E8: Earning 3 CCIE and the CCDE Certificates - with Andre Laurent

Summary

このビデオスクリプトでは、ネットワーキング分野でのキャリアを追求し始めたAndreの物語が紹介されています。彼は、極めて難易度が高いとされるCisco Certified Expert Certificationを4つも取得するという類稀なる成就を果たしました。Andreは、この分野での究極の目標を達成するために必要だった動機、準備、そして挑戦について語ります。彼の旅は、知識と経験を積むことの重要性、そしてそれを他人と共有することでさらに成長することの価値を強調しています。ホストのLucia Csomaとの対話を通じて、リスナーに自分自身の目標達成へのモチベーションとインスピレーションを提供しています。

Takeaways

• 😊 Andre was motivated to pursue the prestigious CCIE certifications because he enjoys complex challenges and helping others learn
• 👩‍💻 Andre developed a structured plan to obtain the necessary equipment, materials and consistent study time needed
• 💡 Andre had doubts along the journey but accepted no learning path will be perfect; focus on gaps
• ⏱️ It took about 8 years from Andre's initial networking interest to passing the exams
• 🏋️‍♀️ Consistent motivation was Andre's biggest challenge to overcome
• ❤️ Helping others through mentoring kept Andre motivated day-to-day
• 👥 Connect with a community for accountability, knowledge sharing and fun
• 👐 Get hands-on experience for deeper learning
• 🥇 Celebrate small wins and milestones along the way
• 🌟 Andre's goal now is more work/life balance with consistent self-reflection and sharing

Q & A

アンドレはなぜCCIE認証を取得することを目指したのですか？

キャリアをネットワーキング分野に決めた後、アンドレは最終目標としてCCIE認証を目指すことを決めました。彼はこの認証を取得することで、自分の成功を測定し、達成感を得たいと考えました。

アンドレがCCIE認証を取得する上で直面した最大の課題は何でしたか？

アンドレが直面した最大の課題は、真の動機付けでした。彼は困難な目標に対する情熱を持っていましたが、毎日コンピュータの前に座って作業を続けるためには、他者に役立つことによって得られる動機が必要でした。

アンドレはCCIE認証を取得するためにどのような準備をしましたか？

アンドレは実践的な経験を積むために、具体的な機器の上で手を動かし、設定などを行う必要があることに気づきました。彼は必要な機器への投資を行い、試験のブループリントに記載されているトピックや、学習資料が利用可能な場所を調査しました。

CCIE認証の取得にかかった時間はどのくらいですか？

アンドレは2002年にキャリアをスタートさせ、最初のCCIE認証を2010年に取得しました。彼の場合、夢から実現まで約8年間かかりました。

アンドレはなぜ複数のCCIE認証を取得しようと思ったのですか？

アンドレは自身の知識とスキルを広げ、ネットワーキング分野での究極の目標を達成することに情熱を持っていました。彼はこの分野で最高の認証を取得することによって、自分自身をさらに高めることができると考えました。

アンドレが言及している「真の動機」にはどのようなものがありますか？

アンドレにとっての「真の動機」は、他者に役立つことでした。彼は自分が学んだことを共有し、他人の成功を支援することによって、最大の動機付けを感じました。

アンドレが参加したコミュニティやプログラムにはどのようなものがありますか？

アンドレは「Ask a CCIE」というメンターシッププログラムに参加しました。これは、参加者が互いに学び合い、教え合う支援コミュニティです。

アンドレが現在追求している目標は何ですか？

アンドレは現在、よりバランスの取れた日々を送ることを目標としています。彼は自己反省の時間を増やし、学んだことを書き留め、共有することによって、自身の成長につながる習慣を築き上げようとしています。

アンドレがメンタリングやコミュニティ参加を推奨する理由は何ですか？

アンドレは、コミュニティへの参加が学習過程を豊かにし、他者からの支援を受けることができるため、メンタリングやコミュニティ参加を推奨しています。彼は共有し合うことで成長できると信じています。

アンドレがLinkedInでのつながりを重視する理由は何ですか？

アンドレはLinkedInを通じて、知識を共有し、他の専門家とつながるための有効なプラットフォームとみなしています。彼はこのプラットフォームを使って、学習と成長を促進するコンテンツを共有しています。

