VCP5: Passed

It took me a while to get around to booking it but I passed my VCP5 exam on the first attempt yesterday.

Back in 2009 when vSphere 4 was launched, I took the VCP4 exam much earlier. I was thinking last night why this was and I think it's down to a change in circumstances. In 2009 I was freelancing and I felt it was advantageous to get my VCP4 as soon as possible. Working as I now do for a consultancy as a permanent employee, it's not been as important for me to update to VCP5. That said, I did want to do it before the end of February to avoid having to take the “What's New in vSphere 5” course.

Now I know that everybody else who has posted about their VCP pass has done this but I just wanted to note the various resources that I used in my preparations. Many of them can be found mentioned on Gregg Robertson's blog (The Saffa Geek) where he has a page dedicated to VCP5 studying resources. Besides that though I just wanted to call out a couple of things in particular:

• Scott Lowe's book “Mastering VMware vSphere 5” is a brilliant introduction and detailed reference to vSphere 5.
• VMware's own product documentation and KB articles.
• Trainsignal's VMware vSphere 5 Training – very useful for learning anywhere (I had the videos on my phone).
• My own lab

That last resource is not to be underrated.  Nowhere else can you try lots of different configurations and break things with impunity. ANd that is almost certainly the best way to learn.

A final word on the VCP5… good luck.