CCIE World Count

Conwyn, the CCIE is merely one of many methods to accomplishing the four points I identified.  I can speak for fact that, though, that there are companies in my area that REQUIRE one or more CCIEs for several of their senior positions, no matter how many years experience you have.  To be clear, these are NOT VARs or Cisco Partners of any kind.  Also, the US Government has DoD certification standards for their defense roles and if I want to bid on certain slots, I need the CCIE.  It is as simple as that.

When you have 150 people applying for a job, and only 12 of them have active CCIEs, you’ve just pushed yourself to the top of the pile from HR’s perspective(and most hiring managers perspective).

I seem to get the impression you want to downplay the CCIE as merely an implementer/engineer certification, and maybe in your sector it is.  However, in the US, as I’ve said – the culture about it is different.  Does being a CCIE mean you’re a god? Absolutely not, but you’ve walked the walk at least once, and being a CCIE brings a certain level of peer pressure to be better at your job.  People turn to you and know you know your stuff about certain topics.

As far as you calling the CCIE a hobby, I quite honestly find that to be absurd.  I could think of a dozen OTHER things I’d rather do than slave away at a desktop on my free time preparing for the lab.  I have a family, I have hobbies, but the CCIE is a career progression tool, simple as that.  There are places I would like to get to in my career in a finite amount of time and the CCIE is an enabler in that path.  Another skillset in the toolbox…..

I get that you do not need the CCIE – I don’t *need* a CCIE either.  However, having one will indeed open up doors and make more opportunities available to me.  I think this is true for a lot of people.