Outlines

00:00

🌟 AndreのCCIEへの道

Andreは、ネットワーキング分野でのキャリアを決意し、究極の目標であるCCIE（Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert）の取得に挑戦した。彼は当初、CCIEが一つしかないと思っていたが、実際には複数存在することを知り、自分自身との成功を測定するためにこれを目指すことにした。彼の動機は、キャリアを遅くスタートさせた後で、ネットワーキングへの情熱と学びへの愛から来ている。CCIEは非常に難易度が高いとされ、多くの都市伝説が存在していたが、彼はこの認証が自分にとって重要なつながりを提供し、新しい可能性を開くことを理解した。

05:01

📚 学習プロセスと課題

Andreは、CCIE取得への長い旅を始めるにあたり、まずネットワーキングの基礎知識を深めることからスタートした。この分野の他の認証プログラムを研究し、実践的な試験であるCCIEのために、実際に機器を扱い、設定する必要があることを知った。彼は高価な機器に投資し、試験のブループリントに沿って学習資料を探し、計画的に取り組むことの重要性を認識した。また、自分自身への疑問や自己疑念を乗り越え、毎日一貫して学習に時間を割くことの大切さを学んだ。

10:03

🔍 学習資料と目標設定

学習資料選びの過程で、Andreは完璧な教材は存在しないことを受け入れ、基礎を築くための十分な質の高い教材があることを理解した。彼はCiscoから公開されたブループリントを利用して、自身の理解度を確認し、知識のギャップを特定し、補うための学習を進めた。また、自信を構築するために、既に習得した技術の練習にも時間を割り、挑戦的な内容に取り組む際には、自己疑念に打ち勝つための精神的な戦略も重要であると感じた。

15:06

👥 コミュニティとのつながり

Andreは、コミュニティに参加し、他者を教えることで最も多くを学ぶことができたと語る。彼は「Ask a CCIE」というメンターシッププログラムを通じて、学びと成長のコミュニティを築き、学習者が自身の学習プロセスに責任を持つことの重要性を強調した。このプログラムでは、参加者が教師でもあり学生でもあるという環境を作り出し、実際の機器を用いて学習する実践的なアプローチを取った。この経験から、Andreは学習と共有、成長のプロセスの重要性を再確認した。

20:11

🎯 バランスの取れた生活への目標

現在、Andreはよりバランスの取れた生活を目指している。彼は過去の経験から多くを学び、自己反省と共有を通じて成長し続けることの大切さを理解している。彼は、目標達成の過程で健康的な生活バランスを保つことの重要性を強調し、学習、共有、成長のマントラを日常生活に取り入れることを目指している。また、彼はLinkedInを通じて他者とのつながりを大切にし、知識を共有し続けることで、より広いコミュニティに影響を与えることを望んでいる。

Keywords

💡CCIE

CCIE（Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert）は、シスコシステムズが認定するネットワーキングの専門知識を証明する資格であり、非常に高いレベルの技術力が求められる。このビデオでは、アンドレが4つのCCIE認定を取得した旅路が語られ、この資格が彼のキャリアにおいて重要なマイルストーンであることが示されている。

💡ネットワーキング

ネットワーキングは、コンピューターやデバイス間でデータを交換するための技術的な手段やプロセスを指す。このビデオでは、アンドレがネットワーキングへの情熱を持っており、それが彼をCCIE取得へと導いた動機の一つであることが語られている。

💡成功物語

成功物語は、目標や夢を達成した人々の話を指し、他者にインスピレーションを与えることが多い。このビデオでは、アンドレの4つのCCIE認定取得の旅は、リスナーにモチベーションを提供し、彼ら自身の「ポイントB」への旅を助ける成功物語として紹介されている。

💡学習プロセス

学習プロセスは、新しい情報やスキルを習得するための一連のステップや活動を指す。アンドレは、CCIE認定を取得するために必要な理論知識だけでなく、実践的な経験を積むことの重要性について語っている。

💡実践試験

実践試験は、候補者が実際の機器を使用して技術的なタスクを実行する能力を評価する試験形式を指す。アンドレが述べているように、CCIE認定はその他の資格とは異なり、実践試験が含まれており、これがCCIEを特に困難で価値のある資格にしている。

