Attending Cisco Live as a CCDE Candidate

How is attending Cisco Live as a CCDE candidate different than attending normally? Well, it doesn't have to be. But if you don't approach this opportunity with an effective strategy you will miss out on some amazing opportunities!

Formal Training

Cisco provides several training opportunities for the CCDE exam. There is a four hour lab session that covers a portion of a CCDE practical exam, and an eight hour Techtorial. Elaine Lopes, the program manager for the CCDE and CCAr certifications will lead these sessions. She is accompanied by one or more Cisco Certified Architects who walk participants through the types of questions on the CCDE written and practical exams, as well as an overview of the CCAr testing procedure.


Take your CCDE Written Exam

Whether you have already passed your CCDE written or not, it can be valuable to take the exam again. I make it a point to retake the CCDE written at each Cisco Live. There are two reasons for this. One, paying out of pocket for the CCDE written is now $450 USD. Getting a free exam is like getting 25% of your CLUS registration fee back!

Second, the CCDE written and CCDE practical exams use the same basic technology stack. Keeping current with the CCDE written exam is important to me for my training, but also for my other professional responsibilities.

Social Opportunities (not just the CAE!)

Cisco Live US is the best place to meet fellow networkers, including me! I will be in Las Vegas for the conference from Monday - Thursday this year. If you also plan to be in attendance and would like to meet up, let me know. There are many opportunities to chat at the World of Solutions, Lunch, in between sessions, etc. I look forward to seeing you there!

In addition to meeting me, you can schedule a 1:1 meeting with various Cisco experts to discuss CCDE-related technologies, and of course you should take the opportunity to meet up with Elaine to see if she will spill any CCDE secrets. Just don't get your hopes up on this front, she hasn't let anything slip to me :)

Lastly, be on the lookout for a CCDE lunch-and-learn table during your lunch break. Elaine will host it, and there will surely be CCDEs available to chat about the certification program and tips on how to prepare for your exam. I intend to stop by as much as possible.

If you simply want to corner an active CCDE and question them about their preparation, you can do that too! Look for the baby blue-colored ribbons that say 'CCDE'. Most CCDEs won't bite, in my experience. They are often happy to tell their war stories regarding exam preparation strategies.

Jeremy