70-659 Vouchers Giveaway!

May 14, 2012 10 Comments

Hey folks my friends at TekSource Corporate Learning (www.teksource.ca) in Toronto have told me that they have just received nine (9) more vouchers for the 70-659 exam (TS: Microsoft Windows Server 2008: Server Virtualization).  Knowing that so many of you were disappointed when Ruth (Technology Advisor, Microsoft Canada) announced that she was out of them, I thought I would take this opportunity to offer them up to you.

Now, there are some pre-conditions:

  1. First priority is going to go to members of the IT Pro Toronto Virtual Study Group (or any other affiliated study group from across the country).  They have done the work, and many were under the impression that we had promised them vouchers.
  2. Second priority will go to people who have attended any session that I have led or participated in.  That means a user group event, IT Pro Boot Camp, Tae Kwon Do class, Summit, anything… as long as I was there and recognized as a presenter or proctor.
  3. Third priority goes to Canadian IT Pros.  I know I support the community worldwide, but my first priority for this program has to go to Canada.  They are not geo-locked, but I will be checking! :)
  4. You have to schedule and take the exam before May 31, 2012.

So with that being said, if you want a voucher I need for you to do two things:

  1. Comment on this blog article to the effect of ‘I want a voucher! I want to get certified!’
  2. If you are a member of one of the study groups, send me an e-mail letting me know which one, who the leader is, and when it ended (or is scheduled to end).  That will of course put you to the front of the line.
  3. If you are not a member of one of the study groups let me know which session you attended.
  4. If you did not attend one of my sessions let me know where in Canada you live… and work or study!
  5. Check your e-mail!  If you don’t get an e-mail then I am sorry, you didn’t get it.

That’s it folks.  I will ask one more thing though… Commit to writing the exam before May 31.  If for any reason you cannot I do not want to see any of these vouchers (value: $150 US Dollars!) wasted.  Also please let me know how you did!  I am always very interested in the success of my students and readers!

Good luck… both with the contest and the exam!

Filed under Certifications, Certs, Hyper-V, IT Pro, Virtualization

Congratulations on Your Microsoft Certification!

April 19, 2012 Leave a comment

I received the following e-mail earlier in the week:

Congratulations on earning your Windows Server® 2008 Core certification! We hope you enjoy the benefits of your certification and of membership in the Microsoft Certified Professional community.

WHAT IS NEXT?

Visit the MCP member site (www.microsoft.com/mcp) to download your new logo, certificate, view and share your transcript, and access additional MCP resources.

KEEP IN TOUCH!

Visit the profile center and make sure you are subscribed to the MCP newsletter for updates on exams, training, and program benefits: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/newsletters/default.mspx.

Connect with your peers for networking and advice in the Born to Learn blog:

http://blogs.technet.com/mslcommunity

Congratulations once again,

The Microsoft Certification Program Team

I have received several similar e-mails before.  After all, this is not my first cert.  It is, however, the first time that I have received this e-mail without having so much as scheduled a test.  As I mentioned in my recent article Microsoft Renews the Certification Plan I earned the new MCSA: Windows Server 2008 Core credential by virtue of the fact that I was already an MCITP: Server Administrator.  More accurately, I earned it because I had already passed the three requisite exams: 70-640, 70-642, and 70-646 which, by no coincidence I am sure, are the three exams required to earn the new cert.

According to the Microsoft Certification Logo Builder site, the MCSA Windows 2008 Server logos will only be available on April 24th, but I expect we can all imagine what that will look like.  In the meantime, I do not feel that I have earned this certification, so much as it has been bestowed onto me for past acts Smile

Filed under Certifications, Certs, MCITP: Server Administrator, MCSE, Microsoft Learning

Microsoft Renews the Certification Plan

April 17, 2012 5 Comments

I remember the day that I earned my first senior certification, the Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) on Microsoft Windows 2000.  It was a proud day for me, May 27, 2005.  I would later earn my MCSA on Microsoft Windows Server 2003 (June 30, 2006), and I was thrilled beyond belief.  Interestingly, although my original goal when I set out to get certified was to earn my Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) on Windows 2000, it would take me several years – in fact, until December 16, 2010 – to become an MCSE, and by that time the Windows 2000 cert exams had long since been retired, and I settled (quite happily) for earning it on Microsoft Windows Server 2003.

