Could not disagree more. I am a 2x CCIE, AWS Architect and LONG time VMware engineer (since GSX/Workstation 1 days). Prior to the advent of stable, useable Cloud platforms, I helped build three greenfield data centers, one being a solo effort on my part. I'm in a 30+ year career. My highest level certifications have only cost me exam fees, nothing else. Everything I know and can do are a result of real-world VLS implementations of data center technologies, of nearly every kind. I cannot count the number of virtualization engineers who have been very successful in this field who have ZERO VMware certifications nor training, and could de-facto teach your "certification courses" blind folded. Now that we are 98% into multi- and poly- cloud environments, and have effectively sunset our vSphere stacks, I am not sure I care to pass whatever exam comprises vSphere 8 content. I was only passing the exams to keep my employers happy. They needed no other proof. I do love VMWare Workstation and I plan to always keep my installation on the latest version, and that is where it will probably end for me. Goodbye VMWare, it was nice knowing you.
