VCP course $ Questions

slinuxuzer

It looks like if I want to get VCP I am going to have to pay for the course on my own. I am currently implementing Two ESX Servers V-center with Netapp storage 10 TB raw.

1. What / where is the most economical option for taking this course?

2. With only haveing done one implementation and obtaining the the cert (also only having worked with one kind of storage once) what are my prospects of obtaining a good job as a virtualization admin in areas like Dallas, vegas, houston etc. ( all places I could see myself moving to)

3. How "worth" it is it to obtain VCP? Does this cert really translate into opportunites? Keep in mind I do not plan on being "Paper certified"


Thanks in advance guys.

MentholMoose

I don't know about 2 or 3, but for 1 the cheapest way is to take it through the VMware IT Academy Program. Some schools already offer the courses, while others are working on making them available. The course is stretched out over a normal school semester or quarter instead of a bootcamp, so it's probably not practical to try to take it at a school far from home. The cost will be whatever the tuition is for one course at the school, plus the lab manuals ($50). When you're done you get a voucher for 70% off the exam.

slinuxuzer

Awesome! I didn't know this existed and would have never guessed to look for it. Any idea if it's available Via Distance learning?

MentholMoose

slinuxuzer wrote: »

Awesome! I didn't know this existed and would have never guessed to look for it. Any idea if it's available Via Distance learning?

I think it would be up to the school to offer it as an online course, but I don't know of any schools offering it online, and I don't know if any schools would be willing to provide remote access to the lectures and labs. Doing so would be a lot of work, and just offering the course already takes a lot.

Besides the already difficult task of getting any course going, the schools have to provide their own lab instead of using the VMware remote lab system, probably because VMware can't have their lab machines tied up for months (the duration of the quarter/semester). The instructors also need to be VCPs, though I don't know if they're also VCIs.

astorrs

MentholMoose wrote: »

The instructors also need to be VCPs, though I don't know if they're also VCIs.

It's good to know they have to actually be certified to teach it , but no they can't be VCI's (since they have to teach an average of 2 classes/month to stay certified).

blargoe

I'd say your prospects would depend on your career background too... it would certainly to land a VMWare job if you have some datacenter operations background, general systems admin knowledge, etc.

There really isn't an "economical" way to do VCP unfortunately. But depending on where you are career wise I'd say it's certainly worth it.

MentholMoose

If you're not near a school offering VMware courses through the VMware Academy Program, you can now take it online at UCSC Extension. With early registration for Fall 2010 it is $977 including the books ($1080 for late registration), and it includes a voucher for 70% off the VCP410 exam. Course details here:
22869 VMware vSPHERE 4: Configuration and Management | UC Santa Cruz Extension

ciscog33k

MentholMoose wrote: »

If you're not near a school offering VMware courses through the VMware Academy Program, you can now take it online at UCSC Extension. With early registration for Fall 2010 it is $977 including the books ($1080 for late registration), and it includes a voucher for 70% off the VCP410 exam. Course details here:
22869 VMware vSPHERE 4: Configuration and Management | UC Santa Cruz Extension

Does this count for the VCP exam? It doesn't say in the course listing and it's not the same name as VMware's official courses...

edit: nevermind. I see that it does. Thanks a ton. You saved me $2500!

MentholMoose

ciscog33k wrote: »

Does this count for the VCP exam? It doesn't say in the course listing and it's not the same name as VMware's official courses...

edit: nevermind. I see that it does. Thanks a ton. You saved me $2500!

Glad to help!