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The story behind why there was no MCSE on Windows 2008, and why Microsoft Learning transitioned these certifications (the MCSE is still the most recognized certification that Microsoft has) probably has many branches to it, but only one of them involves me, The Montreal IT Professionals Community, and Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, or the Quebec Order of Engineers.

In mid-2006 organized communities of IT Professionals were still in their infancy.  I was the president of the Montreal IT Professionals Community (www.mitpro.ca) which was, as near as I could tell, the only organization at the time dedicated to furthering the careers of IT Professionals throughout the province of Quebec.  It seems that the Quebec Order of Engineers (OIQ) was worried that people would confuse MCSEs for actual Engineers, and on April 23, 2004 Judge Claude Millette of the Court of Québec agreed, penalizing Microsoft $1,000 (IT Business.CA, April 23, 2004).  In mid-2006 (MITPro was founded in January of 2005) I received word that Microsoft had exhausted the appeals process, and had issued a statement that MCSEs in the province of Quebec were to stop using the title Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer.

As the representative of the largest organized body of IT Professionals in the province, I realized the relevance of this decision, and sprang into action.  Leveraging my contacts at Microsoft Canada, Culminis, and anyone who would listen I made it clear that this decision – to bar IT Pros in one province from using their credentials while permitting those elsewhere to do so was not only discriminatory, it would be actionable.  Of course at this point I did not hold the credential myself, but that was not relevant to the discussion.

I do not know what effect my actions had (I was a very loud voice at the time, but only one voice) but I do know that within a short delay Microsoft backtracked a bit, saying that the MCSE certification would be discontinued, and that going forward (from the next version of the technologies) there would be a new certification… which nobody had decided on yet, but would end up being the Microsoft Certified IT Professionals (MCITP) program.

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One benefit of the new program that was introduced to replace the MCSE program was that rather than having one primary certification that encompassed everything, there would be senior certifications for each specialty… although we would also be able to create combined logos where it made sense – so in my case, I have my Server certs, my Windows 7 certs, and my Windows Vista certs each grouped together.

I remember giving several user group presentations on ‘The Next Generation of Microsoft Certifications’ around North America.  It was great because I was involved in creating so many of the exams back then, and I was able to get a clearer understanding of how certifications (the MCTS and MCITP) would map out.

With the announcement last week by Microsoft Learning, all of what I did know has now been upended, with yet another Next Generation of Microsoft Certifications.  In fact not only are they making changes going forward, they are also going back to the older certs and renaming them.  So:

MCSA-RGB = MCSA(rgb)_454_440
MCSE(rgb) = MCSE(rgb)_457

Going forward Microsoft Certified Solutions Experts (MCSE) will be solutions based rather than product based.  So the first one (in my bailiwick) will be called MCSE: Private Cloud.  This will require the Core certification (in this case MCSA: Windows Server 2008) plus two exams – 70-247 (Configuring and Deploying a Private Cloud with System Center 2012) and 70-246 (Monitoring and Operating a Private Cloud with System Center 2012).  Until it is retired (on January 31, 2013) Exam 70-659 can take the place of exam 70-247 for this cert.

You may have noticed that I have not made any mention thus far of the MCTS exams.  That is because going forward there will be no equivalent to the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS).  Microsoft Learning is doing away with the whole concept of taking a single exam to earn a certification.  They had discussed doing this earlier (or at least they discussed requiring multiple exams to earn an MCTS) but until now it has not happened.  In any event, that day is here!

