About

Raison D’Etre of CCIE UK

The aim of this blog is to provide others with some useful resources, tips and learning materials in networking.  I also hope that sharing my thoughts and experiences as I study towards CCIE will aid my study. I’d be happy for other to contribute their thoughts, experiences and tips on networking. Whilst I’ve moved away from teaching networking, I hope that students will find the articles in the blog useful in their studies. You are welcome to contact me directly, even if it’s just to tell me one of my post is rubbish.

About Me

My name is Jim Tobin from Glasgow in the UK and I currently work as a network engineer and consultant. I hold Cisco’s CCNP, CCDP, CCIP, CCDA and CCNA certifications and I am currently studying towards the CCVP. I am also a Cisco Certified Academy Instructor and have taught Cisco and Microsoft courses to professional and local community students. As well as Cisco certifications I also hold a Microsoft MCSE and I am a Prince 2 Practioner, which is a EU recognised project management qualifications.

Employment History

After completing an MSc in IT and some Microsoft Certified Professional certifications, my career in IT started as a Windows network administrator with a web hosting company in Scotland who dealt with  hosting various goverenmental department applications. I then moved on to help support their networking infrastructure that was mainly based on Cisco. This is were my real passion for Cisco networking began and I began studying towards the CCNA.

After moving on I became a Project Manager/Engineer with a charitable organisation that helped with the regeneration of one of the poorest areas of Glasgow. In this role I helped to project manage a £1m project to renovate a derilict building and turn it into a Community Cisco Networking Academy. Once completed I took over management of the facility and also became the head instructor. The facility has gone on to help hundreds of local individuals achieve qualifications and find employment. I also consulted for other charitable and public sector organisations helping them with their ICT infrastructure. One such project was the implementation of one of the largest public Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks in the country, creating a network of learning centres across the city of Glasgow.

In the last few years I have been working as a consultant and engineer for my own company. I have worked with clients such as a major British telecommuniactions company and a global manufacturing company, giving advice and implementing voice and data networks around the world.

What Next?

My main personal goal over the next 18 months is to complete the CCIE R&S exam. I know there will be a lot of blood,sweat and tears invloved but I am relishing the challenge it will bring.

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