Build a CCIE Workshop

I would like nothing more than to have so many CCIEs in my network available for new jobs that the entire planet would be able to satisfy its demand by calling me. Really, I mean I would love to have so many CCIEs available to me that I could retire while cornering the market on CCIE placements. I cannot dream like that and expect to scratch out a living though. Hell, I snore anyway so dreams like that are usually interrupted by an elbow from the wife. Really I snore like, a loud gnarly bear stuck in a trap, (but I digress).

I am delighted by the confidence I have found placed in my skills to match CCIE demand with CCIE candidates, but Cisco Systems and the Cisco Channel Partners are now in need of a place like the Teddy Bear factory in US malls which builds custom made stuffed animals for kids. I took my sons to Build a Bear Workshop where they were able to select the bodies, features and accessories they wanted their new toys to have. Hey all you Cisco Channel Partners, just imagine that you could send your recruiting team to the mall and they could wonder down the aisle selecting skills, experience, certifications and other sought after attributes to build the perfect CCIE hire. Imagine even better if you are a network engineer and aspiring CCIE who could be picked from the pile and have someone attach the experience and training you needed to become a Cisco Channel Partner CCIE!

I am not writing this to send you off into a lala land, fantasy snooze; I am trying to make a point so WAKE UP.

A wealth of opportunity is being overlooked every day by Channel Partners. On the job market there are lots of skilled NETWORK engineers who are investing their own money and lots of time on certification training and testing. The CCNA who is working on their CCVP or CCNP certification is tomorrow’s CCIE. Any company that now has a CCIE on their staff is probably looking at a vacancy soon or will need to hire another. Many CCIEs are fast approaching retirement age and others are calling me looking for a new job.

It is time to build your talent bench. Invest in a CC__ (you fill in the next two letters) and watch your investment grow while the CCIE mentor is still on your staff. You can build a CCIE to your own specifications if you invest in a journeyman!

When I have work done on my electric or plumbing for the house I often see the technician with a journeyman in tow. Sure this kid is fetching tools, holding flashlights, or just keeping the licensed engineer company, but the important thing is that this shadow is learning the skills of the trade. We should be using this same concept in IT more than we do now. A perfect opportunity for any channel partner is making itself available during this economic down turn. Every day more talent is hitting the market that could be used to build the Channel Partner’s bench.

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