When it comes to exceptional contributors, Ryan Costello stands out. Ryan’s knowledge of products and solutions, as well as the ever-changing competitive marketplace, has ensured VMware continues to deliver the highest quality exam content to certification candidates. As a Customer Success Architect, Ryan has applied his expertise across multiple specialized certifications. Ryan has supported exam design not just through item development, but also competency modelling, technical review and standard settings. Thank you Ryan and we look forward to your future contributions.
What is your background? / How long have you worked in IT?
One of my very first jobs was doing computer repair at Radio Shack. I got my first tech support job right out of high school. I did tech support and sysadmin work during the day while going to school in the evenings. In total, I worked in IT for about fourteen years doing all kinds of data center work before coming to VMware in February of 2012. During my time at VMware I’ve been a core Systems Engineer, EUC Systems Engineer, EUC SME in the NSBU, and currently an EUC Architect.
What do you think makes for a great testing experience?
I’ve always enjoyed training and exams that are focused on real-world scenarios. I feel like this is critical to building and validating useable knowledge.
Why did you get involved in the Education Contributor program?
I’ve taken a lot of exams from different vendors over the years, and I can’t say they’ve all been good experiences. I got involved because I wanted to help produce the types of exams that, as a candidate, I could walk away from saying “That was a good exam. Tough, but fair.”
What is the most desirable facet of the Education Contributor program?
I like being able to shape the content of an exam based on how products actually get used in the field. Many times, I’ve taken exams and thought to myself that the content seemed unbalanced or didn’t represent the real world. It’s nice to be able to provide that input.
How have you benefited from the program?
I’ve met a lot of other SMEs through the program that I probably wouldn’t have met otherwise. This has been really useful in times when I’ve been supporting a customer and needed to quickly get information on a specific topic.
Fun Fact
At one time, I held a time trails world record in the original Super Mario Kart!
