Szymon Ziolkowski began his VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX) journey differently than other candidates. He embarked upon the course in 2020, so he learned and took the exam completely remotely. Despite this additional challenge, Szymon is grateful for the experience and the confidence it gave him. “We didn’t have the whiteboard part, so we had to come up with an alternative. This was a totally new aspect. Doing this remotely took some additional level of complexity.”
Even though Szymon didn’t have a traditional classroom experience, he didn’t feel alone. When taking the VCDX, learners are welcomed into a community of likeminded people, which gave Szymon the opportunity to make new friends virtually around the world. “I am not a native speaker, but the whole journey is very interesting from a language perspective. You can practice and work with so many different people.” Collaborating across a multi-cultural environment was a unique experience Szymon enjoyed with his peers.
Earning a VCDX is not easy. Szymon studied for three years before earning his VCDX certification. This top-tier certification exam is comprised of two parts: the submission and the defense. The defense portion is a challenging presentation where candidates have 45 minutes to present their conceptual, logical and physical design and solve problems in front of a panel of judges.
Szymon believes the future of tech is heading toward the hybrid cloud. “A DevOps mindset is a must-have, not only for aspiring IT professionals but also experienced ones.” With the many unknown challenges that lay ahead for the industry, there are four different levels of certification for every kind of VMware professional.
By gaining his VCDX, Szymon was more confident in job interviews, which helped him secure his dream role. He advises, “If you’re looking for self-development, the sooner you start the better.”
Learn more about Szymon’s VCDX journey in this video.
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