Mary, CCENT

I know, I know. Another hiatus. This time it was legit though. I have been working/studying my arse off for the first half of my CCNA certification exam.

CCNA = Cisco Certified Network Administator; basically, I'm learning how to install and configure the hardware necessary to create a Local Area Network (you know, that thing that lets you connect to the Internet and other computers/hardware in your home/office). When I got my current job, one of the things the bosses were excited about was that I learn/study well. And it's been 6 months and I should have been studying all along. But I wasn't (procrastinate much? Yes m'am). And then I started hearing whispers of sitting down and setting dates and so I preempted the process by registering for my first exam. And then it was like "oh shit, this is actually happening. I guess I'd better study."

I stayed up until 2 am last Thursday night (exam at 9 am Friday) failing practice exams. Barely failing them, but failing them just the same. And if I'd gone in Friday morning and failed the exam...well, let's just say I wouldn't have been the first person in my office to do that. But I really wanted to impress the bosses and pass on the first try. 'Cause surpassing people's expectations of me? It's kind of my thing.

So I got to the exam Friday morning and this place was GHETTO. Scary, I-might-die-in-the-parking-lot-at-9-am ghetto. Then I got inside and waited 10 minutes for the one working elevator to and lug me and a nice woman who, it turns out, works for the testing center, up to the 4th floor. And while Nice Woman works for the testing center, she is not the person who usually adminsters the tests. Except, Friday she was that person because the person who's job that actually is was not there. Needless to say, it took a while to get started.

Part of it taking a while to get started was that Nice Woman was the second person in a week to notice that, hey, your driver's license is expired and is therefore no longer legal. The fact that I had also brought my passport as a second form of ID did not remedy this situation. Good news! I have the sheet of paper I printed off when I renewed the license online. In my car. So I went back to the scary parking lot to get it. Bad news! Turns out that piece of paper? It expired 45 days after I renewed my license. In March.

At that point I was seriously considering just leaving the test center without taking the test. I didn't feel prepared, and the driver's license thing was a totally legitimate excuse for not taking it and possibly failing it. But I really did't want to spend any more time studying. And so, I folded down the part of the paper that said it was expired and hoped Nice Woman wouldn't notice. And finally! Something went my way and she let me take the damn test.

And I passed! I even felt good about it while I was taking the test. Those extra hours of failing practice exams? Critical to my success. I'd seen half the questions on the test just enough times to know I was answering them correctly. And the best part was that I got the results as soon as the test was over. Huzzah!

Then this morning, I find out that I actually earned a "title" even though I only passed the first of two tests required for the CCNA. So now I'm a CCENT = Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician. The first "girl" Nice Woman had ever seen take (and subsequently pass) a Cisco test. Which is just sad really, But hey! I'll take it.

Last hiatus. I promise.