By the way, for those of you who previously held the cert MCITP: Server Administrator on Windows Server 2008, you will be happy to know that you are now officially a Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA): Windows Server 2008.  The requirements for the MCSA are exactly what they were for the old MCITP: SA (70-640, 70-642, and 70-646).

imageIt is not uncommon for Microsoft Learning’s MCP site (https://mcp.microsoft.com/mcp) to have a few hiccups in the transition between old and new, and this time is no exception.  I have noticed a number of cases there this is true.

1) As of this morning my MCP Transcript does show both certs, even though they are in all respects that same.  I do not know if they intend to leave it as is, but I should think that if they are identical then it need only appear the once.  As you can see, the Certification Numbers(introduced with the new transcript format last year) for the two as well as Achievement Dates are unique.

2) My Logo Builder no longer shows that I am an MCSA (v1) or MCSE (v1) but has renamed both of those in line with the new (v2) program.  However it does allow me to build a logo for the Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator, and under that the only platform listed is Windows Server 2008 Core.  I assume that in the near future this will be remedied, but for the moment I am satisfied that My MCSA now spans the server technologies in which I am expert, from Windows Server 2000 to Windows Server 2008 R2.

image

This may be the only time and place you ever see this logo… I am reasonably sure it is a blip, and already the site will create it but will not allow me to Build it.

So what’s next for me?  Obviously I will start studying to take the 70-246 exam to get my MCSE: Private Cloud.  What’s next for you?  That is up to you… but Private Cloud solutions are certainly an exciting place to be working for the next few years, and if you are not in the cloud then you will eventually be left behind.

Filed under Certifications, Certs, MCITP, MCSE, Microsoft Learning Tagged with , , , , , ,

My Certification History, and the Importance of Multi-Vendor Certifications

April 7, 2012 1 Comment

In 2001 I had an intern working for me at IGS Security whose name I cannot recall, but she was a student at LaSalle College, and was working toward earning her Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification. She and I did not get along very well, and she left early with a bad attitude… although some of it was justified.

One of the conversations that we had was around certifications, and she was working on hers, but didn’t have any yet. I told her (stupidly) that I could get my MCSE if I wanted to, but didn’t have the time nor see the value in it. When she quit she wrote a letter to my boss and among other accusations (which were not true) she brought this one up (which was). I felt bad about it, but never contacted her to apologize. I did, however, make the decision to start working toward that credential, and with a little help from friends and family embarked upon an incredible journey that has changed my life.

clip_image001Since I earned my first certification on March 31, 2003 I have been extremely proud to hold industry certifications. It was on that day that I passed exam 70-210 and was officially (and still am) a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP). That afternoon I went out and downloaded the MCP logo (I may have had to wait a few days until I got the confirmation e-mail from Microsoft Learning), and went into the company where I worked and resigned my position as Director of M.I.S. I knew that I could now demand a much higher salary… and I was right, to a point.

clip_image002I needed to pass a number of other exams in order to achieve my next certification, which was the Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator. I earned the one on Windows 2000 on May 27, 2005, and a year later (June 30, 2006) I passed the upgrade exam to be an MCSA on Windows Server 2003. I now had a senior certification, and was as proud as a peacock. Within the Microsoft world I was on my way!

clip_image003With my senior certification under my belt, it did not take long before I was able to qualify as a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT). This took a little more work, because in those days I didn’t have a credit card, and unlike regular certifications, there is a $400/year fee to being an MCT. As well I had not taken the Train the Trainer class, so I had to get proof from a Certified Partner for Learning Solutions (CPLS) that they wanted me to train for them. Versalys in Montreal provided the letter, and in August, 2006 I earned that right.

clip_image004In the same month – August 29, 2006 to be exact – I earned my Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST) cert. It was, to date, the easiest senior cert that I had achieved, but that is probably because it was two exams on Windows XP, a platform that I had been using and supporting for five years. That was the first time that I had passed two exams on consecutive days… the truth was I thought about taking one in the morning and the next in the afternoon, and do not remember why I didn’t… it was probably either because I was busy in the afternoon (or did not want to schedule a full day away from clients) or because I was simply afraid that if I failed the first exam I would never be able to pass the next. That achievement – multiple exams passed in a single day – would have to wait a little while longer!

