressed by
the women of Egypt in the Network Academy program.
These women are inspired by their instructor Rasha and by a
recent graduate Nevin Mohed who was featured as a special guest for the Network
Academy presentations. Her story is
shared on the Network Academy website where her experience and her employment
by a Cisco Channel Partner in Cairo was detailed. As a CCNP she was able to get a job as a
Technical Project Supervisor. I was
happy to meet her and to learn she is a mentor and great person enthusiastic
about the Cisco Network Academy and the benefits of the program.
The CCIE Flyer's own Diane Fasnacht CCIE #2355 came to the Padua Academy Cisco Network Acadamy kick-off and was an instant hit with the grils at the school. Here she is with some of the next generation of IT stars and hopefully future CCIEs!
DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY
My trip was in support of the Cisco HR Partner Talent Forum
and Job Fair held this past February 1st and 2nd. I was delighted to be included and to have
members of my network attend. In fact I
met for lunch with these guys;
So in the March issue of the CCIE Flyer you will see
discounts for applying to Narbiks classes.
There will also be a raffle for a free course from Narbik. So have a look and help support the CIE Flyer
by registering for a class with Narbik through our link.
I did it again this New Year’s eve. I waited in line for an hour to get into
Saint John the Divine for the annual Concert for Peace. The idea for the Concert for Peace was originally
developed by Leonard Berstein. He chose
Copeland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man”, as the opening piece and it has been
used since the 1980s. 
iPhone shot of the special guests and speakers for the evening.
Pictured here are Judi Collins, a contingent from Tibet and others.
I was especially pleased to hear and see the
African ensemble with Kewulay Kamara and Sarah Dioubate doing a Badenya
greeting called, “Being of One Mother.”
The main instrument used for this song was this real cool looking 22
string instrument which looks like a big banjo made of animal skin and wood. 
I came away from this concert ready to start 2009 renewed
and ready for the job at hand.
2009 is here and with it there is a renewed effort on my
team’s part to connect with many of the CCIEs and Network Engineers in my
network in order to make sure they are doing OK. We have seen a lot of scary news about
lay-offs, reductions in force, downsizing, rightsizing, and cut backs. My resolve remains firm in support of the
Channel Partners since they are still hiring and Cisco solutions are still in
big demand.
Harry Smith said it felt like the whole country is waiting
to exhale when he spoke this past New Year’s Eve, but I would say the whole
world is waiting to exhale. 
I started my New Year with a bang when I returned to the
office today. With dozens of CCIEs
submitted for openings and many new roles to satisfy. 
In Delaware where I live the Oak trees have not grown any
acorns. Really I don’t lie about
acorns. Maybe about fish or the girls I
have kissed, but not acorns. In my yard
I have some tall oak trees so because of this I have a bunch of fat squirrels
living here. They survive on the huge
bumper crop of acorns these trees pelt my kids and me with every winter. You cannot walk in my yard at certain times
of the year without getting hit on the head by acorns. But this fall not a single acorn has been
grown, much less dropped by any of my trees.
I decided to look up this phenomenon on the internet and I learned that
it is not just a bad year for acorns it is a zero year. That’s right zilch, nada, not a single acorn
from Nova Scotia to Virginia or Kansas through the mid-western United States,
so I called Dan (yeah my big brother) because if anyone would know if this was
a sign of the apocalypse it would be him.
I have experience saving stuff. Like when I saved the world this past
November. I bet you didn’t know that was
me huh? Yup, I saved the world and y’all
know it because you saw the results this past month and the world is still
around. If I had not done it the world
would be gone. Here’s a picture to show
you how I did it with one finger. I
don’t think this picture is legal though so don’t spread it around. I did it with one finger, and in super human
form I did not take a bow, or do a victory dance or, raise a pint, or let out a
yell. Instead, like the Lone Ranger, I
just turned my back on the great deed I done, and simply turned on my heal and
walked away. I don’t own a horse any
more so I could not really depart like the Lone Ranger, but that’s not the
point, I saved the world damn it, thank me!
So don’t try to muscle in on my gig as the world saver
because there is only room for one and you’re not the one, I am. See the picture, well I could not like be in
it, since it was illegal and all, but I am the only one who has it. When I do it again I will need to do like
Peter Parker taking pictures of Spiderman, right? I could set up the scene and act like casual
and all about saving the world and smiling for the camera at the same time. That really cool chick would kiss me hanging upside
down and all; heaven right?
2009 has begun her decent upon us like a celestial being
surrounded by a golden haze and accompanied by a heavenly chorus. The general consensus seems to be that if anything
can save us from 2008 it must be the coming of 2009, the New Year. No matter what religion, race, gender or
nationality you are, I am willing to bet that like me, you are ready for a new
year. I cannot remember a time in my
long life, when I wished for another year to be tagged on to the many I have
collected so far.
