The very first time i heard of the word "Cisco" was early 2006, i were at a bookstore getting some books for my sophomore year when i came across a nice looking book titled "CCNA Cisco Certified Network Associate Study Guide" by todd lammle. It was a fancy title but what really caught my attention was the introduction of this book that i will quote here "Welcome to the exciting world of cisco certification! you have picked up this book because you want something better; namely a better job with more satisfaction. Rest assured you have made a good decision."

no brainer, i bought that book, i remember i've read every page of it which was very well written and topics explained in a very simple way. I used boson software back then to practice configs and that made memorizing the CLI syntax faster. The summer of that very same year i had an internship opportunity at a VSAT service provider, where i touched the first cisco router ever. They used it as a CPE to termintate vpn tunnels at ATM machines. The field engineer supervising me was surprized how well i know the syntax and encouraged me to take the ccna exam.

after almost 8 years since the day i touched the first cisco-related book, i want to confirm what todd lammle said once, yes you were right todd, i made a very good decision that i'd never regret

on Cisco's 30th birthday, i'd like to congratulate John chambers, his team and all the engineers behind the scenes for the great achievements done during the past 3 decades.
Keep the torch burning