While teaching this week, I was asked about starting level certifications in VMware and we discussed the well-known VMware Certified Professional.
However, VMware has also introduced the VMware Certified Technical Associate certification.
The VCTA is for anyone new to the industry or to VMware solutions, whether as a newly graduating student, someone changing careers, or someone already working in the industry and looking for opportunities to advance.
The VCTA is designed for those performing an operator job role.
This is an ideal starting point.
The VCTA is not a prerequisite for the VMware Certified Professional (VCP) certification, which is a higher-level certification; experienced candidates can start directly at the VCP level.
However, for anyone wanting to get that first step into the technical credentials and prove their operational skills across VMware solutions, the VCTA is a perfect starting point.
Training is available online through VMware Customer Connect Learning. You can take the VCTA exam at either a Pearson VUE test centre or at home, office or work location using the Pearson OnVue remote proctored solution. When registering for the exam, you will have the option of selecting your preference.
A good place to start would be the VMware Certified Technical Associate – Data Centre Virtualisation 2020 (VCTA-DCV) course.
The VCTA-DCV certification holder has a basic understanding of virtualisation and vSphere concepts, and also demonstrates knowledge of data centre technology and basic troubleshooting concepts. He/she also has a working knowledge of managing cloud resources and basic networking concepts.

Bryan O'Connor
Bryan has been working at QA as one of the principal virtualisation trainers for 13 years and counting, specialising in VMware, but also working with Microsoft Hyper-V, and multiple Cloud technologies.More articles by Bryan
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