VMware now forcing VCP recertification

Interesting change coming from VMware, If you are a VCP you will need to recertify unless you progress with vCAP

In short, it means that you are no longer a VCP(x) for life, but need to recertify every 2 years, unless you take a VCAP exam during the same period. If you do not upgrade your certification, your VCP status is revoked. For all the details, have a look at Recertification Policy: VMware Certified Professional.It also means that anyone currently holding a VCP certification, needs to recertify before March 10th 2015, regardless of when the initial VCP was obtained. Those obtaining a VCP after March 10th, will have to recertify within two years of obtaining the initial VCP.

VMware Certified Professional Recertification | vNinja.net[updated Title -]

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cyberguypr

I'll be taking my VCP in a few weeks so it will be valid for 2 years. If I had taken in last week, I would've been screwed upgrading in 1 year. Seems like I dodged that bullet.

Is it me or does anyone else think 2 years is too short? I will take this test because I already paid for it. I don't think I'll be renewing mine once the time comes in a couple of years. 3 years shelf life would've been better in my opinion.

kj0

I'll hopefully be VCDX by then... OK, definitely not by then, but hopefully I'll have a vCAP or 2 under my belt.

I think it is a great way to force people to do more and move up to vCAP's and not just get an entry certification and just hold it.

Asif Dasl

Thanks for posting this kj0.

I don't think it changes much on recertification (you still have to keep current). It means we need to certify on point releases (5.0 5.5 etc) not just on version releases (v4 v5 etc). There is enough changes between 5.0 and 5.5 to warrant recertification. 2 years is about right for the VMware world IMO. 3 years is about right for the Cisco world and recertifying on the same version of Server doesn't make sense in the Microsoft world to me.

My 2 cents.

Edit - just clarified my view above but also Vladan has a poll on his site... It seems it's not a popular move with the majority of people so far.

JBrown

Just think about it, nor Microsoft, nor Cisco nor any other company -that i know of- require you take a training that cost $3800 before handing you over the VCP certificate, given that you shell out another $225 for the exam itself.

Asif Dasl wrote: »

Thanks for posting this kj0.

I don't think it changes much on recertification (you still have to keep current). It means we need to certify on point releases (5.0 5.5 etc) not just on version releases (v4 v5 etc). There is enough changes between 5.0 and 5.5 to warrant recertification. 2 years is about right for the VMware world IMO. 3 years is about right for the Cisco world and recertifying on the same version of Server doesn't make sense in the Microsoft world to me.

My 2 cents.

Edit - just clarified my view above but also Vladan has a poll on his site... It seems it's not a popular move with the majority of people so far.

Asif Dasl

You and I know the VMware academies allow you to get the VCP for much less than that. But for full priced 5 day training for MCSA, CCNA or VCP - VMware is competitively priced according to these Irish & UK prices... fair enough you can self study with Microsoft & Cisco but a VMware academy costs less than $250 - something most people could afford every 2 years.

It's very similar to Cisco's recertification policy, if you certify in the Cloud track as a VCP-DCV then you automatically renew the 2 year recertification, go VCAP you renew it again. It's a bit like CCNA, CCNA Security and CCNP in my view.

I should also say that the VMware training in Ireland used to be €3,500 but the latest price on that website above is €2,295 - maybe the cost of training might come down a bit because of this move? Time will tell.

Edit - I thought the VMware site had lowered the training costs, but I was mistaken.

JBrown

Asif

There at least 100,000 VCPs all over the world. How many of them do you think achieved their VCP through a VMware Academy ? Techexams members are among special group of people who are willing, and do to hunt down all those VMware Academy training for a bargain pricing.
Paying $3800 for a certificate that lats only 2 years is a joke.

Asif Dasl wrote: »

You and I know the VMware academies allow you to get the VCP for much less than that. But for full priced 5 day training for MCSA, CCNA or VCP - VMware is competitively priced according to these Irish & UK prices... fair enough you can self study with Microsoft & Cisco but a VMware academy costs less than $250 - something most people could afford every 2 years.

