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: what’s next?
DevNet? CCIE Security? I started exploring both… but something kept pulling me towards one thing: design. The kind of work where you don’t 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 it’s “just” 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 I’m being brutally honest, a lot of it was time borrowed from my family. Time they graciously sacrificed with me, even when it wasn’t fun, even when it dragged on.
But today… 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.
“𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗖𝗗𝗘 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 (𝗖𝗖𝗗𝗘 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱𝟬𝟬𝟲𝟰)”
I’m proud. I’m relieved. And I’m genuinely grateful.
To my study group: you kept me accountable when motivation wasn’t enough.
To my family: you carried a chunk of this journey with me.
To everyone who’s grinding through something big right now: keep going, but don’t forget why you started.
Now… I’m going to take a breath. Then I’ll decide what’s next. 🙂
#CCDE #CCIE #CCNP #CCNA #NetworkDesign #Cisco #CareerJourney #Learning #NeverStopLearning
