Interview with Vladan SEGET

Hi Vladan, can you give us a little introduction about yourself and how you got into computing?

IT was always my passion. I started with friend of mine with Atari 800, while studying at Czech university. Then, when I first really got hooked, it was VMware Workstation and Virtual PC (from Connectix). Since then I was on the way, to really become an IT professional, because my passion had to become my job. I progressed and started as a field technician, then got some more responsibility, and started to pass some Microsoft certifications. Then VMware started to go strong, so I attended a VMware training class and passed my first VCP exam to validate the knowledge.

How much time do you dedicate for learning new technologies?

IT and new technologies are most likely depending on what you prefer to do. At the very beginning of internet I used to do some web creations, but when virtualization came by, roughly 10 years ago I really went this way. It’s not the easiest one though as one has to master not only the basics, but also advanced networking and storage. Before, I used to have only one hat as a system admin, but with virtualization you must handle storage and networking as well. So learning more about networking or storage was just a natural step forward with the IT journey I’m on right now.

If you were approached by a student who is interested in career in virtualization and computing, what would be your advice to get where you are today?

First to start, depending on which country you live in. But in France for example, you must follow the usual paths and get a diploma at university or equivalent, in order to get a job in the IT industry. If you have the knowledge, but you don’t have a diploma then it’s much harder or impossible to interest the recruiters. So first, finish the study of the branch that you’re most interested in. If you’re into dev, then go and learn some coding. If you’re into administration, as a system admin, then you might chose different path. But what I want to say is that no matter what you choose, you should chose something that you’re passionate about.

ESX Virtualization has made a lot of strides over the past few years. Voted for #15 VMware & virtualization blogs of 2014. How did you accomplish this? How much time do you spend for blogging?

Blogging is another passion I have. Since 2008 I created ESX Virtualization, the audience keeps growing. But when I first installed the WordPress blogging software, it was first about keeping it for my internal bookmarking. I wasn’t really targeting any audience. But the audience found the articles enough interesting and I just kept writing new and new ones.

What’s the best advice or tip you’ve discovered about blogging?

I’d say that i’ts almost a job apart. There is some serious knowledge to master with how to write (in foreign language please) and how to write an article so the reader can understand and can follow it (as a guide). I remember once I did an article, and the formatting with screenshots, with a test in a lab took me the whole day. I say – being a professional blogger is a daily job!

What advice would you have for someone who is just starting with their first blog?

Find your passionate area, blogging frequency and stick with it. If you think that you can post once a week. Fine. But keep that blogging frequency. Sure, the audience might expect more than a single article a week, but that is fine. Important is to start a blog and keep the articles flowing. If you think that you’re passionate about some particular technology, then put your knowledge on line. As much as you can. Prove that you are an expert in what you are writing about. If you are only passively surfing the internet, nobody will ever notice that you exist, and that you are a blogger…-:)