I will always be fascinated by people. This is probably the key to my curiosity
about what makes them tick. When I began
supporting the folks at FCG in Philadelphia by providing resources for our
projects this was done out of necessity, not because it was my
responsibility. The staffing of our
projects became more important than what I was originally hired to do, but also
more interesting. So began one of the
most unexpected career journeys of my life.
After being in IT since the early 1970s I had always thought I would
remain an IT resource working for a large company as a manager or
director. Little did I know that the
decision to take the bull by the horns and make sure that my employer had the
assets needed for projects around the US, would lead to my current position
working globally in support of CCIEs and future CCIEs’ careers. Before that change in career my time working
for Bell Atlantic made me very much aware of CCIEs and their needs, so when I
was faced with the need to locate network engineers, I knew what I was doing. That funny cocktail we mix of our lives
sometimes has ingredients we had no intention of including and mine has been
shaken (not stirred) several times.
On the plane ride back from London’s Heathrow Airport this
past Saturday I was left with hours for reflection on a very successful
European trip. It had begun with a
flight to Zurich, which was a very good visit.
I had written in the November issues of CCIE Flyer about a picture my
Girl Friday, M had sent me when she started looking for booking information for
this trip. She sent me a photograph of
Zurich which was brilliant and her email proclaimed that she could not believe
I was headed there. I used the photo in
my “Work Work Work” section of the CCIE Flyer and depicted a daydream around
where I would go and live if I was actually living in Zurich. I was so amused then, when I actually found
myself in some of the places I had depicted in my writing from that picture. I met with the COO of Cisco Gold Partner for
dinner and just to be safe I had my CFO Toby Grey in tow. My first trip to Switzerland had me sacred of
the language challenges I might be faced with and since Toby speaks several languages
I felt good about bringing him with me to Zurich but I soon discovered that all
of the people I had meetings with spoke English. That first evening with Georg from NetCloud
was one of my most memorable business meetings.
He could not make the next day’s Cisco Summit and asked if we could meet
the evening before so he could have an opportunity to meet with the CCIE
Agent™. Thanks to M, my very capable
Girl Friday working virtually we had dinner reservations and we traveled to
Haus zum Ruden (House of the Hound), a venue first constructed in 1348 to house
the tavern used by the noblemen who met in the floor below. The tavern is quite a nice restaurant today,
with huge timbers supporting an arched ceiling and hardwood throughout. We had a meeting of the minds and a great
meal followed by a brief tour through the city to look at the Christmas lights
decorating Zurich. I could tell Toby was
having fun because he was staring out the car windows like a kid in a
dream. As for myself, I am eternally
grateful to Georg for the time he took showing us some of the most generous hospitality
I have ever experienced anywhere. (See more at 
Zurich in the winter is cold but the beauty of the city is apparent in
the many streets and buildings I saw while I was there. Thanks Georg!
Atlanta this past week was a real treat. If you were lucky
enough to have been a part of the event I hope we had a chance to talk or have
a glass of vino. The venue for the 2008
Atlanta HR Talent Forum was a winery in Georgia outside of Atlanta called
Chateau Elan. The Chateau Elan is a great
retreat which is surrounding by vineyards and built like a French mountain top
chateau.
Pictured here with my hero, Celia Harper-Guerra. Without her energy
and vision the Cisco Partner Talent initiative would not be the success
that it has become. Her team is a world class group of professionals.
I arrived on the 10th the afternoon before the
event was scheduled to start. I had time
to say hello to and meet the event organizers from Cisco; Celia Harper-Guerra,
Beth Rowland, Bill Philbrick (the Master of Ceremonies), Diane Adams, Steve
Boutelle, Paul DuCharme, Mimish L’Esperance, Eden Britt, Brooke Ellingsworth,
Kristen Adams, Billy Martin, Peter Joyce, and many more. I was on the schedule for the Wednesday
seminars and breakout sessions as a track presenter and was really pumped up
about my opportunity to support the event.
So after saying hi to everyone I did what any gent in my shoes would do,
I snuck off and played golf! I haven’t
told Charles my boss in London yet, but I had a really great evening round of
golf! What a nice course they have there
and since it was a work day and I had an evening tee time, I had the course to
myself. I was whacking the balls so far
I was hooting like a loon as I exited the tees.
If I could have sunk a putt I would have been howling nonstop, but as
usual the Yin and Yang of my game balanced out to keep my over 90 and
humble. Wednesday started off good with
many of the 40+ channel partners trickling in for the kick-off that
afternoon. This was a Veterans Day event
(in the US we celebrate Veterans Day acknowledging the brave efforts of our war
veterans) so it was fitting that we heard from a veteran and Steve Boutelle of
Cisco and a retired CIO of the Army started things off impressively. My military time was spent in the Navy in the
Pacific and sometimes in South China Sea at the end of the Viet Nam War. While I was relatively safe with my squadron
of Anti-Submarine Warfare birds located on the aircraft carrier, USS Kitty
Hawk, there were many who were involved in Viet Nam who fought and died. I am grateful for the time I served my
country and the tools in life I carry today that were realized from that
experience. So our Cisco host Bill
Philbrick kicked off the event with a tribute and tip of the hat to our Veterans
and our opening speaker Steve Boutelle who is involved in the newest
technologies rolling out to the department of defense. I was delighted to learn that Bridge
Resourcing Solutions and your CCIE Agent have actually been working on this
great effort already with a leading defense contractor in the US. You can never tell who you will bump into as
you tie the ends together in a project.