It's very similar to Cisco's recertification policy, if you certify in the Cloud track as a VCP-DCV then you automatically renew the 2 year recertification, go VCAP you renew it again. It's a bit like CCNA, CCNA Security and CCNP in my view.

I should also say that the VMware training in Ireland used to be €3,500 but the latest price on that website above is €2,295. Edit - I thought the VMware site had lowered the training costs, but I was mistaken.

Asif Dasl

I updated my post afterwards to say that maybe the cost of training might come down a bit because of the move if my example of a price drop is replicated elsewhere. I agree that the majority of people will have spent full price for training, if it's a step too far then they will have to change the policy pretty quickly. But I think that it will force people to move up to the VCAP level where there is no training requirement but the exams are more expensive (without a voucher). Retaking the exam doesn't mean you need to retake the training as far as I understand...

tprice5

The more certifications I get, the more I feel like a huge sucker. Like every year I think Microsoft (and now VMware) reps get together for a beer and laugh at all the people they've duped into buying into their certification tracks. Then again, they are making me money, so, there is that. I just hope my university doesn't catch on to this ploy.

"Oh you've graduated from our university? We'll require 15% of all future earnings." - Microsoft State University

The one I am the most upset about is probably CompTIA. That whole $50/yr thing is bologna. Can't wait to get out of the DoD environment so I can put my CompTIA certs in a FedEx box, take a big ole **** on top, and mail it to CompTIA HQ.

.... too much?

jibbajabba

As I always get the latest VCP I don't think it will affect me much. I just checked and I got until March 2015. By that time I will have my VCAP-DCA or at least there will be aVCP610 (I guess).

Yes, it is expensive, but at least a VCP still adds value to your CV. I just recently removed a whole lot of Microshaft certs from my CV, including the 2008 Server and Enterprise Admin. It's time we get specialists back rather than Jack of all trades with 100s of useless certs. I barely remember how to spell Active Directory and I can still call myself Enterprise Admin. So yes, I am in favour of it really.

Asif Dasl

tprice5 wrote: »

The more certifications I get, the more I feel like a huge sucker. Like every year I think Microsoft (and now VMware) reps get together for a beer and laugh at all the people they've duped into buying into their certification tracks. Then again, they are making me money, so, there is that. I just hope my university doesn't catch on to this ploy.

The way I look at it is, a doctor has to keep up on all of the latest trends so that the don't accidentally kill you, same with IT, you have to keep up on all the latest trends so you don't mess up big time. Now I understand that in the US doctors make much more than IT but in Europe it's possible to make more than a doctor in IT.

But I agree whoever agreed the recertification ISO standard are patting themselves on the back for such a good job. And for CompTIA's!?! I don't think so... also why do I have to recertify for Storage+ but not Linux+. It's a strange policy they've got over there.

tprice5

Asif Dasl wrote: »

The way I look at it is, a doctor has to keep up on all of the latest trends so that the don't accidentally kill you, same with IT, you have to keep up on all the latest trends so you don't mess up big time. Now I understand that in the US doctors make much more than IT but in Europe it's possible to make more than a doctor in IT.

Your analogy falls short in that there has been and only ever will be one version of humans. It makes sense to stay current on that one version because there are new developments all the time in healthcare. In contrast, IT has a new release life cycle of 2 or 3 years (generalization, sorry). Say I test on 5.1 and and know everything there is to know about it. Why should I have to update my VCP 5.1 just because VCP 5.5 comes out. Do I know any less about 5.1 due to this release? Of course not. It's a cash grab, though I can't fault VMware for following the trend of virtually every other vendor. It is just the way of the world now.

