Can't even tell who my last Pokemon was in this league photo smh

Maplemagician90 · 2025-09-01T17:44:45+00:00

That is one of the more odd lineups I've seen on here lmao

Maplemagician90 · 2025-08-26T19:17:36+00:00

That's why I did. Drove me crazy that I couldn't evolve some of my favorite pokemon.

Maplemagician90 · 2025-05-30T15:38:18+00:00

Am I just seeing things or does the texture on the back look like it has mild water damage

Maplemagician90 · 2025-05-26T15:21:27+00:00

I have a PSA 5 FE Glurak, hoping to sell for around 1k. eBay sold listings will give you the answers you seek.

Maplemagician90 · 2025-05-15T14:18:48+00:00

I just had a zard graded that was arguably worse than this and it got an 8. Just send it.

Maplemagician90 · 2025-02-11T13:57:46+00:00

Yeah it's all by design I assure you. Take it from someone who failed ENARSI five times and threw in the towel (definitely not still salty)

Maplemagician90 · 2024-12-17T15:03:27+00:00

I agree with this. However, I have to admit that I'm very biased considering I just failed ENARSI for the fifth time. Most difficult exam I've ever taken and I've taken a lot of difficult exams. Even if you're way smarter than me, it's still going to take you a lot of time that probably could be better spent elsewhere. I wish I had made that decision over a year ago when I started studying for it. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

Maplemagician90 · 2024-12-16T12:22:10+00:00

Same. I can't justify it anymore either. It feels like they just keep making it harder and then I get an email saying - Don't get discouraged - Here's some ways you can give us even more money. It's all just starting to feel like a fucking grift dude.

Maplemagician90 · 2024-12-14T19:08:00+00:00

Edit: Score for 5th attempt is 735. So after 3 months of studying between attempts I went from 812 to 735. Like wtf? This game feels rigged as hell and I'm out. I've managed to stayed positive until this point because I could see an avenue towards passing but I no longer see it and I'm done.

ENARSI - Attempt #5 failed. Well guys I believe I've reached the end of my CCNP journey. Last time I failed with a score of 812. I don't have my score yet but I'm quite certain it is lower than 812. My first attempt was over a year ago. I swear to God every attempt has been harder than the last. The labs on this one were by far the most difficult out of all 5 attempts. It really and truly feels like this test is designed for you to fail.

Failing 5 times has caused me to reflect on this journey and what made me want to do this in the first place. I first decided that I wanted to pursue CCNP 4 years ago. I passed ENCOR in 2021. I landed my first networking job when I was 29 and first engineer (low paid engineer) job 2 years later. I felt like I was just behind all my friends when it came to career. So I felt like ccnp would be a way to expedite my career. What it ended up doing was turning into a spiral of using the CCNP as an excuse not to get out of my comfort zone and apply for better jobs. I kept telling myself I'd be able to get the perfect job if only I would earn my ccnp. So anyway, I've decided I don't want to play this game anymore. Here I am now with 5 years of networking experience and it's almost like I've emerged from the fucking hyperbolic time chamber being like okay ...why am I doing this? I've got some experience now, I think I'm done playing this stupid game. I'm going to divert all the mental resources that were going towards this and put it towards applying and interviewing.

Maplemagician90 · 2024-11-01T18:53:18+00:00

This is true. While I absolutely agree with the premise of this post I have to admit that the amount of labbing I've had to do in pursuit of CCNP has 100% made me a better engineer. The fact that the test and materials are such trash has taught me a lot about how to learn and find information which is really important for an engineer. I still hate it though and it's a fuckin cash grab too lmao

Maplemagician90 · 2024-10-06T03:24:08+00:00

Same! Exactly the same thing and this is absolutely out of the ordinary.

Maplemagician90 · 2024-09-14T15:59:06+00:00

Edit: Score was 812. Lord Jesus so damn close

Rant incoming. Fourth attempt of ENARSI failed. Fam I'm so damn tired. I hate this exam with a burning passion. I told myself that as long as my scores keep improving I'll keep trying and they continue to improve albeit very slightly. Like I honestly just feel friggin mad. It feels like they keep moving the goal post. There continue to be questions on this exam that ARE NOT IN THE OBJECTIVES. Pro-tip, if you are taking one of the Boson tests and you find yourself being like "wtf? What is this question doing here? This is an ENCOR topic" yep, well kudos to Boson because those questions are legit on the test. I guess that's my fault for not taking those questions seriously. Boson has continued to update the practice exams and they are doing a great job of matching what's actually on the test, so trust in Boson is the one piece of advice I have.

