The Ultimate Newb!

[NewbWithAttitud]

I'm so new, I don't know terminology! So where do I begin? I do ultimately want to take the certification but I see there's multiple ones. Which one should I begin with? What should I start reading? I'm a book person so please be easy with the online reading stuff. I don't mind it but I am majorily mobile for the most part so to sit in front of a screen is not always an option. Thanks!

[vmroyale]

Hello and welcome to the communities.

Note: Discussion successfully moved from VMware Workstation to VCP: VMware Certified Professional

I moved this discussion to the VCP community, as I believe this is where you will want to start.

A copuple of questions will help as well.

What is your level of experience in IT generally speaking?

Do you have a lab environment that you can work with as well?

The VMware certs are pretty hands-on, so getting access to the products and using them is key to success.

[JoshuaAndrewsVM]

There are multiple "silos" for VMware certification.  Do you want the traditional route (was VCP, now VCP5-DV), the desktop specific route (VCP-DT), or the cloud specific route (VCP-Cloud)?

You can start here to get some basic info: http://vmwarelearning.com/ on different products and solutions.  All of the VCP-level certs require one official course, you will probably want to pick your certification path before you spend the money on the class as each route has a different class requirement.

Good luck!

[NewbWithAttitud]

1. What is your level of experience in IT generally speaking?

A. I have 8 years military & government Tier 1 and VTC helpdesk experience

2. Do you have a lab environment that you can work with as well?

A. No, I don't know what is needed to set up a lab

[vmroyale · Accepted solution]

Having the IT background definitely helps.

I think the best way to get started is to get your hands on some of the products. VMware Player is free and will allow you to create and run virtual machines and start to get an understanding of the fundamentals. You can install this on just about any modern laptop/desktop and get right to work.

A lab would be useful later on, when you want to look at the ESXi hypervisor. You can build a great lab in VMware Workstation also at minimal cost in comparison to a real lab.

[NewbWithAttitud]

I'm thinking cloud... I want to be advanced as posible without going over my head. Honestly, I really don't know which one does what besides the obvious title such as cloud and desktop. I plan on entering network security so between the three, which one makes more sense? Where can I find info on what the three categories are?

[JoshuaAndrewsVM]

Specializing in network security would be a different path than the ones described here, and I would start with basic TCP/IP knowledge and a Cisco cert (like CCNA) to get your feet wet.  VMware is starting to make a push into virtualized networking and if you want to secure cloud networks you'll need a mix of skills - but a good background in networking will be a must.