Basic Virtualization Certifications?

CodyF

Hello!
I am currently in school studying to be a Systems Administrator, and I'm very interested in expanding my virtualization knowledge. What are some certifications I could pursue to both increase employability, as well as expand my general knowledge? Vendor-neutral certs are fine with me, because they tend to talk about a lot of the concepts behind how things work. But I would also like to go for some vendor-specific certs.

Thanks for any help!

cknapp78

Welcome Aboard Cody!

If you want to look at virtualization as a certification path, I recommend either the MCSA 2008 or 2012 and the VmWare VCP Certifications. VmWare is still the industry leader for virtualization but their certifications can be a little pricey since you have to attend their training course just to sit for the exams. The MCSA/MCSE path emphasizes the Hyper-V platform and is a little more accessible to someone on a budget since at a bare minimum you just need to purchase a study guide and watch a few videos.

In either case, I highly recommend getting some spare hardware and testing both out to see what your preference is. I have been using both for years and can make a case for either depending on a client's need/wants. Let me know if I can assist in any other way.

Corey

ajs1976

Look into the VMWare's VCA. Its new and doesn't have the expensive training requirement of the VCP.

After that, I agree with what Corey posted above.

cknapp78

ajs1976 wrote: »

Look into the VMWare's VCA. Its new and doesn't have the expensive training requirement of the VCP.

Wasn't aware of that Andy. Thanks for the info. And my parents thought I would never learn anything on that new-fangled Internet thing.

Corey

SimonD.

I would look more towards the VCA than the VMware VCP, after all you're expected to have a decent background in Systems Admin work before going in to the whole VCP\VCAP arena whereas the VCA is more along the lines of the CCENT or MCP\MCTS.

Both the MCSA and VCP are vendor specific (Microsoft and VMware respectively) but there is at least one other exam provider out there offering VMware certifications (CVE from VMware Training Provider - VMTraining).

Virtualisation isn't a starting point for a career in IT but it is a step up for a decent admin to move in to.

Don't learn to run before you can walk, get some experience behind you and then look to progress in the direction you want to.

CodyF

Thanks everyone!
I will definitely check out the VCA cert, and I was already planning on pursuing my MCSA: Server 2008 and Server 2012 certs, so that works out.

I'm in the last year of my dual-degree (Network Technology and Information Systems Security), so I've got a bit of knowledge under my belt. I want to use my remaining time here to really build up my knowledge so I have a strong foundation for when I get to the real world. VCA and MCSA seem like the perfect way to do that when it comes to virtualization.

Sounds Good

Look into this if you haven't already

http://www.techexams.net/forums/virtualization/93417-free-vca-exam-your-choice-vmware.html

SimonD.

CodyF wrote: »

Thanks everyone!
I will definitely check out the VCA cert, and I was already planning on pursuing my MCSA: Server 2008 and Server 2012 certs, so that works out.

I'm in the last year of my dual-degree (Network Technology and Information Systems Security), so I've got a bit of knowledge under my belt. I want to use my remaining time here to really build up my knowledge so I have a strong foundation for when I get to the real world. VCA and MCSA seem like the perfect way to do that when it comes to virtualization.

Again I have to stress here, the MCSA\MCSE\VCP exams are aimed at people with a good 12 - 18 months of commercial experience, there is the Microsoft way and there is the real world way of doing things, not actually knowing the real world way of doing things and having an MCSA\MCSE (MCITP) does you more harm than good, the idea of certification is there to prove your ability, not as a way of getting in to the field of IT.

Sorry to sound harsh but I see too many people get certified without the required experience and wonder why they get laughed at, it's great that you're doing a dual-degree and my hats off to you on that but I have seen scholastically gifted people that didn't actually have a clue when it came to real world computing and no amount of vendor certification helps them, that's where experience comes in.