clip_image005I knew that that with Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista that Microsoft was evolving their certifications model… there would no longer be an MCSE, MCSA, or MCP… rather most exams would earn the candidate an MCTS (Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist), and the PRO exams, in conjunction with the TS exams, would earn a senior cert. My first MCTS was on Windows Vista (Configuration). I believe that was the first exam that I ever took in beta (pre-release) and I took it the first morning that it was available, which was October 31, 2006. I would not get confirmation that I passed it until January of 2007, but according to my certification transcript I earned it on the day I took the test, making it the first (of many) certifications to which I had the honour of being a Charter Member. I don’t know how many become charter, but it means I was one of the first.

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The only two certifications I would earn in 2007 were my first two senior certifications of the new model… My first Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) was MCITP: Consumer Support Technician, which I earned April 2, 2007. For reasons that I cannot recall it took two more months to be accredited as an MCITP: Enterprise Support Technician, which I was awarded on June 18th of that year. However I actually passed the qualifying exam for it several times – including once dating back to the first beta – December 22, 2006 – but I was never able to get Microsoft to change the date of the award on the transcript. I am, however, still a Charter Member of that cert.

clip_image007Over the course of the next few years I earned several other Microsoft certifications – several MCTSes and a handful of MCITPs – but in December, 2010 I decided that I had put off my original goal for too long. I had always said that I wanted to be an MCSE, and despite that being an older certification on legacy technology, I think I knew deep down that it meant something, because it was my original goal. I think that it is important to set goals, and although there is nothing wrong with modifying them along the way, sometimes our goals have a significance other than the obvious.

I know that over the years I have lost contracts and jobs because I didn’t have the MCSE… even though by a certain point I DID know the material… at least most of it! I can think of two companies where I was told ‘Sorry, we really do need someone with the MCSE after their name.’ I mean, in 2010? Really? Ok, so be it. It may have been meaningless going forward as people started to understand that MCITP was the new MCSE, but I decided in December of 2010 to do it. I looked at my transcript, used the Certification Planner (which is a great tool on the MCP site that lets you know what requirements are left for any given certification), and realized I was short two exams… both of which I had failed once before.

I wouldn’t say that 70-293 (Planning and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure) was the hardest exam I had even taken, but it was the one I struggled with most. I had failed it not once but three times, twice dating back to 2008, and once earlier (February) of 2010. I decided to really dedicate myself to passing this time. I studied my butt off, and when the final screen showed ‘Congratulations you passed’ and that my score was 866, I was thrilled! Now all I had to do was…

I had failed 70-297 (Designing a Microsoft Server 2003 Active Directory and Network Infrastructure) before, in 2008. It was then that I learned about testlets… and how much I did not like them. I was worried because the format of the exam was so different, but again, I was a lot more experienced than I had been in 2008, and I wrote the exam the day after I passed the previous one… and for the first time in a very long time I took nearly all of the allowed time. I am generally a fast test writer, but I made sure I left nothing on the field for this one. When the screen said that I passed I was relieved… but when the score report showed that I scored a perfect 1000, I gasped! I had never done that before, and was shocked, thrilled, elated… and surprised! On December 15, 2010 I was finally able to proudly call myself a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE).

it would take a few more months for me to earn the last Microsoft certifications that I wanted… MCITP on Windows Server 2008 (there are two – Server Administrator and Enterprise Administrator). I had already earned the MCITP: Virtualization Administrator, but that was a specialty cert, while the SA and EA were essentially the 2008 versions of MCSA and MCSE. I wrote the three requisite MCTS exams in one day – the first and last time that I will ever try that again! I passed them all, but it was nerve wracking. The following month I went into the testing center prepared for exam 70-696 PRO: Windows Server 2008, Server Administrator. It was another bear – a testlet-type exam like the 297 Design exam, and although I was not prepared for that, I did know the material, and was glad that I was able to pass it. The following day I went back confidently to pass 70-697… and failed.

clip_image008You should never underestimate or take a certification exam lightly… it is a recipe for failure, as I discovered that day. It was, in my humble opinion, one of the toughest exams I had ever written. As I wrote recently in an article Wow that certification exam was TOUGH! exams are not meant to be easy, and the more valued the certification the tougher the exam should be. It took me a few more months to both find the time and the energy to prepare for and re-take the exam, but on December 20, 2011 – a year after finally earning my MCSE, I became an MCITP: Enterprise Administrator on Windows Server 2008. Not since my early days of certifications had I been as proud of a credential as this one.

clip_image010clip_image012Of course, I have discussed my journey to Microsoft certifications, but I have not discussed the others… I am also certified in VMware – both by VMware themselves, and by VMTraining, a third party training company that has their own course called the vSphere Ultimate Bootcamp. Both of these companies have their own certification exams, and I am proud to have passed both of them for both vSphere 4 and the current vSphere 5. I have said for years that IT should never be about religion, it should be about the best tool for the job. Until recently Microsoft was a bit-player in the server virtualization space, and while that has changed and will change more with the release of Hyper-V 3.0 with Windows Server 8, VMware is still the industry leader in that space, and I could never represent and discuss Microsoft Virtualization properly without knowing the competition, and besides, the certification has helped me get a number of consulting gigs in VMware shops!

The point is I have never been hurt by certifications, and when people ask me if they are still relevant or important I point to both the gigs I have gotten because of them… and the ones I have not gotten. I tell them that when I am asked to consult on a hire (which I do from time to time) one of my first qualifiers is always ‘What certifications does the candidate have?’ I consider certifications proof that the professional has the respect for their field to not only do things the right way, but to prove it. So if you are not certified, I think it is time to seriously consider getting so… your career will thank me for it!

Filed under Career, Certifications, Certs, Microsoft Learning, VMware Tagged with , , , , , ,

Wow that certification exam was TOUGH!

March 31, 2012 6 Comments

I was so excited in 2003 when I passed my first certification exam and became a Microsoft Certified Professional.  I immediately went out and printed new business cards with my new MCP logo, quit my (reasonably low-paying) job, and decided to make my own way as an independent computer consultant.  It was, up to that point, the proudest day of my IT career.

Whenever people complain to me that certification exams are hard, I remind them that if they were easy then the credentials would be worthless.  The harder we have to work for a goal, the higher we value it – the higher it is valued by others.  As the famous quote states:

“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow”  –Thomas Paine

So really, why would you ever want a certification exam to be easy?  I remember walking out of one exam that I took several years ago fuming because it was too easy.  I was angry because I felt it diminished the value of all of my certifications, and was glad when Microsoft Learning revisited that exam and did make it tougher… somewhat.

I know, looking at my transcript, which were easier and which were not… but I also know by speaking with my peers.  There was a time when we simply didn’t discuss failed exams… although one good friend of mine, with whom I went through many of my early certs, made me a bet about one exam that he had failed three times.  I couldn’t understand at that point how someone could actually fail one exam that many times… I have since learned the hard way.

One friend of mine – someone I consider to be smarter than I am – has failed one particular exam four times.  That is rough… but it is among the hardest exams I have ever taken.  To be fair, it took me a second try to pass it, but I was glad when I did.  Maybe glad is the wrong word… thrilled, relieved, exhausted, and elated are all accurate.  The exam was 70-647 PRO: Windows Server 2008, Enterprise Administrator.  It is easy to underestimate these exams, but it is a PRO exam, which means you have to really know your stuff… and not just the answer to questions, you have to be able to weigh the needs of different people and departments in a client environment before selecting an answer.  The exams that go through scenarios (testlets) and ask you several questions on that environment help to not only understand the technology, but also what is required to be a trusted business advisor to your customers.

