As you prepare for your VCDX submission, I would like to share my personal journey and offer some advice based on my experience. Since the beginning of this year, I have been working towards my VCDX-NV submission, and I am now in the final stretch before the submission deadline.

Firstly, I would like to emphasize that VCDX is not just a certification, but a way of living for a certain amount of time in your life. It requires dedication and hard work, and it is essential to plan and organize your journey accordingly. I created a high-over planning to reserve dedicated time for my project, and I would advise others to do the same.

One of the most significant challenges I faced was the underestimation of the physical design. It took me 20 days longer than expected to finish, primarily due to a job change and the complexity of the design itself. However, I managed to push hard and finish my supporting documentation before the actual finish date.

Here are some tips that I would like to share with others who are striving for the elusive VCDX certification:

1. Find a mentor! Having a mentor who can guide and review your work is crucial. It helped me a lot, and I am grateful for their support.

2. Create a planning, but do not underestimate. It is essential to plan and investigate thoroughly how much work each task will take and the real expectation of a task.

3. Discuss with your employer about working on your VCDX certification during your day-to-day job. This can be a significant factor in helping you finish your work within the given timeframe.

4. Create templates, color schemes, and a recognizable way of working within your document set. It may take some time initially, but it will benefit you in the end, and it is more pleasant to read and digest the information for the readers of your documents.

5. Invest a lot of time in reading blogs, books, and listen to podcasts. These resources helped me a lot, and I would recommend them to anyone starting their VCDX journey.

6. Make use of the VMware community on Twitter and Slack. Everyone is more than willing to help each other.

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize how grateful I am to the VMware community and my VCDX mentor Abdullah Abdullah! I could not have done it without your help and honesty. Stay tuned for further VCDX related posts as I am now focusing on my next steps for the coming months: submitting (and waiting), working on my VCDX presentation, doing mock defenses, and taking the VMware Advanced Professional NSX-T 2.4 Design Exam (just because I can, and not because I must )