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CCDE Journey (Take 2)

Back in 2020 I was planning to take the CCDE exam, but those plans were derailed by a little thing called a global pandemic. With test centers closed for an unknown period, I decided to wait until things calmed down before I started to really dig into it. Then, in 2021 it was announced that the CCDE was moving to version 3.0. I didn’t want to get end up in a race against the sunset of the v2 exam, which meant waiting until the release of v3. Add in some travel, a new job, and a handful of other events that distracted from my CCDE plan, and here I am, ready to give this another go.

I’m planning to continually add content as I’m learning new things, both as a way to help me remember what I’m covering, and hopefully in a way that might help others that are either working towards the CCDE or just looking to pick up bits of information along the way.

Study Materials

I have a handful of material that I’ll be using for the CCDE prep.

Primary resources:

Additional resources:

The CCDE covers a massive range of topics. It will be a fun process working my way through all of it!

Starting the CCDE journey

I’ve finally decided to start the trek toward the CCDE.  With the upcoming changes to the CCNA/CCNP/CCIE programs it made the decision easier.  I wasn’t going to finish a CCIE before February, so that route wasn’t an option.

Step 1: Figure out what to study

Cisco has provided a reading list here: https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/docs/DOC-1673

There’s also a learning matrix here: https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/community/certifications/ccde/written_exam/study-material

I went through both and compiled a book list.  I already had physical copies of most of the books.  I was able to find some use copies that were under $10.  Other books were out of print, or difficult to justify spending the money when only a chapter or two were needed.  I also found that some of the books were available through Safari’s online library.

My library

Step 2: Study

I am hoping to take the written exam in the summer, so I have a lot of reading to do.  As I go through the different books I intend to detail some of the more challenging concepts here.  Doing so helps me reinforce what I’ve learned, and it might help some future reader grasp a topic.  I’m also planning to put more detail around what material I found helpful, and what I thought wasn’t a good use of time.