💡投資

このコンテキストでの投資は、目標を達成するために時間、労力、資金を費やす行為を指す。アンドレは、CCIE認定を取得するためには、機器への投資が必要であること、そしてそれが彼の成功への重要なステップであったことを説明している。

💡メンター

メンターは、経験や知識を共有し、指導やサポートを提供する人を指す。アンドレは、適切なメンターや教師の選択が、CCIE認定取得の旅における重要な要素であったと述べている。

💡自己疑念

自己疑念は、個人が自分の能力や決断を疑う心理状態を指す。アンドレは、CCIE認定を目指す過程で自己疑念に直面したが、焦点を保ち、目標達成に向けて前進し続けたことを語っている。

💡学習コミュニティ

学習コミュニティは、共通の目標や関心事に基づいて学習と成長を支援し合う人々のグループを指す。アンドレは、CCIE認定の取得に向けた学習プロセスを支援するために、学習コミュニティに参加することの価値を強調している。

💡LearnShareGrow

LearnShareGrowは、学習して知識を共有し、その過程で成長するというアプローチを指す。アンドレはこのマントラを採用し、CCIE認定取得だけでなく、人生の他の側面においてもこれを実践している。

Highlights

I decided networking was the path and I enjoyed it, so I had to get the CCIE certification

The CCIE was the ultimate goal and most prestigious certification at the time

I realized I needed hands on experience and to invest in equipment to prepare for the CCIE exam

There is no perfect set of CCIE study materials, so I had to accept gaps and focus on strengthening weak areas

It took me about 8 years from initially deciding to pursue the CCIE to passing the exam

My biggest challenge was staying motivated every day through self-doubt and distractions

I motivated myself by focusing on how earning the CCIE could positively impact and change other people's lives

I recommend joining a community and study group for support and accountability on your CCIE journey

Hands on practice configuring equipment regularly is vital CCIE exam preparation

Celebrate your progress by reviewing and mastering topics you already understand well

My mantra is Learn, Share, Grow - learn something new, share it to help others, and grow in the process

My current goal is achieving more balance in my daily life through reflection and sharing what I learn

Connect with me on LinkedIn if you want to discuss learning, sharing, and growth

I'm always open to conversations that allow both people to learn, share, and grow

I appreciate the chance to support others on their journeys however I can

Transcripts

Once I decided that networking was the path and I enjoyed it

that I had to get this CCIE.

I didn't realize there were several of them.

I just thought it was the one thing and I could finally measure myself and my

success and say I accomplished something.

Good job, right?

This is journey to point B where you can find success stories

of people who have achieved the same goals you are striving for.

I'm your host, Lucia Csoma, and it's my hope that these stories

will provide motivation for your own journey to point B.

Let's begin.

Andre, welcome.

So very nice to have you on the show.

Yeah, it's a pleasure to be here.

Thank you for inviting me.

I know that you have achieved something that only a few people in the world

achieved it, which is not get one Cisco certify expert certification,

but 4 And I would love for us to have this conversation about your journey

to achieving those certifications

That sounds great.

Yeah.

And was wondering if you can start us off with just sharing with us, what was the

motivation to even start on this journey to these prestigious certifications?

I did a little bit of research and I saw that, Cisco

Certified Expert Certification.

They are the equivalent of the bar exam in law.

So what, what, what drove you to this specific one?

thanks for asking.

So I started my career very late and I didn't know what I wanted to do.

And once I decided that I wanted to be in networking, I like to be the underdog and

I always want to go for the ultimate goal.

And so.

The CCIE at the time was the ultimate goal.

There was no, no, uh, better known certification people would say, Hey,

if you have that certification, you're automatically accepted into like the

doctorate programs in these universities.

And there was a lot of urban legends around it.

Um, very difficult to achieve.

And I realized that I like networking and I like learning.

And so Just like the network allows us to connect to all of the different

people, or maybe we're connecting through networks today, that's how

we're performing in this way together.

Um, it created an opportunity for me to be able to better connect with

audiences that I, and people that I had never been able to connect with before.

And so it was clear, once I decided that networking was the path and I

enjoyed it, that I had to get this CCIE.

I didn't realize there were several of them.

I just thought it was the one thing and I could finally measure myself and my

success and say, I accomplished something.

Good job, right?

