My thoughts on VCDX certification - Part 1

My thoughts on VCDX certification - Part 1

I realized that I never post my experience about VCDX(3) certification path… Maybe is not too late Smiley Happy

As everybody probably knows VCDX is the highest level of VMware certification, and has a long path (that require also a lot time).

The complete path is available at:

http://mylearn.vmware.com/mgrReg/plan.cfm?plan=9657&ui=www_cert

It consists in 4 steps:

1. VCP certification

2. Enterprise Admin Exam

3. Design Exam

4. Defense

The first time that I hear about VCDX was in the middle of 2008, and I filled the VCDX Qualification Review on August 21, 2008, just for curiosity and as a challenge.

I was thinking (wrong) that there where some intermediate certifications for each step (now there are the VCAP certification, but only for the VCDX4 path), and I was very interested to prove myself knowledge on the Admin exam.

On September 8th 2008 I receive this mail with the blueprint of the Admin exam:

“Thank you for you interest in the VMware Certified Design Expert Program. We have received your pre-registration survey and are working to schedule more Enterprise Administration Exams. As soon as we have more dates and locations scheduled, we will send you the appropriate information.

In the meantime, please be sure to review the attached Enterprise Administration Exam blueprint as the exam will, from today, be based on VMware Infrastructure 3.5.”

On February 12th 2009 I receive another e-mail with the great opportunity to take the Admin exam at VMworld Europe in Cannes. I schedule the exam at February 23rd 2009.

On March 19 I receive the report with the result… PASS!!!

At this point was clear for me, that the intermediate steps are not useful… So I tried the full path and start studying for the Design exam.

Initially I was thinking that the full path was useful only for architect that design big and complex virtual infrastructure… But also medium and small infrastructures require a good design, and in some cases are also more difficult that large one… so why not?

Unfortunately I loose the opportunity to take the beta exam of the Design exam… So I had to wait until the official exam was available. So I take the exam on October 23rd 2009, and I pass at the first attempt.

Then I scheduled the Defense step at the Partner Exchange 2010 at Feb 10th 2010.

The last step (IMHO the hardest part) has more steps (in a recursion way) that are very clear describe in the VCDX Application Form, now available from the VMware site:

http://mylearn.vmware.com/register.cfm?course=67611

Also now there is available a VCDX Defense Prep guide to get tips from the Experts:

http://mylearn.vmware.com/register.cfm?course=72147/VCDX3_Defense_Prep-2010_06_17.pdf

Read more in Part 2…

Note that the VCDX3 path is near to be closed (Admin and Design exams are closed and last chance to the defense is PEX 2011 at February, for more info see: http://mylearn.vmware.com/mgrReg/plan.cfm?plan=9657&ui=www_cert ).

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