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That certification – the MCITP: Enterprise Administrator – is in my experience the toughest of the MCITP certifications available today.  It is a worthy successor to the retired Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) which remains among the most recognized industry certifications today.  It is rigorous – you need to pass five exams – 70-640, 70-642, 70-643, 70-647, and a desktop exam.  However when you do obtain this credential, hiring managers will take notice.

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If this is a bit much (and for a lot of people it is not just a question of being too hard, it is simply overkill) then Microsoft offers another certification – MCITP: Server Administrator – that I see as the successor to the Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) from Windows Server 2000 and 2003.  It is also tough, but only requires three exams… 70-640, 70-642, and 70-646.  If you are paying attention, you will notice that the SA cert requirements are a subset of the EA cert, so if you are working toward your Enterprise Admin, but need more time, it may be worthwhile to take the extra exam and get the SA once you have passed the first two exams.

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Once you earn both credentials you will actually have six separate certifications, which may not be more knowledge than you would have had with the MCSE model, but it does make for a slightly more impressive transcript.  For all of the people who would say ‘I have four MCPs’ or ‘I am an MCP in Server Infrastructure and Active Directory’ they were really just MCPs.  Today you can show potential employers exactly where you are in your certification roadmap, and what you have left.  It also, frankly, looks better.

The harder you work on your certifications the sweeter they will be… but the current model also allows you more milestones along the way… I remember thinking back when I started out that it was cool that I got a certification with my first exam, but how disappointing was it that I needed to pass six more exams until I got my next cert?  The introduction of the MCSA made it a little better – only four exams for that.  Now every time you pass an exam you can add it to your transcript, and it does show more granular progress.  So the MCITP: EA may be harder than previous iterations, but you can at least hang your hat along the journey with measured progress.

Of course… soon enough Microsoft will be releasing Server 8, and I’ll have to start all over again…

Filed under Certification Exams, Certifications, Certs, MCITP, Microsoft Learning Tagged with , , , , , , ,

A response to a recent blog response

December 30, 2011 Leave a comment

Yesterday a gentleman named Cameron wrote a very insightful response to an article I write back in July (Certifications Alone do not Make the Pro, July 20, 2011).  He points out that as he has been in IT for 26 years, he actually pre-dates most certifications.  Please read his comment, but this is my response.  I respect his position, but if the world changes around him then he may find himself scrambling. –M

—

You make a lot of very interesting points in this article, but the one that stands out is that you have been with the same company for sixteen years. That is nearly unheard of in our industry, and power to you! I am sure that as long as you are in your current position you know all of your systems and wouldn’t need the certs… but if your CV was on my desk it would mean that your safety zone was gone. It would mean that you needed to find a new job, and the job that I might be hiring for DOES require some of those tools that you have never encountered.

The new generation of certifications – the MCTS and MCITPs – help somewhat. While MCITPs are more job-based, the MCTS certs are task-based… so if you work with AD you don’t need to know IIS. However I understand that no cert will be custom-tailored to an individual.

In any event, as long as you stay in the role and current in the technologies that you need, then I understand that certifications are likely not as relevant to you. However if you do have to step out into the job market, I want to leave you with this thought… when you explained your situation to me it made sense, and I might have even given you an interview. However if I had given the HR manager or a headhunter a series of criteria to look for, you never would have had the opportunity to make your case to me. They look for keywords, and if you don’t have it you don’t get to bat, let alone on base.

