About 2.5 years ago I went on the VMWare VI3:Install and Configure course in preparation of designing and maintaining my previous company’s ESX infrastructure. The course was good, I designed the infrastructure, implemented it and it has been happily running ever since, with upgrades to the latest versions (ie VI3.5, etc) along the way.
I was the only IT admin at iMeta at the time and things were exceptionally busy. I finished the project, everything was working and people were happy so I immediately moved onto the next. Sounds good right? wrong!
I was in an interview Monday afternoon and was asked the question: “Do you have your VCP qualification?”
In total confidence I immediately answered yes and didn’t give it a second thought. It wasn’t until the drive home that I had a very disturbing thought – I did the course, but I was so busy I never actually got around to taking the exam!
While taking the course is arguably the important part, especially considering that VMWare won’t let you take the exam until you have done the course – technically I wasn’t actually qualified in VMWare and I just told a potential employer that I was….
Panic.
Wait a minute, VSphere has been out for about a year now – what if they have retired the VI3 exam?! VMWare only let you take the exam if you have done the course, so if they have retired the exam I will need to take the new VI4 course before I can take the exam.
Panic.
Get home, browse web. The exam was due to be retired on the 31st December 2009 but they extended it to the 31st March 2010. Pearson Vue shows the last possible exam as Wednesday at 2pm, which was 36 hours away! Fail and I can’t retake. Fail and I’m not VCP qualified. Fail and I need to take the VI4 course in order to take the VI4 exam. Good thing I work best under pressure.
Fortunately I took the exam yesterday with just a few hours revision and passed. Phew!
EDIT – There was another person just finishing the exam as I went in. He failed with 69% – ouch!
EDIT2 – This is *not* an April fool! ha ha