Many thanks for all the responses. They are all very helpful!
Claudia,
I completely agree with what you're saying. My goal is not really just to get certified, but also learn this. And yes, I am brand new to virtualization so I should get myself familiarized first.
I have a friend that's also studying this. He started out by taking the VTSP, and now he's studying for VCP. He bought a server and built a lab in his house. He bought a book and is learning this by going through the book and playing with the server. The book teaches him how to configure the server. He mentioned to me that having a "complete" lab will require somewhere around 5 servers, which is quite a bit of money. So the route he's taking is creating multiple virtual environments in the server.
He suggests that I take the VTSP first to familiarize myself with the terms and then i can start by doing what he's doing.
As an experienced professional, do you think this is a good way for me to tackle this certificate? Would this be a good way for me to start as an "end user" and learn the products thoroughly? Please, if you have any other suggestions, do let me know.
Thanks everybody, you guys are truly very helpful.
Also, just want to prepare myself for what's coming, could you please advise around how much is the course? If you can't tell me, can you point me to the right direction? I tried googling but I'm never sure which site to trust. Thanks again!