With the rapidly evolving world of IT and virtualization, staying up-to-date with the latest technologies and obtaining relevant certifications is crucial for career growth and professional success.

VMware is the gold standard when it comes to the most renowned and respected virtualization certifications. In this blog post, we’ll explore the state of VMware certifications in 2023 and identify the best certifications for you.

Is it worth getting a VMware certification?

Short answer: Yes! Obtaining one or more VMware certifications is worth it for IT professionals looking to advance their careers and validate their knowledge and expertise. VMware certifications are well-regarded in the industry and validate the skills and knowledge required to implement and manage VMware products effectively. They can also open doors to new job opportunities and increase earning potential. 

What are the VMware certification tracks?

VMware offers certifications that align with technology tracks across the VMware portfolio. Each track focuses on different VMware products and solutions. There are occasionally small amounts of overlap between tracks, but this is typically only with a handful of test objectives.

Six tracks are currently available:

• Data Center Virtualization: Design, install, manage, and support vSphere environments

• Cloud Management and Automation: Design, install, configure, optimize, and support VMware Aria and other cloud solutions

• Security: Configure, manage, and support security features of key VMware products

• Network Virtualization: Design, implement, manage, and support an NSX-T environment

• Digital Workspace: Design, configure, deploy, manage, optimize, and troubleshoot Workspace ONE and Horizon with View

• Application Modernization: Develop, manage, and migrate applications through the VMware Tanzu portfolio

What are the VMware certification levels?

Within each VMware certification track, you can achieve different levels of certification. These levels are Technical Associate, Professional, Advanced Professional, and Design Expert. As you can see, these levels align to job roles. Most tracks have all levels available for certification (though there are a few where some of these levels might not exist).

VMware Certified Technical Associate (VCTA)

This is an entry-level technical based certification for those new to the technology, or even new to the industry, and targeted at those who can perform operational tasks with the technology.

VMware Certified Professional (VCP)

These are typically broad technical-based certifications for those who install, configure, manage, and optimize the technology. It’s expected that individuals going for a VCP have worked with the technology in the test for more than a year.

VMware Certified Advanced Professional (VCAP)

There are two certifications at this level. The first is a VCAP Deploy certification for those who manage and optimize the VMware technology in question. The VCAP Deploy test is a hands-on experience in a real environment, where you need to show hands-on skills with managing, troubleshooting, and optimizing the products. The second is a VCAP Design certification for those who design and build solutions for VMware technology.

VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX)

This represents the pinnacle of VMware expertise and the highest level of certification. Candidates must hold the VCAP certifications in the relevant VCDX track, submit a design proposal, and defend their design in front of a panel of VMware experts. There are currently 300 VCDXs in the world.

The key VMware certifications available in 2023

With around 30 available certifications, it’s difficult to suggest a few key certifications. If your expertise is in a particular area, such as digital workspace, it makes sense to go deep into that stack from a certification standpoint.

However, if you’re looking for suggestions on key VMware certifications that are helpful from a knowledge perspective and to advance your career in the ever-evolving world of virtualization and modern workloads, the following three certifications top the list.

VMware Certified Professional - Data Center Virtualization (VCP-DCV)

The VCP-DCV certification is designed for IT professionals who want to demonstrate knowledge and expertise in deploying and managing core VMware vSphere environments. The certification validates their skills in working with VMware’s chief virtualization technology. 

The VCP-DCV is VMware’s flagship certification and often singled out as a key requirement in virtualization role job descriptions. Studies have shown holders of the VCP-DCV have improved career opportunities and higher earning potential compared to those without it.

Assess your Vmware VSphere skills >>

Start prepping for your VCP-DCV certification >>

VMware Certified Professional - Network Virtualization (VCP-NV)

The VCP-NV certification is targeted at IT professionals, virtualization specialists, and network administrators who want to demonstrate proficiency in deploying and managing VMware NSX, which is VMware’s software-defined networking solution.

Networking plays an important role in the reliability and performance of applications, especially as you start to support modern and next-generation workloads in the data center and provide hybrid connectivity between multiple environments and clouds.

I remember sitting for the VCP-NV back in 2018 when the main NSX product was NSX-V. I learned so much about networking in general and took that knowledge into other roles and when working with public cloud platforms.

