New Part of the Journey
The journey that I am still on is something that was originally to get back into the IT industry. This was by sharing the things that happened along the way. I am going into more of a sub-journey along this path which is something that I have prepared for. The new sub-journey is a five-year plan to take and pass the CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure exam. This plan includes reading other books and doing extra courses to get to the level of knowledge that is needed to pass this exam.
To do this, I will be mainly taking certification exams and other courses to broaden my skill set. I am planning on taking Cisco and Juniper exams to help me on this journey. The date that I gave myself to complete this is by September 21, 2031. This is the goal and I need to study and pass multiple certifications to achieve this.
The main thing that someone would do on this path is to get the CCNA and the CCNP Enterprise. I already hold the CCNA and am studying for the CCNP ENCOR. Another part of what I am doing is studying for and passing multiple Juniper certifications. The JNCIA-Junos is something that I am studying currently.
My Journey
The journey that I am on already is more focused on the ultimate goal, which is to be a CIO, CTO, or CISO in my career. The career milestones that I want to do in this ultimate journey include the CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure, CISSP, CEH, PMI-ACP, GIAC Security Professional, and the CCISO certification. The path through the Network Security Engineer role is something that I am wanting to build my career on. I am focusing more on Fortinet and Cisco in order to accomplish this.
Cisco Certifications
The certifications that I have with Cisco include the CCST Cybersecurity, CCST Networking, and the CCNA. I am looking to take and pass the CCNA Automation, the CCNP ENCOR, CCNP ENARSI, CCNP ENAUTO, CCNP SPCOR, and the CCNP SCOR. These Cisco exams will help me get up to speed on the exam materials needed for the CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure exam.
There are other exams that will be needed, as some more come out for these paths. The CCNP Automation, CCNP Service Provider, and the CCNP Security would only need one more certification each in order to pass those designations. I could also do more work on the wireless, design, and cloud specialist exams in order to get a better grasp of these topics.
Juniper Certifications
I am also looking to complete some Juniper certifications that include the JNCIA-Junos, JNCIA-Cloud, JNCIA-Design, JNCIA-SEC along with the JNCIS-ENT, JNCIS-SP, and the JNCIS-SEC. These exams should fill in the cracks and any gaps in my knowledge of computer networking. I am currently studying for the JNCIA-Junos and will be doing the Open Training on the Juniper Training website for these Juniper exams.
Other Certifications
I am looking forward to some other certifications that will help me out with my goals including doing some more Fortinet, ISC2, CompTIA, Microsoft and some more LPI certifications. There are some AI, Quality Management, and some Project Management certifications that I am also looking at getting.
Life Update
I have been doing more on my sole proprietorship to get some projects to work on for clients, I have a rate card and a booking system ready for clients. Having finished the training for the NSE 1, I am already working on the NSE 2 training material. Looking forward to finishing the AI Business Practitioner training from Cisco U. along with the AB-731 training for the AI Transformation Leader from Microsoft.
Working through my journey will allow me to accomplish the CCIE EI career milestone that I am wanting to achieve. For my ultimate goal this will help to stand out in the crowd and get better networking jobs or network consultant roles. I am doing good by the way and have been trying to get some contract or part-time roles as a network administrator or network security administrator. I am also looking to have some more clients for content marketing jobs.
Conclusion
This is my first life update and journey update for the first career milestone that I am preparing to accomplish. I will be doing more blog posts and articles and extending the word count through more information per piece. Looking forward to doing more over the coming months for my own original content and helping out my clients. This will also be for the Cisco and Microsoft communities.
I am still working on the Cisco Insider Champion and setting the groundwork for a Microsoft MVP. I am looking to expand my community building to these communities and will also be doing more on Reddit and Dev.to as well. Some of the Microsoft certifications that I am looking at doing include the AZ-104, AZ-700, and the SC-300. These will also help for the Microsoft Certified Trainer designation.