My Background
I have been a VMware customer since ESX Version 2. I still have a boxed copy of
VMware ESX 2 and Workstation 5 in my home office. When I was first introduced
to VMware I knew this was the future of the modern datacenter. Over the last 12
years it has been fun as a customer to see VMware grow.
Why I Chose VMware
For 6 years I worked for an academic medical center and helped to create a
highly robust VMware focused datacenter. The rewards for creating a very stable
environment for a hospital were great. Doctors and nurses were able to help
patients get better and provide patient‐focused care in part because I provided
my portion of a reliable computer system. Even being on‐call was exciting.
Occasionally a doctor would page me at 3 a.m. because he/she was having
trouble connecting remotely and I could feel the energy and excitement through
them as they were preparing for emergency surgery. I know you’re wondering
how being called at 3 a.m. could be fun! But I was able to help a doctor access
the technical tools he/she needed to help save a life.
After 4 awesome years I needed a new challenge. I wanted to take my career to
the next level. I wanted to work for VMware. I wanted to help more companies
experience the value that VMware can bring to an organization. Reliable,
automated, secure, virtual datacenter computing.
Setting a Career Goal
You may have noticed that I worked for the hospital for 6 years but it was only 4
years into it that I was beginning to look for a career change. I knew VMware was
full of extremely smart, talented people and I longed to join the ranks. In order
to make that happen I needed to step up my game and that was going to take
some time.
I have been VCP certified since version 3 so my first goal was to earn
my VCAP‐DCA (VMware Certified Advanced Professional). I completed that goal
while attending VMworld 2014. That was not an easy exam but it was the most
fun I had ever had taking an exam. The exam is not multiple choice but a live lab
environment that you have to configure following a specific set of instructions.
My experience with that exam could be a whole blog post as well!
Along with completing higher level VMware certifications I also worked on my
personal networking skills. As the saying goes, “It’s not what you know, It’s who
you know” and that is true at VMware as well. I became great friends with all of
the contacts I had inside VMware as well as with other VMware customers
through the VMUG program.
About 5 years into my career at the hospital I worked for, I reached out to a close friend that
had been a VMware Systems Engineer for VMware for many years. I asked a lot
of questions about life at VMware. He was able to provide a lot of insight,
knowledge, and guidance. Then one evening, my friend left me a voicemail and
told me about an opening in the VMware TAM program. He recommended that I
apply.
Interview Process
I did apply and went through a lot of interviews, both over the phone and
in‐person. The interviews were challenging and nerve‐wracking. One of my close
friends and co‐workers knew I was interviewing and he laughed at
how often I would check my phone for a new email from VMware. In the end my
hard work paid off and all of my networking connections at VMware provided
my future manager with great referrals about my personal skills while my
certifications supported my technical knowledge. After a while I was officially
offered the position as a VMware Technical Account Manager and I gladly
accepted.
On my next blog post I'll talk about what it is like going from VMware customer to employee.