CCIE or Null!

After passing more technical certification tests than I care to count, the concept of studying for a non-technical exam seemed surreal. Studying for exam that was not going to teach or test me about protocols, signals, or configurations just sounded so foreign. I do have to admit that there were doubts, the thought of studying for exam that created paperwork and project delays took me just as much time to get over then the time I spent actually studying for this exam. Please don’t mis-interpret that comment I truly do understand the need for architecture and aligning IT with business goals (In my time in IT I have seen my fair share of projects that went off the rails, many of which could have easily been avoided by asking a few more simple questions or involving a few other parties) I just didn’t think I would be one to consider a certification like this. Trust me I love configuring in my CLI, designing on a whiteboard, digging through a packet capture to find that needle in the haystack, Splunking through network logs, and being that guy who knows how it talks and interacts. I suppose there is nothing wrong with stepping outside your comfort zone into new territory how else would we grow if we stayed within our own little bubble?

Studying for TOGAF 9.2 was fairly straightforward. I had used the following resources:

• TOGAF 9.2 Standard found on The Open Group website
• TOGAF 9.2 Study Guides from the The Open Group
• Udemy video by Scott Duffy

Studying the TOGAF 9.2 standard found on The Open Group website is enough to pass for the exam, but my study routine usually always involves a physical book and some CBT videos. I found the study guides to be very beneficial primarily due to the extra examples, the practice questions and exams which was key for me in building up my confidence level. I always find CBT videos helpful especially as background noise when I am doing something else around the house, in the case of TOGAF it was nice to hear someone explain the couple of concepts I initially had trouble grasping or visualizing. Plus the courses from Udemy were not very expensive when I had purchased them so for the cost I found them well worth it.

From the exam perspective, the TOGAF certification requires passing a part I and part II exam (which can be scheduled at the same time) at a Pearson Vue testing center. I took them separately at different times, this being my first non-technical certification I took a more cautious approach.

TOGAF certification steps from The Open Group website.

I always have concerns when it comes to frameworks (TOGAF, ITIL, etc) that introduce process and structure but I do see it as an unnecessary evil (as long as you don’t go overboard), especially in today’s world when we have the Internet of Things and different cloud environments radically expanding the capabilities of both IT and the business. The TOGAF framework does a good job at keeping both the business and IT operations in sync using the ADM as business goals are introduced and grow. Think of the ADM as almost like an extension of the project management process. (highly simplistic and incorrect description but hey)

So who is TOGAF for? Well, if you want to connect more with the business side of your company I recommend taking a hard look at TOGAF. This exam is definitely not on the technical side of the house but more so how you can further integrate the IS/IT projects with your business. As projects progress the ADM framework helps to ensure the work stays in-sync with what the business goals is/are. TOGAF ADM below:

TOGAF ADM, from The Open Group website.

However, I won’t be diving into the details about the ADM on this post. Maybe in a future post. Now, I am back off to the drawing board and see which certification is next of my chopping block. I do need to see how my Cisco certifications will transition to the new schema, if you have heard the certification from Cisco Live last June I recommend you give it a run through. Till next next my friends, happy studying!