If you live and breathe VMware products, as part of work or just because you love them so much, you must have heard that the second round of vExpert applications for 2020 is now open. You have until 20th June 2020 to submit your application and all being well, the announcement for the successful applicants will be made on 17th July.
This post has two purposes: One is to remind you to apply if you haven’t so far but also talk about why this program is so dear to me.
One day back in 2012, Darren Woollard asked me why am I not a vExpert yet and got me to apply. While I was involved in VMware user communities since the very beginning, funnily enough, I hadn’t heard this new program. Once he mentioned it to me, of course, I jumped at the opportunity and fortunately got in. John Troyer was at the helm at the time and working hard to grow this community as naturally, it was much smaller back then compared to what it is today.
Since joining the vExpert community, I have benefitted in so many ways. I have taken and given professional advice to many colleagues and have even worked with many too. In fact, Alex Galbraith was the catalyst for my current job who also became a vExpert the same year as me. I have also made many friends who have been there in difficult times and so have enriched my life too. I have even helped a few friends to become vExperts too. These are the aspects of this wonderful community that I cherish the most and why I consider this to be the best technical community to be a part of.
There are many technical benefits of the vExpert program as well, of course! Over the years, I have benefited greatly from the VMware license keys for my lab deployments but I am also a keen attendee of VMware/vendor webinars run for vExperts and try to attend as many as I can. There are many vendor benefits too that Romain Decker (a.k.a. CloudManiac) has covered for everyone’s benefit. One of my favourites is the Pluralsight subscription, having benefited greatly from many courses over the years.
If you work with VMware products and have gained from interacting with the vCommunity in the past, whether it be via blogs, Twitter or any other medium, this is a wonderful way to give back to that community. There are so many tracks that one is bound to suit your interests and once you join, the world can benefit from your knowledge and experience too.
So, do it! Here’s the vExpert Applications Link again.
Leave A Comment