Surge

Is there a course requirement to recertify?
Previously, a candidate was given a limited amount of time to upgrade their existing certification, after which a course was required. Effective with the announcement of this recertification policy, a candidate can recertify anytime within their 2-year recertification period, without a course requirement. However, we recommend that you do enroll in training, as hands-on experience through on demand or live (classroom or virtual) classes will provide you with the latest education to better prepare you for the exam.

There is at least not a required class, though sometimes you will want to take it regardless. This at least should help with the cost aspect every 2 years for a class session.

Outside of that I feel re-certification is not really a bad thing, its become the norm and outside of the price most of us will be keeping up on the technology anyways or progressing farther with vmware certification tracks. I do agree with tprice5 that there is definetily a cash grab aspect occurring but that is these days to be expected as the norm.

tbgree00

This will give me an excuse to justify the VCAP to my boss...

I don't think recertification is a bad thing. CPAs have to do hours of CPE every year, doctors have to re-sit the board exams (at least my doctor friends on Facebook complain about the boards). Sure it's annoying and can cause a carefully designed career path to have a few bumps but I think a VCP4 is fairly irrelevant to 5.5.

I'm fine with my certs that I don't use expiring. I'm not keeping Comptia up to date unless I really need Security+ for something. I'll likely keep my cisco stuff up to date because it helps with a vmware design. If microsoft started expiring certs (have they already?) I would only keep up the ones I need.

scott28tt

So another title for this thread could have been:

Already a VCP? Never be forced to take another VMware class again...

or:

Already a VCP-DCV? Go for a VCAP-DCV/DCD or a VCP/VCAP in another discipline...

or:

Already a VCP? Prove that you've kept your skills fresh in today's fast-changing world...

Just saying

I heard of this change of policy last week, overall I think it's a good thing.

Asif Dasl

scott28tt wrote: »

So another title for this thread could have been:

Already a VCP? Never be forced to take another VMware class again...

This. I was seriously considering paying for a 5 day class for VCP6 because I didn't want to take a VMware Academy course over 8 weeks to re-learn how to install vSphere again! Now I just need to maintain a VCAP and get my training from CBT Nuggets/Pluralsight/VMtraining... much better

kj0

scott28tt wrote: »

So another title for this thread could have been:

An updated title for this thread could be.

[edit] can't change the complete title - Title was based on the numerous amounts of Tweets by other VMware Employee's as well as general VMware users/VCPs.

ande0255

Does anyone know if obtaining an equal level vmware cert re-ups the expiration of other vmware certs like Cisco's recertification model?

mokaiba

Considering that I only plan to do VCA-DCV, this shouldn't matter to me at all but I must ask, does this affect the VCA?

cyberguypr

As of now the recertification policy only mentions VCP. There's absolutely no reference to VCA.

And to touch on ande0255's question, the policy says "to recertify, VMware Certified Professional (VCP) holders must pass any VCP or higher-level exam within two years of earning their most recent VCP certification. " Taking that at face value it says that if you have VCP5-DV, then you can take VCP-Cloud or VCP5-DT and fulfill the requirement.

kj0

Here's more with a nice little disclaimer.

Morning Musing: VMware Recertification | 10:30 AM

jibbajabba

I am still not clear what happens with your VCAP. So you can get a VCAP to extend your VCP - but the VCAP doesn't expire even though the VCP is a pre-requisite ? So you can end up with a VCAP / VCDX but still have revoked / expired VCPs ?

Edit: I guess VMware doesn't even know it yet.

My VCAP certification is more recent than my VCP certification – when will the valid through date reflect this?
We will be adding functionality to the system to reflect these situations in the coming months.

Essendon

I would think that a higher level cert would automatically renew all lower ones. The VCAP would renew your VCP's. If you've passed the VCDX once you can keep renewing the DX by passing just the DCD exam of the next iteration of the product.

jibbajabba

Oh yea - but for how long

bertieb

As a policy, I think it comes across as half-baked. As many have pointed out the whole VCAP element still hasn't been fully clarified which is leading to all sorts of confusion.