Start prepping for your VCP-NV certification >>

VMware Certified Professional - Application Modernization (VCP-AM)

Cloud-native and modern applications are hot right now. The VCP-AM certification is targeted at IT professionals and developers who want to showcase expertise and knowledge in modern application design, development, and containerization using VMware Tanzu and Kubernetes.

Kubernetes has been on the rise for many years and has become the gold standard of container orchestration for modern applications in cloud-native environments. VMware has been supporting Kubernetes for a while. Achieving this certification will help you understand how cloud native applications are deployed and run on VMware platforms.

This is a great certification to earn after you have the foundations of the VCP-DCV and the VCP-NV. While they aren’t prerequisites, understanding those technologies at a VCP level will assist with the Application Modernization certification path, as Kubernetes on vSphere relies on core vSphere technologies and NSX-T for the networking provider.

Which VMware certification should I take for a rewarding career?

When you consider the different VMware product tracks, there are approximately 30 certifications available at the VMware Certified Professional (VCP), VMware Certified Advanced Professional (VCAP), and VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX) levels. The right VMware certification for you depends on your career aspirations and expertise level.

My advice is to target a few certifications at a VCP level to demonstrate broad experience and knowledge across VMware technologies. Then dive a bit deeper into tracks that make sense for your current role and technology focus by going for the advanced certifications.

If you’re looking to validate your expertise as an architect, the VCDX could be worth considering. But understand that this requires a significant investment of money and time. It’s not for the fainthearted, but I’ve read a lot of stories from people who passed and failed the VCDX noting how much they learned on the journey.

How can I prepare for a VMware certification?

Preparation for VMware certifications is essential, and while your specific approach might differ, my advice is to take a three-pronged approach:

Hands-on experience. Everything at the VCP level and above will expect you to have hands-on experience working with the relevant VMware products in the real world. Yes, you can pass the exams without this level of experience, but the recommended candidate (as described by VMware for VCP certifications) has at least one year of experience with the products and technologies being tested.

Training and study. You’ll want to ensure your knowledge and expertise cover the objectives you’ll be tested on in the exam. My suggestion is to put the test objectives in a spreadsheet and self-evaluate your knowledge on each one. Then use your favorite training material to solidify what you know and learn new skills as you study.

Test-taking skills. Sitting an test to achieve a certification from any vendor is almost a skill itself. Questions are typically worded in specific ways. And depending on how many exams you’ve taken, it can be an experience that makes you a little nervous. Take practice exams and assessments to get yourself comfortable with what to expect for the real exam.

VMware publishes documents for all their exams. These test guides provide information on how the test will be delivered, which objectives will be tested, and other material you can reference. Always review the test guide in detail when exploring a new certification. 

Conclusion

VMware certifications continue to hold significant value in the IT industry and have been proven to increase your earning potential and present opportunities for career growth. By understanding the available certifications and tracks, planning for how they relate to your role and aspirations, and ensuring you know how to prepare for a certification, you’ll be setting yourself up for success with VMware certifications in 2023 and onward.

Further learning

If you’re seeking to leap into VMware certification, Pluralsight offers a number of courses that can help you prepare, as well as acquire useful working knowledge — you can sign up for a 10-day free trial with no commitments. If you’re not sure what course to start with, you can do a free Pluralsight SkillIQ assessment.

Here are some learning paths with courses you might want to check out:

David Davis’s vSphere 8 courses are also great for skill building for the core VMware vSphere product:

Some PC users when upgrading from Windows 7/8.1 or earlier versions of Windows 10, to Windows 11/10 newer versions might encounter a VMware Workstation Pro error message. This post is intended to help affected users resolve this issue. In this post, we will provide an adequate solution you can try to successfully resolve this issue.

Uninstall this app now because it isn’t compatible with Windows

If you’re faced with this issue, you can simply uninstall VMware Workstation Pro and then retry the upgrade process. But uninstalling the software via the Programs and Features applet in Control Panel on Windows 10 won’t cut it; as some users reported that either the button to uninstall is greyed out or that even after they were able to uninstall the software, they still had the issue. This is so because there are still residual files from the software that’s leftover on the Windows 1o PC. So, we will walk you through the invasive method on how you can completely remove VMware Workstation Pro and all its dependencies.

