I can’t believe it has been 4 years since I obtained my CCIE. As time goes by and the industry keeps evolving, it is slowly becoming a fond memory. However every 2 years, I face a fork in the road, to renew or not to renew?

So let’s begin by asking, should you renew?

Well, personally I renewed the last two times because I am still heavily involved in the Cisco ecosystem. In addition, I have also considered joining a partner whom really appreciated the certification as it helps with their partner status with Cisco.

Why do we need to recertify?

Well, Cisco wants us to stay updated with current trends. Even though some of the certs material were going stale. Cisco is currently revamping all programs in February 2020, to include SDN and programmability. I believe this is great as some companies and “Copy and Paste” Architects hold on to old technology. They do not evolve, get stuck and find it difficult to innovate or find new jobs in the future.

Which way?

There are two ways to recertify, taking the written exam or going through the Continuing Education Program. The first time, I recertified by retaking the written exam which the process is quite well known. The second time, I did it through the Continuing Education Program which was an awesome experience!

The Continuing Education Program reward you with points for completing courses and going to CiscoLive sessions. Once you have earned 100 points, you can claim it to recertify your CCIE. You can earn these points during the period when your CCIE is valid and redeem them when ready. You can even earn them when your CCIE is in the suspended status. Note: all points go invalid after 1 year from the date you have earned them.

Unfortunately, CiscoLive is too busy for me. I had to complete the 100 points via courses. These courses can be either online or instructor delivered. There is a large range of courses and the points you earn for each one will vary. Therefore some careful planning is required to maximise the return on time spent versus points earned. It is also great to be able to choose a range of courses that can be relevant to your job right now.

This time around, I chose the following 3 courses:
1. Understanding Cisco Cloud Fundamentals 
2. Designing the Cisco Cloud
3. Implementing Cisco Wireless Network Fundamentals 

These course were mixture of labs, videos and reading material. Each section had multiple choice questions that you had to pass.

Finally, I can’t wait to complete some advanced courses to uplift my knowledge on these topics over the next two years while recertifying my CCIE for the third time. This program is a great way to make the recertify process much more relevant and simple.

Please go to the following URL for more information about the program. If you have recently recertified and want to share some tips, put them in the comments. If you have any question about the program, put them in the comments below and I will try to answer them.