Guilt by Association

Drawing from the many lessons as a young person growing up and our mothers reminding us to always be mindful of whom we surround ourselves, because we too can be found guilty, simply by association. We can take this same lesson, flip it 180 degrees and apply it in much the same way toward a greater good. Obviously, the people and places we choose to associate ourselves with and/or give our time are of such vital importance on many levels that it would be foolish to ignore. It’s so vital, that we can directly attribute many, if not most, of our future failure and successes to these associations.

So, as you’ve stated in your original post, you’re going to begin to immerse yourself into the Routing and Switching forums, surrounding yourself with like minded individuals, hence time well spent. We’ve had this discussion before, we both agree, outside that of the time spent in self-study, engaging with others pursuing the same goal is key toward reaching goals. However, unlike being guilty simply by association, in reference to our younger days, one does not become CCIE simply by associating yourself with other CCIE’s, lol.

As you and I both know, this accomplish/achievement doesn’t come by riding the coattail of another, rather through many hours of dedication and comprehension.

Good Luck,
Adrian