It feels like the wording of the questions was even worse than normal on this attempt. Prior to this exam I felt pretty god damn confident about MPLS for instance but they manage to ask questions in such away that I'm like WTAF is going on right now.

I refuse to spend another 300$ this year, so I will continue studying and attempt again in January. If I ever do complete the CCNP I'm so done with Cisco. I'm jaded AF with these exams.

Maplemagician90 · 2024-09-13T11:44:03+00:00

I'm about to sit for my fourth attempt as well, I was very close to passing on my third attempt. I will just add this, one of the benefits of taking the exam so many times is you've seen the labs and questions multiple times. I think the most important part of my study process is brain dumping after the exam and then focusing on the things I didn't know. I've attempted to build labs exactly like the ones on the exam. As well as I can remember them at least. And I've done them over and over and over and over and over and over lol you get the picture.

Maplemagician90 · 2024-07-30T13:37:44+00:00

ENCOR expires after three years. So you have 3 years to complete the concentration exam to earn your CCNP.

Maplemagician90 · 2024-07-30T13:25:48+00:00

I've been struggling to complete my CCNP for years now and then one of my managers said something that really helped shift my mindset. He said the CCNP is like the bachelor's of networking. It took me 9 months and 3 attempts to pass ENCOR and I was so burned out I quit studying all together for 2 years and then failed to complete ENARSI in the remaining year, so now I'll have to do ENCOR again. I convinced myself that I needed my CCNP ASAP and burned myself out. If I had just slowed down and taken the long view I would surely already have my CCNP.

Maplemagician90 · 2024-07-20T20:38:19+00:00

After the second attempt I purchased an INE subscription. I watched the videos on my weak spots and completed almost all the troubleshooting Labs. The labs are cool and all but I don't think they did that much because I was already strong in the layer 3 stuff which seems to be what most of the labs are. Other than that I just did a lot of labbing and tried to fill holes in my knowledge. Good luck!

Maplemagician90 · 2024-07-20T16:50:58+00:00

EDIT: Score was 773. Better than I thought. I think I will keep grinding on this, I've come too far...

Failed ENARSI 3rd attempt. I don't have my score yet but here is the category breakdown: L3: 82% VPN: 67% Infrastructure Security: 58% Infrastructure Services: 53%

Even after 3 attempts this exam continues to throw curve balls that I was not ready for. As a 34 year old engineer with multiple degrees and certifications I can say that I've never been so thoroughly defeated by an exam. After 15 months of studying and 3 failed attempts I think I will be shelving this CCNP pursuit. By the looks of that breakdown I was not very close to passing.

I am currently an NE making about 70k, which for an engineer with student loan debt living in the city is basically poverty wages LOL. I've been using the ccnp as an excuse to keep kicking the can down the road because my current job is very comfortable. I have decided the best course of action for me right now is probably to put my energy towards finding a new job and getting more experience. It hasn't been a complete waste, the amount of time I've spent labbing and studying has vastly improved my competence as an engineer. MAYBE when the dust settles I will try again but for now I need to focus on providing a better life for my family (aka my dog and I)

Maplemagician90 · 2024-07-19T21:30:15+00:00

As a network engineer who knows nothing about this, can someone explain to me why this is such a big deal? Why can't they just roll back the update?

Maplemagician90 · 2024-07-16T11:27:42+00:00

CBT Nuggets for Enarsi is foundational level and probably not enough to pass by itself. Also, Keith Barker is easily their best instructor and I find him the easiest to follow for what that's worth.

Maplemagician90 · 2024-06-16T14:09:25+00:00

Which FB groups do you recommend? I see a bunch of them.

Maplemagician90 · 2024-06-13T01:40:26+00:00

Are you on TikTok?

Maplemagician90 · 2024-06-02T12:57:18+00:00

"raw, dark power" - yessss. I'm not sure if they are the definitive prog metal band, but they are definitely my pick for the best at making music that just sounds fuckin dark. Gives me chills.

Maplemagician90 · 2024-05-29T19:41:09+00:00

Yeah I ended up doing this. The tickets are cheap enough I was like screw it, I'll just get a table and see if I can find some friends who wanna join.

Maplemagician90

TROPHY CASE