When recruiting I've always checked which VCP version(s) people had certified against anyway and though I fully agree with keeping skills up to date, I don't think the fees of a mandatory VMware training course and a 2 yr life-cycle justify the overall cost.

Hoping vSphere6 makes an appearance well before the 10th March 2015, or my employer lets me switch my already approved training plan to include a VCAP cert (doubtful seeing they have dropped a lot of coin on other things) or I should just let it drop and move onto something else.

Hello btw, it's been a while since I was around

QHalo

Essendon wrote: »

I would think that a higher level cert would automatically renew all lower ones. The VCAP would renew your VCP's. If you've passed the VCDX once you can keep renewing the DX by passing just the DCD exam of the next iteration of the product.

If taking the VCAP of the next version grants you VCP of that version I see no reason why this isn't a sound play.

RouteMyPacket

jibbajabba wrote: »

As I always get the latest VCP I don't think it will affect me much. I just checked and I got until March 2015. By that time I will have my VCAP-DCA or at least there will be aVCP610 (I guess).

Yes, it is expensive, but at least a VCP still adds value to your CV. I just recently removed a whole lot of Microshaft certs from my CV, including the 2008 Server and Enterprise Admin. It's time we get specialists back rather than Jack of all trades with 100s of useless certs. I barely remember how to spell Active Directory and I can still call myself Enterprise Admin. So yes, I am in favour of it really.

I would like to see employers become more strict with who they hire for their IT departments. The Enterprises are infested with wannabes and complete idiots with egos. With that said though, we do need these morons as they provide job security to those who are SME's or are seeking to become an SME.

At the end of the day, just focus on yourself and do what you do and you did the right thing taking those certs off your CV. I did the same, I still have a solid Server background, at least up to 2008R2 but don't mention it or put my MS stuff on my CV.

jibbajabba

Currently you have to have the VCP 5 in order to sit the VCAP5 so unless they change the rules, I doubt you can go VCAP 6 without having the VCP 6 to begin with .. But i agree, they really need to clarify the VCAP situation ..

Take my case

VCP 3/4/5 as of March 2014 - to be renewed by March 2015

Now If I sit / pass my scheduled VCAP in June, I will automatically renew my VCPs for another 2 years, according to my transcript all three VCPs, 3,4 and 5

So June 2014

Pass VCAP
VCP 3 Renewed until June 2016
VCP 4 Renewed until June 2016
VCP 5 Renewed until June 2016

The point I was making now. Unless the VCP is being renewed indefinitely (which clearly is not gonna happen), what happens in June 2016 given that a VCP is a pre-requisite to a VCAP ?

Either

a. You end up with no valid VCP but a valid VCAP
b. Your VCAP expires unless you renew your VCP on time
c. No one knows

At the end, if you go through the hassle of getting a VCAP, you usually so deep into your VMware stuff that, by the time your renewal comes through, you likely have renewed anyway because there is a new major release and you used the few months grace period to renew without a course.

I guess only time will tell ..

blargoe

I don't really have a problem with the policy. It weeds out the guys that just grab and hold a hot 3-letter acronym and never update their skills. It takes away the relatively short time limit for guys who are keeping up their certifications to have the requirement to take an official course. And it encourages studying an adjacent discipline or an advanced level certification.

As quickly as software defined datacenter techology is evolving, 2 years to recertify sounds about right to me. It just means I will have to juggle some things and get cracking on either VCAP-DCD or VCP-DT right away, since my last exam was VCAP-DCA in December 2012.

ande0255

You have to re-do the class every time you go to take the certification test? I thought that was a one time thing when you first go after the certification.

jibbajabba

ande0255 wrote: »

You have to re-do the class every time you go to take the certification test? .

God no. Just once initially. Even with new major editions VMware usually gives a few months grace period where you can gain / update your VCP without course requirement.