Certifications

Passed VCAP5-DCD!!! v5.5 Exam Experience/Review

May 5, 2016 Bilal Ahmed 0

I took VCAP5-DCD 5.5 and passed with a 334!!! I have to say both VCAP exams are the only 2 I have ever done where I have had no idea whether I was in with a shot of passing once I clicked the finish button! I want to thank everyone in the Google+ DCD group, as seriously without the group and the experiences of everyone in it, I don’t think I would have passed . It is a tough exam, I have found design a tough thing to do, there are so many what ifs and it depends. I have spent long periods of time very confused…but they say confusion comes before understanding… …..and that is true! My journey to the DCD […]

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vSphere Design Workshop v5.5 Review

May 2, 2016 Bilal Ahmed 0

So after doing all that studying, I thought it was time to delve deeper into the design side of things! Coming with very little design knowledge, I decided to take the official design course. I did a lot of research and read a lot of reviews with regards to the course, as I would be paying for it myself. Point to note every course I have ever been on……I HAVE PAID FOR MYSELF. All the studying has been in my own time, the best any company has done for me is pay for my exam. So when people tell me they don’t have the time, or cant afford it, I call bullshit! It takes sacrifice, all this effort I have put […]

Is the VCDX worth it?

May 2, 2016 Graeme Vermeulen 0

I’m a bit of a certification junkie. I love setting goals to get certifications, booking them… and eventually getting that piece of paper that says I know what I’m doing! I do at times ask myself – “is this really worth all the effort?” I hope that if you ask yourself the same question, this post will help. We go to school for ~12 years, learning about subjects that have very little practical application in the real world. We learn important things like spelling, writing – but do we ever learn how to put together a professional email? In fact, we don’t even learn this in University (unless business administration is one of your majors of course). We learn how […]

VCAP6-DCV DESIGN – Beta exam

April 29, 2016 Kim Bottu 0

For weeks I had been looking forward to the release of the VCAP6-DCV Design Beta Exam. Joy filled me when I had an exam date confirmed. I have just walked out from the examination center. It’s done, the exam has been written. I had 30 minutes to spare. Not that that means that I feel confident that I have passed the exam.  I just don’t belief in changing answers, is all. 9 Design exercises and 22 drag and drops. So what are my impressions? If you feel that VCAP5-DCD was the hardest exam ever and you are hoping that the VCAP6-DCV Design exam will be any easier… I have some bad news for you. It’s harder, a lot harder but […]

The VCDX journey so far…

April 28, 2016 Graeme Vermeulen 0

Well, 2016 is just flying by. It’s scary to think that I’ll be 28 this year. Back in February 2014, I decided that I’d be pursuing the VCDX. I mumbled to my boss at the time “I want to get the VCDX after my VCP is done” – I paid for the course and the exam myself, not getting any training or exams paid for me. I signed up for the VMUG Advantage and got a discount, but it still put me out of pocket by a fair bit. Thinking back now, it was the best decision I ever made! Well, I made a commitment that day. A bit over a year later I had completed both my VCAPs, but […]

My VCAP5-DCA Experience

April 24, 2016 Graeme Vermeulen 0

I hope this helps anyone preparing for their VCAP5-DCA or VCAP6-DCV Deploy exam. Preparation: I initially started by going through this guide written by Paul Grevink, working through examples in my lab environment. I’m lucky in that regard as we have a Demo Lab where we get customers in and demonstrate the technology. I look after the lab myself, so I took the opportunity to make sure there weren’t any demo’s coming up and started practicing.   I made sure I had the exam blueprint sitting next to me the whole time and made notes on it as I went along.   After around 3 weeks of solid studying (taking time out between consulting and installs) I found out you […]

My VCAP5-DCD Experience

April 24, 2016 Graeme Vermeulen 0

The VCAP-DCD550 is a hard exam. I’d go as far as to say the hardest exam I’ve ever done. Basically, unless you’ve actually worked for a VMware reseller as a designer and had hands-on experience installing and maintaining the technology, it will be a very tough slog indeed. However, even with this knowledge and experience, it’s still a difficult exam to master. Part of the challenge is getting your head around all of the terminology, best practices and VMware’s way of design and implementation. It’s been widely acknowledged that the DCD510 version was easier yet longer, as multiple choice was added to the mix and I also believe you couldn’t go back to review a question once you’d clicked “Next”. […]

Current VCP holders: Skip official course, go immediately to any VCP exam!

March 14, 2016 Kim Bottu 0

I always assumed that I would have to take the official VMware NSX: Install, Configure, Manage [V6.x] course or be a current holder of at least 1 valid CISCO CCNA certificate. Today a buddy told me I actually don’t need either prerequisites as I meet another prerequisite:  I am a current VCP holder!. Say that again: Current VCP holders qualify for the VCP-NV exam and all the other VCP exams as well! I am a current VCP-DCV and VCP6-DCV holder, I just booked my exam, so here is the proof: