I read once from a wise person that one should wear their failures on their sleeve as badges of honor. I urge everyone to not be afraid and to embrace failure as a learning experience. Through it all, this was probably one of the most difficult lessons I have learned in my lifetime as nobody likes or wants to fail. Through the ups and downs – over the past 5 years – I have finally achieved my goal of CCIE status – CCIE #62665. It took me 4 times to pass the CCIE written exam (2 passes over 3+ years) and 8 times to pass the CCIE lab exam (yes, that’s right, 8 times with each attempt having different pass/fail sections). After each attempt, there was a gut check moment of whether or not I was going to pursue and persevere or to give up and quit. This was the best and worst experience I have ever gone through. However, in the process of setting a goal, persevering towards that goal, and ultimately achieving that goal, I can honestly say that I am always open to a conversation with anyone that is pursuing a dream and wants advice no matter where they are in the process.
With that said, throughout my CCIE certification attempts and ultimate success – I would like to thank the following people that have helped me throughout this journey:
Jesus my Lord and Savior – who deserves ALL of the glory and credit – for which nothing is possible without Him.
My wife Amy – for the years, months, days, hours & minutes of sacrifice and standing with me throughout this process – your support was unwavering even in the toughest of times – knowing how much cost and sacrifice it was to you and our family for me to pursue a CCIE certification.
My three boys Teake, Trygg & Tayne – for their sacrifice of time with me when all they wanted from Daddy is to go play – I’m ready to play now as I have a lot of time to make up.
Jered Schock, Ian Banks & Phil Ellerbroek – for partnering with me through this journey as we worked together as a South Dakota team – I owe you for all you lifted off my plate so I could pursue this certification.
Mark Meissner, Darrin Hanson, Eric Zolnosky, Merrill Wolf & Chris Sipe – for all of the support and encouragement throughout my journey – to have managers such as yourselves was truly a blessing. There are so many things to do (with never enough time!) in the work world. You can get tugged and pulled in so many different directions – thanks for helping me with dedicated time and focus on the end goal.
Bill Bartell – I learned for 15 years (prior to joining Cisco as a Systems Engineer) all about the customer’s perspective and how to treat people and end users with a servant attitude in the world of Information Technology. For this I am truly blessed to have gained this experience and I would not be where I am at today if it weren’t for Bill and my USF coworkers and family. It was very difficult to leave people and a place that I hold so close to my heart.
Brian Brenner – for pushing me at First PREMIER into the CCNA/CCNP certifications – and to go to Cisco and take a risk when the opportunity arose – I still remember you telling me over lunch that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Jeff Peterson, Shane Olean & Steve John – for the inspiration and fire that was ignited in me 15 years ago as a Cisco customer. I look up to all three of you and began to have aspirations that someday I could pursue a CCIE certification.
Mohamed Nidhal Beyrem Jaziri – for your friendship, support, and online bootcamps with configuration & troubleshooting labs/scenarios – you helped me master the art/science of troubleshooting in more ways than I ever knew possible. Thank you for pushing me past my comfort level and thank you for supporting and ultimately helping me to pass the exam.
Benjamin Gamble, Sam Howard, Andy Erickson, Marcus Jensen, Jason Flippin, Aric Blom, MarcCharles Zautke, Jason Valdez, Eric Barner, Brian Peterson, Matt Erickson, Tim Roth & Dustin Beare – you all kept encouraging and pumping me up even during the lowest of lows – you have no idea how that impacted me!
Nate Blaylock, Jared Berg, Dan Youtzy & Dusty Hoffman – thanks for being my life group guys and for living life together with us and our families!
Jason VanRuler – your friendship & advice have been so valuable throughout this process – thank you!
My Mom and Dad – for everything you have done for me – I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it weren’t for you.
Sandy Johnson – thank you for the support, encouragement and for watching the boys when I had to take the trips for each lab exam attempt!
Lee & Tracy Johnson – thank you for encouraging me and checking in during the process to see how it was going!
My sisters and their husbands, Beth & John Elam and Megan and Marc Klima and my brother-in-law Jeff Johnson – thank you for supporting and encouraging me throughout this process!
For anyone interested in pursuing a CCIE certification – always remember to wear your failures as a badge of honor. I urge you to press on and pursue further – always making sure to have complete family and friend support beforehand– because there are sacrifices and experiences that potentially can affect your journey. If I can help anyone in any way, the offer is always there.
Kyle Torkelson
(Always a Padawan) CCIE #62665
padawanccie 