As a newly minted vExpert for 2019 I feel its necessary to do my part and explain what the vExpert program is, along with its importance which in turn will unfold why I ultimately applied for it and am grateful for being accepted into the program. Receiving the vExpert title means that VMware has recognized you as being on the front lines of contributing content and doing your best to enable others in the field of VMware technologies. Which you may only apply and make your case for this status twice a year. (November and December) You’ll find a link at the bottom of this post. Once you’ve applied there is a voting process that occurs behind the scenes in what I can only imagine is a Gladiator thumbs up/down scenario.
The definition of vExpert from VMware is:
“The annual VMware vExpert title is given to individuals who have significantly contributed to the community of VMware users over the past year. The title is awarded to individuals (not employers) for their commitment to sharing their knowledge and passion for VMware technology above and beyond their job requirements.”
This is really important to folks like myself who have administered, engineered, architected, and ran home labs for multiple years now. It lets me know that I’m not just writing this blog to end up in a sea of tech blogs to be lost in a sinkhole somewhere. The recognition gives me motivation to keep doing what I’m doing, hoping to inform and educate others like myself. Plus…Perks!
The Perks you receive such as NFR VMware licenses, Slack channel access, and access to an internal VMware community, are just a few to mention. On top of that, certain Partners have also been grateful to provide vExperts access to their products such as RoyalTSX, Camtasia, etc. I’m really surprised on how many Partners/Vendors provide free NFR licenses to their products for vExperts but I can only assume that it provides them some additional exposure given that vExperts are a vocal group. Regardless, it only adds to the importance of this achievement.
Unlike certifications that you achieve and own yourself, vExperts are collaborative in nature. The more vExperts in existence the more peer collaboration/connection exists and the better the individual becomes.
Additional Information:
- vExpert homepage
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- https://vexpert.vmware.com
- vExpert Twitter Page
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- https://twitter.com/vexpert