The prizes that I won from Virtual Design Master.

Last month I stumbled across a tweet on Twitter by Melissa Palmer (@vmss33) on 10 reasons to be a competitor in Virtual Design Master Challenge (@VDMChallenge).  http://vmiss.net/tech/top-10-reasons-to-compete-in-virtual-design-master/ and this prompted me to sign up. 

In the beginning, I had no idea what I was signing up for except that I will be doing some kind of system design with virtualization and cloud technologies.  I am a software developer for 20 years and am trying to stay relevant in the industry and also trying to find my destiny in the cloud industry.

After I signed up as a competitor, I was embraced with warm welcomes from the Virtual Design Master team and later on by other competitors.  On July 10, I was given a chance to introduce myself on Google+.  On that day we were given the assignment to design a system to “save the world”.  It was during this introductory session that Eric Wright (@discoposse) mentioned that this Virtual Design Master is not just about winning but it is also a way to build a community.

And yes, building a community. 

On July 17, 2014, I was given one minute to explain my design. The judges went easy on me. I was eliminated in the first round as expected. 

But what did I win?

During the design process, I learned a lot and now I am more ready to take the VCAP-DCD exam.  I got the encouragements to keep going both from fellow competitors and others that are watching this competition.

In 2010, virtualization is only a buzzword for me.  In January, 2014, I got my VCP-cloud certification.  I have been struggling on this journey alone for the past 4 years. The idea of building a community gave me a whole new perspective.  I don't have to fight this war alone.  I need to find a community as I continue to find my destiny in the cloud industry.  In this community, each one will contribute and share what they know such that everyone is constantly advancing in their knowledge, skill and/or career.

I am really glad that I signed up for this Virtual Design Master.  Eventhough I got eliminated in the first round, in the end I won.  I have gain fresh insight on designing a system.  I got to know new people in the industry. In the month of August I am going to dig into the Cisco UCS technology. From the competition, I know I need to be more proficient in this area.

Another thing I would like is to blog more and be able to share what I have learn via this blog. 

Please comment on this so I can learn and improve.