SubnetZero

Back to the blog, now that the JNCIE-SP is finished. I got #2332. The last time I did an expert-level exam was 2008, and I forgot just how challenging it is. I passed my JNCIP in June and it took me until November, working solidly most of the time, to get my number. It’s been a great experience. I work in a director-level architecture role at Juniper, and I am getting more and more removed from day-to-day, hands-on work. When I was in Cisco TAC, it was extremely technical, detailed work every day. Now it is meetings and PowerPoints. However, my ability to contribute at this level is entirely dependent on my technical expertise, and it feels great to refresh the knowledge and hit the CLI again. They say CLI will be dead with automation and SDN–don’t count on it. They can’t change the fundamental way networks operate, and when you look at SDN solutions, they are a lot more complicated then how they are presented. Being acquainted with MPLS and routing protocols in depth is the best preparation for anything to come, and the only way to learn those topics is at the command line. Period. Read More »