I will leave you with this thought… The great composers of the Rennaissance did not study the classics, they were too busy inventing them. I also learned computers way back when, but realized that I had to adjust to the realities of the modern world… and I didn’t invent anything so when I do apply for jobs (contracts) I cannot say ‘I wrote Hyper-V’… so I have to demonstrate to them that my knowledge of server virtualization is superior to that of the next candidate, and the first step to that is certifications :)

Filed under Certification Exams, Certifications, Certs, IT Pro

Skills Measured: Improving your chances of passing certification exams

December 21, 2011 5 Comments

I have a friend who has been using Hyper-V since it was released with Windows Server 2008.  I know that because at the time I did some consulting for his company, and was given a tour of his environment.  That is why I was a bit surprised to hear that he recently failed his certification exam 70-659 TS: Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization.  I asked him why he felt he did not pass, and he told me that while he thought he know Hyper-V very well, the exam covered all sorts of aspects that surprised him… he didn’t use things like Remote Desktop Services, command-line utilities, and a few other components that were more heavily weighted on the exam than he had expected.

Certification exams are hard; they are meant to demonstrate the skills of the top professionals with the technology being measured.  I have worked on the design and creation of several certification exams for Microsoft Learning (including this one), and we intentionally try to come up with questions that will be challenging.  That is the only reason that our certifications have value.  However Microsoft Learning also take great steps to not surprise you. If you come out of an exam feeling they tested things that you did not expect then you went into the exam unprepared.  This article will cover a number of steps that should help you to avoid doing that.

Don’t Study for Exams

I have been saying this for years… the best way to pass an exam is not to study for it… know the material and you should pass.  The best way to know technology is to use it, and if you read the recommended pre-requisites for most exams they say that you should have a minimum of two years experience with the technology.  Someone once described one of the exams that I had helped to write as follows: ‘Some of those questions can’t be answered by studying a book… if you have deployed the software then you will know most of the answers off the top of your head, but if you haven’t… wow, it will be difficult to pass.’  Although I do not create exams anymore, I hope this is a bar that Microsoft Learning will set for their exam creation teams.  On the flipside of that comment, there is one exam that I wrote a couple of years ago that I passed without ever having implemented any of the technologies discussed.  Either I was channeling Liberty Munson, or it was simply a poorly written exam.

Study the Scope

For every exam that Microsoft Learning has there is a document called the Objective Domain.  On the website it is simply called ‘Skills Measured’ and in preparing for an exam there is probably no more crucial document than this.  It starts with the main categories – for example, for exam 70-642 TS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuring there are five categories:

  • Configuring Addressing and Services
  • Configuring Name Resolution
  • Configuring Network Access
  • Configuring File and Print Services
  • Monitoring and Managing a Network Infrastructure
    Some exams may have four categories and some may have seven… but these are the main technologies or skills that are covered.  Under each of these categories there will ne a number of sub-points… so under Configuring Name Resolution you will have a point on Configure DNS zones and Configure a Domain Name System (DNS) server… all of the topics that the original Objective Domain Team decided were important enough to have specific questions written to.them.  Under those you will have more specific tips, so under Configure a Domain Name System (DNS) server you will find: “May include but is not limited to: conditional forwarding; external forwarders; root hints; cache-only; socket pooling; cache locking.”  These are not points that WILL have a question or two, but MIGHT have.
    Fill in the Blanks
    Of course, in the case of this exam (70-642) you have probably been using Windows Server 2008 for three or more years, so you think you are ready to write the exam.  However when you review the Skills Measured section for this exam you review this list, and notice the following section:

Configuring Network Access

  • Configure DirectAccess.

    • May include but is not limited to: IPv6; IPsec; server requirements; client requirements; perimeter network; name resolution policy table

Now, although you have a Server 2008 R2 infrastructure in your environment, you have not implemented Direct Access, and you have not even looked at IPv6.  You have already in your trusted Self Paced Study Guide from Microsoft Press, so rather than reading the whole book, you pull out your PostIt notes and start placing them strategically at the pages of the topics that you need to learn or review.  While you may now have 100 sticky notes all over the book, you have done a very good job of narrowing down what topics you need to study (or review).

Practice Lab

The abovementioned example is a bad choice for this, but most topics that you are going to study will be easier to learn by implementing them in your lab, which may be in your corporate datacentre, in your basement, or at school.  Make sure you can build all of the scenarios that the book discusses so that you do not only have a theoretical knowledge of them, but have actually given yourself hands-on experience with them.  Theories are great, but theoretical knowledge can be dangerous when the exam asks you a practical question such as ‘What do you do next?’