Um, yeah, that's what started me off on the journey.

I assume that it's a long process.

So what, what did you do?

How did you take that dream of like, okay, this is the goal that you want

to go for this specific certification, like the highest that you could

find to actually achieving it.

Okay.

I think like many people that probably that would be interested in this

topic that might be listening to this podcast, you have to have a fundamental

understanding of networking first.

And there are so many certification programs in the industry.

So my approach was to learn and experiment with obtaining

these different certifications.

The CCIE certifications, unlike any other in the industry, maybe

now there's some that have mimicked that, but it's a practical exam.

So you have to actually get your hands on the equipment and configure

it and do these kinds of things, whereas most of the exams are written.

They're testing your knowledge and theory and application of that.

Uh, but it's multiple choice typically.

So.

I realized right away I need to get some practical hands on experience.

I didn't have that level of experience that an expert must have.

And equipment is expensive.

So I recognize that I need to, I need to make sure that I'm investing in equipment.

I need to figure out, you know, what are all of the topics, uh,

you know, that are being published as part of this exam blueprint.

You know, what are they?

Who has materials available for learning?

Uh, it was very confusing because there's so many things

at the time that were available.

Now I'm blessed at the time there were a lot of things available and people that

came before me, you know, they either had the experience or they didn't and

getting the equipment wasn't as easy, uh, as you know, what it was for me.

It did require investment.

So yeah, I had to have a plan.

I had to make sure that, you know, I was fully ready to go and invested.

I wasn't concerned about my willingness to commit.

I've always been a very extreme person.

Anybody knows me would probably be laughing if they hear me say

that because I'm very extreme.

I'm old or nothing.

A lot of times I can become very tunnel visioned and focused on whatever

it is that I'm, I'm working on.

And in the past, you know, ignore the rest of life and just think,

think about that one thing.

So once I targeted, I just knew I need to have a plan.

I need to understand what materials are available.

I need to free up some investment.

If I didn't have all the money at the time, it's like, how am I going to

afford to buy the equipment that I need?

And then stick with the plan, not get distracted.

And what I mean by that is questioning myself.

Um, I was a little bit worried that did I make the right

investment in the right equipment?

Am I working with the right mentors, teachers that are out there and making

the right investments, you know, is this going to give me everything that I need?

Should I be doing something else instead?

And so it was this, you know, working through that, um, the doubt, I guess

some self doubt, staying focused.

Yeah, that's how I started.

I got the plan and, and I knew that also I need to really dedicate the time.

Uh, it can't be something that I do a little bit today and a little bit tomorrow

and then don't do it for several days and then work really hard on the weekend.

I mean, it had to be every day I was dedicating time because as soon as I

had to learn something, I forget it.

The process was anything, any kind of learning process.

A lot of times it's learn and then forget part of it, then

learn it again and then forget it.

That's just the learning process.

Um, so every day had to be consistent and several hours of dedicated time.

You mentioned, Andre, a lot of questions that you had a lot of doubts,

like, is this the right equipment?

Am I making the right investment?

What helped you answer those questions?

I think ultimately it was accepting the fact that there will be no perfect set of materials out there

but that there was really great material out there that can give me the foundation and then I had a blueprint that was published by someone at Cisco so I know

best whether I have an understanding or I don't have an understanding.

I know that.

I might not want to admit it all the time that I'm not so strong on these things.

And I might prefer to spend most of my time configuring things

that I'm very comfortable with because it builds confidence.

And it's not as fun to fail constantly, configuring things and forgetting

things and not understanding things.

But yeah, that's what it was.

It was just accepting that there's no material that's going to cover everything.

I have to choose one, go all the way through, get the skills,

build the foundation, look at the blueprint, see where I'm missing.

Find other opportunities to take advantage of different learning material or teachers

out there, some of the services that they might provide to be able to help, you

know, better understand other things.

Um, or even in some cases, rent equipment, uh, at the time because I couldn't afford

the kind of equipment that was needed to be able to cover off on certain topics.

And so it's just agreeing that good enough.

There's a good enough layer that needs to be, you know, achieved.

To be able to build a foundation and then everything else is just

a journey like I need to look at it and be very real with myself.

Um, it's no different today.

It's the same experience every time I, it's always the same for me.

