Being a vExpert

I applied to vExpert program for the first time 2 years ago. I was kind of pushed by one of my VMUG co-leaders who was accepted earlier that year. So, I applied too. I still remember how it felt when I got the acceptance letter. It gave me joy and a peculiar sense of pride. All of a sudden there were 2 vExperts in Romania. I didn't realize the true potential of it until I had access to this beautiful community of people driven by their passion and to the resources made available to me:

• access to a global network of techies through dedicated Slack channels 
• VMware licenses for my lab for 1 year 
• dedicated webinars for vExperts
• parties at VMworld (this will wait a bit for now) 
• more people and knowledge through the subprogram 
• increased visibility on social media: Twitter, LinkedIn

More goodies: I got licenses and complimentary subscriptions from partners like Hy Trust, Runecast, Veeam, Pluralsight and others.

Having the tools I was able to rebuild my own lab and test new products and features. I was able to expand my knowledge with new technologies. This boosted my confidence, but it also made me think how I can give back more. 

Giving back for me it's mostly time through the blog posts, the VMUG meetings I help organizing and sometimes even speak at and the chats I have with my peers. But you can take other paths than me: be a public speaker, write a book or an article, be a customer evangelizing within your organization or at public events, be a passionate member of a partner organization. There are many ways in which you can apply, you just need to apply (here).