1. Uninstall VMware Workstation Pro using the software installer
2. Uninstall VMware Workstation Pro using third-party Uninstaller software
3. Uninstall VMware Workstation Pro via Command Prompt

Let’s see the description of both methods.

1] Uninstall VMware Workstation Pro using the software installer

If you do not have a copy of the installer, you can download from the VMware website or any other site hosting the installer file.

Do the following:

• Log in to the Windows host system as the Administrator user or as a user who is a member of the local Administrators group.

If you log in to the domain, the domain account must also be a local administrator.

• Double-click the VMware-workstation-abcd-abcdabc.exe file, where abcd-abcdabc is the version and build numbers.
• Click Next on the Welcome screen and then click Remove.

To save product license and Workstation Pro configuration information, select the appropriate checkboxes.

• Click Next to begin uninstalling VMware Workstation Pro.

2] Uninstall VMware Workstation Pro using third-party Uninstaller software

While Windows comes with an “Add or remove programs’ option, all too often you’ll be presented with a message telling you that some components couldn’t be removed, or the uninstall has failed. Additionally, it will often leave existing files, folders, and shortcuts in place meaning you have to delete these manually. It doesn’t also properly updated the registry, either. Third-party software uninstallers can do a more thorough job.

3] Uninstall VMware Workstation Pro via Command Prompt

If you are uninstalling Workstation 5.x or later versions, use the Workstation uninstaller. You’ll need to download the appropriate installer to your hard drive on your PC.

Do the following:

• Press Windows key + R to invoke the Run dialog.
• In the Run dialog box, type cmd and then press CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER to open Command Prompt in admin/elevated mode.
• In the command prompt window, type the command below and hit Enter.

VMware-workstation-5.0.0-13124.exe /c

This command with the /c switch will automatically remove the MSI registration information for VMware Workstation from your Windows 10 PC.

If you are using Workstation 12.x, 11.x, 10.x, 9.x, 8.x, or 7.x, run the installer program with the /clean switch in elevated CMD prompt. Your command should look something like this:

VMware-workstation-full-7.1.2-301548.exe /clean

That’s it! Once you have completely uninstalled VMware Workstation, you can proceed with the Windows 10 upgrade – the process should complete without any errors.

Now read: VMware Workstation cannot enter Unity mode.

If you work with PDF files regularly then a PDF editor is an indispensable tool. Whether it’s part of your job, you manage PDF files for your own personal use, or you just need to complete a one-off editing task, a top editor program is an essential piece of software. Full-featured editors such as Adobe’s Acrobat Pro DC might provide all of the bells and whistles, but a free PDF editor can still offer most of the important tools of a paid service for no additional charge.

Plus, many free PDF editors are browser based, which means that you don’t need to worry about about platform- or device-compatibility issues.

Of course, free products won’t come with every feature of their premium counterparts. So, if you find that you need more advanced tools such as password protection, Bates numbering, or e-signatures, then you’re probably better served by a premium PDF editor.

What to look for in a free PDF editor

• Content editing: As its name indicates, a PDF editor’s primary function is to enable you to edit a document. That includes the ability to add and modify text; insert, resize, and move images; and reorganize pages in the PDF. Most free PDF editors will let you perform these tasks, though they may impose daily limits on how many you can perform or how many documents you can edit.
• Create, convert, and export PDFs: A common need for a PDF editor is to create PDF files from scanned hard copies or by converting digital documents. A good free PDF editor will be able to convert common file formats such as Word, JPG, and HTML to a PDF and preserve the original formatting. It should also be able to export PDFs into other editable formats such as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, HTML, or plain text, maintaining the original files hyperlinks, images, and other elements.
• Review and annotate: Most free PDF editors allow you to add comments and other annotations to PDF files during review. Typical annotation tools include sticky notes, shapes, and drawing markup options.
• Signatures: Often all you need a PDF editor for is to sign a document. This used to be a premium feature only available on paid desktop editors, but more free PDF editors are allowing users to create and add electronic signatures to documents.

The best free PDF reader apps are perfect for viewing documents, collaborating online, and making changes to your PDF files without any subscription charges or one-off fees. 

Using your browser is the easiest way to read a PDF online, but options are usually limited. To do more with your documents, both online and offline, it’s worth investing time in the best PDF editors, the best free PDF editors, or dedicated PDF reader software.