It's build a foundation, accept it's not going to be exactly what I

want it to be right from the get go.

And, and then be very mindful of where I have the gaps and

focus my energy on those things.

Yeah.

One idea that I loved and I got introduced to it a few years ago by Craig

Groeschel , he used the phrase GETMO, which stand for good enough to move on.

On that oftentimes we get into all these details and we focus on the

20 percent but doing 80 percent of the work already gets us there.

And we just need to launch because oftentimes we spend more times

in those 20 last 20 percent than we, then it took us in those 80%.

And that's just like overthinking, just not taking the, the action,

getting the perfect thing or getting all the pieces together.

And it just The results that we want to get so good enough

to get moving and it seems like that's exactly what you've done.

A quick pause here.

I have a favor to ask you if you resonated with anything in this episode I'm asking

you to please subscribe to this channel.

This will help me bring you more guests with more inspirational stories to

help you on your journey to point B.

Now, let's get back to our conversation.

How long it took you from the moment that you had this idea to the

moment you passed and you already had the certification in your hand.

Thanks for asking that question.

So, I had this dream, I suppose, as soon as I made a decision to get into

networking, which was in early 2000s.

But I didn't start my career until very late.

Um, you know, there was the .Com bubble burst and all of these flood of

talent in the market with experience.

And I wasn't going to get a job with coming out of a network engineering

program from the secondary education.

I went to a university again after I got my bachelor and some MBA

work to go and pursue networking.

And when I came out of that program, the market was flooded with talent.

So I wasn't going to be able to compete with that.

But the moment that I started the journey and I attended that program, I

knew I have to get the certification.

Now, it was on hold for a long time.

When I started working in, uh, when was it?

Uh, 2003 was my first time I started working.

2002, actually, was my first job.

I had my hands on experience with networking, my first real networking job.

And at that time, um, I started going after it again.

So, there are different levels of certification.

There was a CCNA, Network Associate.

Um, and then there was a CCIE, and you don't have to go in

this order, uh, for the expert.

You can go anytime you're ready, but I decided to go in the order because

I felt like if I do that, I can cover off on all of the topics that

are relevant and build my knowledge.

And it's proven they've documented it for a reason.

I have to trust that they have, they know better than I do what's best, right?

In terms of the learning journey and the topics that need to be covered.

I did find later on when I mentored others that.

Just the idea of giving back.

You want to just grab the actual blueprint for the CCIE.

Is that gives us structure and it gives a shorter term goals and objective.

For some people that is very important.

I need to have these milestones.

For other people that's not as important.

For me in the martial arts, you know, sometimes, uh, here in the United

States, they give the belt away.

It's not just the United States, many places, they give the white belt, red

belt, yellow belt, these different belts, colored black belt, but when I studied

the martial arts, there were no such, there was no such thing as a belt system.

You and your master, you know, your level.

Um, so that just depends on what, what motivates you for me.

I just want, I'm motivated by, I'm learning, and I know I'm

learning and I feel I'm learning.

And when I feel stuck that I'm not learning.

I want some acknowledgement and validation from somebody that I trust,

like my master, my coach, to tell me, yeah, you know, you're making progress.

You don't see it.

Let me help show you why I'm telling you that's, I'm not just

trying to make you feel good.

I'm, I'm gonna show you that something maybe you can't see.

Um, But yeah, that's, that's how I approached it.

So I'd say I started at that time, uh, in 2002 going through these certifications.

And by the time, uh, it was 2010 when I got my first one.

So yeah, and then those last two years, um, it was two years of pounding.

It was non stop, like that was my life.

Uh, at the time I didn't work for Cisco.

I work for Cisco now.

For the last 13 years.

Um, I had gotten it just before that time.

So maybe it was 2009, 2008.

I can't even remember when I got the certification now, but it was,

it was before I came to Cisco.

Um, I had already had two of the expert certifications, so they

must have been 2008 maybe even.

So yeah, it was two years of pounding, and uh, to the point where Cisco was my

life, and even my dog's name was Cisco.

But I, but I worked for a competitor at the time, which,

yeah, so it was very funny, right?

I worked for a competitor holding the super expert certifications

and, uh, my dog's name was Cisco.

You wouldn't take your dog to, company parties.

No.

Uh, probably not, probably not a good

you away.

Andre, in this process, it's been like about seven, eight years from

the dream to actually accomplish it.

If I, if my math is correct, you know, what would you say was your biggest

challenge that you had to overcome?

I think it comes down to motivation.

True motivation.

What I mean by that is,

Everybody is motivated by different things.

I'm not just motivated by a big goal.

I'm excited by very complex things that are difficult to achieve that excites

me and I gravitate towards those things.

I want to, I want to achieve them.

I want to, I want to be the one to be able to achieve something that others

maybe I have a difficult time achieving, especially if it's an area of interest.

But it's not enough to motivate me to actually commit all of the time

and energy And we need to understand, I think everybody should understand

what it is that really motivates them.

It's going to make sure that every day you sit in front of that computer

and you do whatever you need to do or whatever your schedule is.

It doesn't have to be as extreme as me, right?

I think that there were sacrifices that I made that maybe I didn't have to make.

I don't have regrets, but everybody's different and I did sacrifice many

things in life based on those, the way that I approached this.

But I'd say the thing that gets me moving more than anything else is How is

what I'm doing going to benefit others?

almost like a mind trick that I have to do.

It's a hack that I have to do.

And I've learned this early on.

And I, I think it really became clear to me during this certification

journey is that if I want to go for it for my own benefit to

learn, then yeah, I'm motivated.

It's exciting.

But I won't make the time because somebody else's priorities

always come before my own.

Somebody's calling me.

They need me to go and work on something.

Let me go and do that.

I can put this off.

Oh, now I need to help with that.

Let me go and do that because I really feel excited about, uh, serving others,

you know, and seeing that I'm benefiting and that I've had me some impact.

So the trick for me was combining the two is that if, if I am able to

obtain this level of understanding, I can, I can, I can, this certification

at the time changes lives.

There are people that their life is never the same afterwards because

they've obtained the certification and the amount of opportunities

they have in the industry.

It's like crazy.

Like everybody wants this person to work for them.

So I recognize that if I obtain this thing, I have an opportunity

to mentor others and help them to achieve it as well.

And that could, I can't touch everyone, but that could in

some way have a tremendous impact on another person's life.

And that's what motivated me.

It sounds a little bit cheesy, but those that, those that know me know,

um, those that know me and that have, you know, I've mentored over

the years and they, they will, they will be able to testify to that.

Um, so it's, it's true.

So it's honest.

Most of the things, that's my hack every time is, okay, how do

I make this about somebody else?

How do I make sure that I'm making an impact, a bigger impact with

whatever it is that I'm doing?

And, uh, that's, that's what got me going.

Yeah, it's beautiful.

It reminds me of the saying that it's greater pleasure to give than to receive.

So for you to be able to bring this into the world, and I have known you

just for a few months, I think more than half a year or something like that,

that LinkedIn and, um, What I quickly was able to see in you is this desire

that you have to share your knowledge to share what you have and put a dent in

the universe with your positivity, with your encouragement, with your mentorship.

So hearing that that was your motivation during this process as well, it's

completely aligned with your personal brand, if I can say like that.

Definitely.

It's very aligned.

Andre, if someone from the listeners, are discouraged and they are not

yet ready to take the first step.

What would be your advice to them if you were to mentor them?

always the same.

I ran a mentorship program for several years.

We built a community that was a pay it forward culture.

You come and you attend to this.

We called it Ask a CCIE.

And it was a mentoring community and all we really had was a forum.

And I had structured a spreadsheet at the time, which was the blueprint.

And you could color code it.

What level of comfort do you have with these topics?

You need to be honest with yourself.

And then I would, I find most people have a really hard time knowing where to start.

So all I was really doing in all honesty as part of this mentorship program

is I was helping people to select out of a certain piece of material.

The material was from Narvik Kachorians.

He had a kind of a soup to nuts.

He's a very famous CCI instructor, by the way.

And he had a soup to nuts, uh, book, very comprehensive.

Like every technology area you learn to configure it and

you go through these labs.

Yes,

So what I would do is I'd just, I'd just sign homework.

I'd say, you know, everybody, you are, you're accountable to one another.

We're a community.

We're gonna come together once or twice a week and do things live.

I'm not gonna lecture you.

You're coming, you're the te, you're the teacher and the student.

