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).   

vExpert Program "You're in!"

I have the bad habit of waking up and immediately reading e-mails on my phone. This time I was in for a great surprise that put a smile on my face. I got accepted to vExpert program.

I consider it to be both an honor and a responsibility. I know my blogging is not as frequent as I wish to. And together with VMUG co-leaders we are striving to make VMUG meetings fun and interesting. The only thing I can do is to keep on giving back to community and make it better each time and hoping to see more and more people at VMUG Romania meetings.

So, thank you for this amazing ride (so far). And a special thanks to Constantin Ghioc (Titi) and Jorge de la Cruz for determining me to apply to the program.

My profile on vExpert Directory is here .