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

Any network engineer lives on the edge of configuration, analysis and troubleshooting. Even a network architect. 👨‍💻

Think about how often we:
• Correlate logs, SNMP traps, telemetry and packet captures to find the real root cause 🔍
• Spend time with wireless issues like roaming, sticky clients, RF interference and capacity 😵‍💫
• Analyse path changes, flaps and convergence in complex routing environments 📈
• Validate policy and segmentation (ACLs, security rules, VRFs, SDA/ACI policies) against what the business thinks is happening 🔐
• Spot patterns in performance issues that only appear at scale or at weird times of day ⏰

Used well, AI tools can genuinely improve the quality of our work while cutting execution time dramatically. ⚡
Better designs, fewer mistakes, faster troubleshooting, clearer docs.
All good on paper.

What I find interesting, though, is how this plays out in real life. 🤔

Instead of using that time-saving to improve our work-life balance, what often happens is that once we deliver faster, we are simply given more work.
More projects, more tickets, more “quick asks”, more meetings squeezed into the same week, because “you are efficient with those tools now”. 📥

The result is a strange paradox.
We are more productive than ever, but not necessarily less tired.
AI boosts output, yet the space it creates in our day is quickly filled with additional tasks, not recovery, not learning and not thinking time. 🧘‍♂️📚🧠

I am genuinely curious:

👉 Have you noticed the same behaviour in your team or organisation?
👉 Are you using AI to work better, or simply to work more?

I would love to hear how others are experiencing this shift. 💬

#cisco #ccde #ccie #ccnp #ccna #netengs #AI #worklifebalance

The First Cisco AI Certification is here!

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/w3JYFbQj20k

#SponsoredbyCisco #ai #artificialintelligence #cisco #ciscolive #ccna #careers #ccnp #ccie #ccde Cisco Cisco Certifications

Good morning #neteng network!

Today, I woke up early with a clear focus: to continue my training on advanced #ipv6 topics. An early start is sometimes challenging, but it allows me to spend quality time with family and friends during the day.

So, make sure to take a step back from your busy schedule and invest some time in your personal life. Remember, a healthy work-life balance is key to achieving success in all areas of life.

Have a great day, everyone!

#cisco #ccie #ccde #ciscou