VCA6-DTM & VCA6-AV Worth it?

sferg410

Hello, I am just wondering if the two vmware associate level exams are worth doing or not? They seem pretty basic and I could not actually find out what each exam costs in the UK, I would guess about £100.

Have not watched all the vmware training course (3 hours!!) on VCA6-DTM yet but from what I have seen it seems to just be teaching what the vmware suite of programs can do, almost like marketing and not showing anything about how to use them.

Has anyone done these exams?
Would they be useful on a CV?

I am actually just starting out and looking for 1st IT job and currently only have my A+ and many years of computer experience, I am in my 30's... Just wondering if it was worth knocking them out quick before get back to my MS 70-680 Windows 7 exam training.
Thanks

Dakinggamer87

I would recommend you skipping them as they are more inclined towards sales, marketing, and general product knowledge. If you want to jump into virtualization I would recommend going straight for the VCP as you will gain an in-depth skill set with vSphere and it's various features. You will lean much more on that path with a much higher ROI. I only did the VCA certs because they were free as my company paid for them.

Feel free to send me a message if you have any questions on VMware certifications.

Good luck!!

sferg410

Don't have £2000+ available for an official vmware required VCP course!!

Dakinggamer87

I would recommend maybe reading over the materials to gain some knowledge from the VCA in that case. I wouldn't go for the certs though as your money is better spent elsewhere. This is just my opinion from taking the exams.

TacoRocket

Dakinggamer87 wrote: »

I would recommend maybe reading over the materials to gain some knowledge from the VCA in that case. I wouldn't go for the certs though as your money is better spent elsewhere. This is just my opinion from taking the exams.

If you have the VCP - DCV can't you use that for the other VCP classes?

Dakinggamer87

TacoRocket wrote: »

If you have the VCP - DCV can't you use that for the other VCP classes?

It depends on the VCP track you are working towards but in general they build upon each other. For example, after I completed the VCP-DCV I went towards the VCP-Cloud certification. As it builds upon the foundations and knowledge from vSphere when transitioning to vCloud Director. Hope that makes sense.

As for renewal any VCP cert will keep your current credentials valid similar to what Cisco does with it's certification paths.

Here is a link to the certification path which I think will help you:

http://mylearn.vmware.com/portals/certification/

TacoRocket

Dakinggamer87 wrote: »

It depends on the VCP track you are working towards but in general they build upon each other. For example, after I completed the VCP-DCV I went towards the VCP-Cloud certification. As it builds upon the foundations and knowledge from vSphere when transitioning to vCloud Director. Hope that makes sense.

Yeah but you don't need to do another authorized training correct?

Dakinggamer87

TacoRocket wrote: »

Yeah but you don't need to do another authorized training correct?

To go from the VCP-DCV to the VCP-Cloud I don't think you need any additional training as the VCP can be substituted as an equivalent. However, for other paths or tracks you would need to check on such as the VCP-NV which I haven't looked at yet.

markulous

Agreed with Dakinggamer. I just took the VCA-DCV and I only did it because it was free. It's pretty basic and not really worth the money.

TacoRocket

markulous wrote: »

Agreed with Dakinggamer. I just took the VCA-DCV and I only did it because it was free. It's pretty basic and not really worth the money.

You need the VCA-DCV to sit for the VCP-DCV I believe. Could be wrong

Dakinggamer87

TacoRocket wrote: »

You need the VCA-DCV to sit for the VCP-DCV I believe. Could be wrong

It helps introduce concepts about VMware software and solutions but it isn't required for taking the VCP-DCV exam:

(VCP5-DCV) VCP-Data Center Virtualization

Hope this helps clear up any confusion. The only major requirement I know of is that a class/training is required unless you can substitute it with other credentials such as an expired VCP. All the paths and requirements are listed within the link above and should be similar or the same for the newer version.

TacoRocket

Dakinggamer87 wrote: »

It helps introduce concepts about VMware software and solutions but it isn't required for taking the VCP-DCV exam:

(VCP5-DCV) VCP-Data Center Virtualization

Hope this helps clear up any confusion. The only major requirement I know of is that a class/training is required unless you can substitute it with other credentials such as an expired VCP. All the paths and requirements are listed within the link above and should be similar or the same for the newer version.

I stand corrected!

scott28tt

Here's a summary of pre-reqs:

Training is needed as part of getting your first VCP, but not needed again for newer versions of the same VCP or for other VCPs so long as you keep your VCP "current" by recertifying within the 2 year period.

VCP is a pre-req for VCAP or VCIX.

VCAP or VCIX is a pre-req for VCDX.

scott28tt

To answer the original question, VCP might be overkill for someone getting their first IT job - it is usually backed by experience. I would say that VCAs are not "technical" certifications, but have some value as a starter for someone who is looking for their first job.