We had a wonderful evening and I hooked up with several great channel
partners but I must say that first evening playing pool with Jeff Strain, from
Waco, Texas was great for me. I get
homesick for Texas whenever I hear that accent and when I started talking with
him about his company we put work aside and tore up the pool table talking
trash and having a few brews. So a quick
shout out to my new friend Jeff is in order, “thanks for the great time Jeff!” 
Day two was rough for me after staying up until 2:00AM! But my topic is an important one for CCIEs
and for the Channel Partners. I was very
pleased to see I had the lion’s share of the attendees in my session. I shared the podium time with Gregg Smith of
Chart Your Course International. Greg is
an expert on retention and the subject of accelerating the work place. He has written over 350 articles and
published nine books on various workplace subjects. My discussions were steeped in the knowledge
gained from my constant work with CCIEs and their careers. I had a chance to validate my CCIE Summer
Salary Survey results when discussions broke out around compensation and base
salaries. I also had a chance to talk
about the care and feeding of CCIEs and what will keep them loyal. What a great round of discussions we
had. Cisco’s Beth Rowland was the MC for
this breakout session and I am very happy to have her as a friend. Her focus has been on retention and she has
some great experience in this area for the SRS Program and the Cisco Talent
team.
Another wonderful member of the Talent Team, Brooke Ellingworth who is
responsible for South Africa and part of the Middle East. I learned
from her that one of the fastest growing sectors for Cisco is the
region she is responsible for. We will be working together to help the
CCIEs in my network and the channel partners from these regions locate
the best options for their careers and companies.
Ken Sockwell is the COO of pbmIT Solutions a Cisco Gold Partner in
southern California. I am pictured here with him and Jeff Bloch VP
from Decision ToolBox another of the SRS Program recruitment
companies. I introduced Ken and Jeff in the spirit of true
colaboration among SRS Team members. You hardly ever hear about
recruiting companies introducing their clients to competitors! (Don't
tell my boss)
My presentation did open up discussions, since many partners
want to know about CCIEs’ earnings, salaries, best practices for offer
letters,
and comp packages. I was happy to learn
that the CCIEs who participated in my Summer CCIE Salary Survey were
spot on
with what channel partners are paying.
You folks deserve a real shout out for your help. Without the many
CCIEs who responded to my
salary survey I would not be able to help increase the awareness about
standard
compensation plans and which adds power to your negotiations. So there
is a method to my madness, CCIEs are
now being heard and I am delighted to help spread the word! There were
some great moments this week. I met with one of my competitors in the
SRS
program, Jeff Bloch. As the VP of
Decision ToolBox his company is offering alternative options for
recruitment
through the Cisco Partner Talent Portal.
My boss will string me up if he discovers I introduced him to some of
my
customers while in Atlanta! I will be
featuring information about Decision ToolBox in the November edition of
the
CCIE Flyer. The SRS Program has a number
of options for the recruitment of talent for the Channel Partners and I
will
help make everyone aware of them. Real
important to me was getting to chat with Peter Joyce. He is the lead
for the Cisco Network Academy
and on my radar since I have begun sponsoring three schools in the IT
Rocks
program he is leading. This is a great
effort which has a goal of introducing kids to IT as a career at an
early
age. Because we all know that IT Rocks. Thanks Peter!
With the emphasis on the military I was happy to meet with Sandy Morris
the CEO of Bradley-Morris Group a great company helping the military
resources
coming off of active duty to find work.
Sandy has a real passion for what she does and I am going to tell you
all about her in the CCIE Flyer this month.
I am writing this first edit on a Delta flight from Atlanta to
Philadelphia. My journey has been
rewarding and filled with some of the greatest people you could ever
hope to
meet. 
I don’t take what I do for granted since in a moment it can
all change, but for now I know I am the luckiest boy from Oak Cliff (in Dallas)
that has ever tapped a keyboard!
Pictured here is Eve my Career Diva who has provided some great content
to the CCIE Flyer with her very own CCIE Flyer wagon. These are great
keepsakes made of metal and the right size to hold your business cards
or other stuff on your desk. If you have had a contribution posted in
the CCIE Flyer then you have one coming in the mail as a thank you. If
you would like one simply submit your written contribution for the CCIE
Flyer and if it is posted I will ship you one right away.
I am really pleased to be offering these neat little replicas of the
original Radio Flyers we played with as kids. When I started the CCIE
Flyer magazine I had an idea for the image of the Radio Flyer as an
icon for this publication. Now you can own one to by contributing your
writings to the CCIE Flyer!
