Chinook wrote: » I know in some areas public colleges & universities offer the course part time and that can be used to get the certification. VMware has the VCA certification you could take. It's a starter course & will get you on the radar. It's really easy and you don't even have to go take the exam at a testing centre. It's mostly conceptual. After that, I'd just learn the VCP stuff & lab at home. Put that on your resume you've completed what you've done and then hope your employer is kind enough to send you off to school. Those courses are some crazy money. I've never understood why VMware does that. I think it limits the marketplace. And as Hyper V improves they may well change their minds.