So we're gonna be almost playing video games together, but it's not video games.

It's, I'm gonna bring up the equipment in front of you.

I'm not gonna touch anything until you tell me what to type.

So if you need me to type in a command, you need to tell me what to type.

Raise your hand if you know what it is.

Lucia, you raised your hand.

What's it?

And you said to me, okay, write this.

I say, okay.

I say, is it, Hey, who's next?

Like, what else should we do?

What do we do next?

Raise your hand.

And so everything I was driving the environment, but I'd give

them homework ahead of time.

I'd say, you need to come prepared.

So you need to cover this material.

And then I will give you challenges that you will have to accomplish as

a team, uh, as part of this working session and play time, like play time.

And, um, it was all free, of course, um, you know, and it was, it was great.

It just allowed me to connect with people.

We had a lot of fun together.

We all learned.

I think I gained the most.

I learned, although I had their expert certifications, that's

when the real learning started is when I started teaching.

Um, so I just encourage people to be part of a community to be short and sweet.

And there are communities out there already, like the learning network.

There's a Cisco Learning Network.

Somebody types that.

And there are a bunch of forums and knowledge articles and free training.

Some of my content, even as I'm there is free training, recorded

learning sessions overall community.

So there's more, uh, relevant probably today content out there for some of

the newer topics focus areas, but definitely check out the learning network.

Don't be afraid to start your own community.

Um, if you're motivated like I am by helping others, then

you show up to help others.

You're all teachers, you're all students.

And, uh, enjoy the process.

Don't put artificial pressure, but you need to, you do need to

assign some, some goals every week.

And the other thing is, don't just focus in one week on

everything new, new, new, new, new.

Because it can be quite discouraging.

Every time I'm trying to learn something new and it's taking

me longer than I expected and I'm not quite understanding it.

I like to also bring in some things that I'm good at.

So, I'm reviewing something that I already know.

Can I do it faster?

Can I throw a little bit of a challenge on it and then still do it?

And so then I feel like I'm, I'm further mastering this area.

I feel good.

Look at me, I've made some progress.

I can do this.

I didn't forget it.

And now I'm learning something else.

It's difficult.

And at one day I can go, Well, now on my spreadsheet, it's

no longer orange or yellow.

It's green.

Okay.

Yeah.

And so just seeing that sometimes helps as well.

Yeah, so what I hear is get connected to a community because

Absolutely.

you know that I've I share this quote a lot.

It's it's it becomes cheesy for me, but I love it.

And I would always share it is that you alone can do it,

but you cannot do it alone.

So when you when you connect with a community.

It, it, it really makes a difference.

I know that in my business, like in my building, my coaching business,

having this community where I can come and freely share the struggles,

the successes, it's important.

The other thing that I hear from you is hands on.

I make sure that it's not just theory, that you actually get your hands dirty

and you start playing with, uh, the equipment or, and then, um, celebrate,

celebrate your accomplishments.

With those exercises that you said, like, get to get something that you've

learned previous weeks and then get a time to enjoy it and to really celebrate

and really pat yourself on the shoulder, like how, how far you've came and then

share, which is exactly what you're doing, like sharing your, your knowledge that

can help you get to the master level.

Yeah, absolutely.

That's almost like a mantra now.

That's why people love to see that hashtag#LearnShareGrow, learn,

share, grow when I post things.

These days, my interest is more into some of the things that interested me before my

career, more around the software topics, if you will, like emotional intelligence

and mindfulness and things like that.

So I've evolved in the way that I use LinkedIn.

I used to post a lot of things on technology and my connection

to the universe was really.

Through all of those expert certifications, since they were such a

big part of my life, and I was every day focusing on that expertise and trying

to obtain this mastery that was always out of my grasp, regardless of how many

certifications I obtained, I always never felt like I mastered any of it.

Um, and so these days I spend more of my time on that, but

the mantra hasn't changed.

It's still, you know, learn, um, share what you learn that motivates me to

to learn and then through that process of learning and sharing, I'm growing

and as I'm growing, I'm learning more.

And, uh, so it's just, it's not in really any specific order because it could be

in any order, just learn, share, grow.

But for me, it does seem to be learn, share, grow, learn, share,

Mm hmm.

From a motivation perspective, it's share, learn, grow.

So,

Mm hmm.

what is one of the goals that you're currently pursuing?

Andre.

I would say the biggest goal I'm pursuing now is taking, uh, having

a bit more balance in my day.

Um, I've never had a balanced, uh, life from that perspective,

like in a balanced day.

If you look at my life over the course of...

10 years period or something like that.

You, you, you, you see balance through high highs and other highs.

It's transitioning from one big goal to the next.

There's really never a downtime.

Um, and this downtime, I just need time to connect with myself.

So my biggest goal is to be, take more time to reflect, uh, to write down

what it is that I'm reflecting on.

And then stay true to my mantra, just share what it is that I'm learning as I

go through those experiences, um, in case they might benefit someone in some way.

Mm-hmm.

That's it.

That's my biggest goal right now.

I, I'd love to be able to do that and, um, it becomes just habit, habitual, and

then go after maybe another big goal, but in a way that it doesn't sacrifice that.

Mm-hmm.

. Mm-hmm.

the approach doesn't, I don't sacrifice that, that, uh, It just becomes habitual

and part of who I am and how I live and, but, and then whatever else I

pursue, I do it in a way I don't have to sacrifice those, that, that focus

it's a healthier way of living for me today.

I wouldn't change the way that I did it before just who I am.

I learned a lot through those experiences.

Um.

Everybody has to honor themselves and be authentic to themselves

and you can, we should be mindful that there are sacrifices.

Absolutely there are sacrifices, but, uh, today in this stage of my life,

no, I want to be healthier in terms of having more balance and, um, and just

have more fun all the time with whatever it is that I'm learning and sharing.

Um, so it's not as rigid if you will.

Like I will get this done no matter what I can, I can go through any obstacle

and I will do it headfirst, you know, and I don't care about the impact of it.

I'm going to, I'm going to get there.

Andre if some of the listeners would love to get in touch with

you, what you have to share through Learn, Share, Grow, what would be the

best way for them to get connected?

I think the, I'm very open to connecting people on LinkedIn.

Um, I do get hit.

Sometimes I fall for getting hit by the people that are out there, you know,

trying to collect private information from me or spam me or these things.

But.

Uh, you know, like I'm open to connecting with pretty much everyone on LinkedIn.

Um, I'm not a person that checks email, uh, even in the corporate world.

I don't check email very much.

And if somebody tells me there's an email, uh, but yeah, I'm available on LinkedIn.

If somebody wanted to follow, you know what it is that I'm

posting, they could just follow up the, actually I did it strong.

You could follow hashtags on LinkedIn.

I didn't know that, but you can, uh, you can just follow hashtag #LearnShareGrow.

And most, I mean, I'm not the only one posting with that hashtag, but

I am probably the one that posts the most with that hashtag consistently.

So follow that, uh, reach out to me on LinkedIn mail.

If you just want to have a start a conversation, I don't

spend a lot of time in there.

So I'm not one of those guys that, uh, even any kind of texting or writing.

I'm not like a back and forth and back and forth and back and forth all day.

You know, I'm not that kind of person.

I'd rather have a conversation if it makes sense.

Um, I typically don't have time these days for mentoring.

I get a lot of requests for mentoring, um, that come through

like I could love to have a mentor.

Would you be my mentor?

I just don't have the time and energy to put in, uh, but, but if there's

something that I can help with a perspective or just want to shoot some

ideas back and forth, that helps me to grow as you're learning and sharing

and you're sharing it with me and I can share it back then I'm growing as well.

So I'm very open to those kinds of things.

Wonderful.

Thank you so much, Andre.

Thank you for sharing your journey, your ups and downs and lesson learns and

your advice for people that will, will Pursue such a prestigious certification.

And it seems like you need to be invested.

You really need to get connected with your why.

And I believe that what you shared would help other people really get

connected to that, really understand for themselves and then understand

what will the journey intake and then get, get to where they want to be.

Thank you.

I really honor your time.

Yeah, I honor the opportunity and thank you for the friendship.

It's just so cool that, uh, We've never met in person yet, but we're

able to connect in this way through LinkedIn and, um, you know, I consider

you to be a friend now and I look forward to supporting you in any way

I can and keep doing great things.

I appreciate it Andre.

Thank you.