Practice Exams

There are several vendors selling good and legitimate practice exams, that will help you to gauge if you are truly ready for the exam.  This does not mean that you should buy question lists or Brain Dumps… all of which are tantamount to cheating.  However vendors such as Bosun offer legitimate practice tests that should tell you if you are ready or not.  They may cost as much as the exam, but they are worth it.  I used to use them for each exam, and was always frustrated when I would score 90% and still fail… however when I came out of the actual exam with an 875 I knew that running through them time after time paid off!

There’s always an angle…

Ok, that sounds dirty.  However Microsoft Learning and Prometric run all sorts of promotions throughout the year, ranging from exam discounts for pre-purchasing multiple exams, to Certification Packs for the Microsoft Partner Network, to Second Shot Free vouchers.  Also beta exams are a good route to get certified for free, but these are usually not offered to the public, and you do not have the benefit of practice exams, Skills Measured pages, and so on.  I save on exams because I am a Microsoft Certified Trainer, which entitles me to a 50% discount off the regular cost of $150 per exam – I have taken six exams this year, so I have saved $450, or $50 more than my yearly MCT dues cost.  However if you do not want to invest in becoming an MCT, keep an eye on the MPN Newsletter, as well as the Born To Learn blog for deals that pop up every so often.

Don’t be afraid to fail!

I know too many IT Pros who don’t schedule their exams because they are afraid that they will fail.  I have failed more exams than most people have taken, and although there is a cost to it, you also learn from failing.  If you are not sure if you are ready for the exam then you can keep waiting until the certification becomes irrelevant, or you can impose a deadline on yourself.  The worst thing that can happen is that you fail – nobody is going to stand and laugh at you (Nelson Munch style).  However the first thing you should do when you walk out of the exam room is jot down notes about what you were not sure of… and that with your Score Report (which will let you know according to the Top-Level buckets from the Skills Measured page how you did on each section) will give you a good guide to what you should be studying before retaking the exam.

Don’t Mess with Juju!

If you have a system and it works, don’t mess with it.  I have mine, you have yours, and you cannot learn from mine – you can learn my study habits, but my idiosyncrasies will not help you.  If you only pass exams on Thursdays then why would you possibly schedule one for Tuesday?  If you have a lucky pair of socks, make sure they are clean and ironed before you head to the exam centre.  In addition to the tips I have given you herein, real or imagined, these habits may help you to pass your exams – or at least calm you down in the room so you can pass.  Whatever it is that works for you, do it!

Filed under Certification Exams, Certifications, Certs, Exams, Microsoft Learning

Dedication

July 21, 2011 Leave a comment

I am teaching a MCITP Boot Camp at a training centre in Virginia Beach.  Although the hours of my class require me to be here from 6:30am to 5:00pm, I I am usually here much later than that – last night I left around 7:15.

The reason I bring this up is not to show my level of dedication… If I leave late it’s not because my students are still here and they need me, although if they were I would.  Most of the time it is because I am checking and answering e-mails that are not related to the class, or finishing up a blog article, or looking up interesting new ways of spelling knish.  It is because of this:

There is a student in another one of the classes – I believe it is a Security+ class – down the hall who has been here pretty early every day – have not exactly checked, but when I go for coffee at 7:30 she’s usually at her seat.  She has certainly been here every day when I leave, in the same seat, plugging away at her courseware.

That is not all that impressive, until you realize that I have been here until 6:15 and 7:15 on a couple of nights this week, and she has still been there.  She is plugging away at her labs, reviewing her books, looking up what she doesn’t know.  She is, in fact, doing everything she has to do to pass the course and obtain the certification.

I always tell my students that the difference between passing a (Microsoft) certification exam with a 700 versus a 1000 is bragging rights, and it’s true… just like the guy who graduated last in his med-school class is called Doctor.  There is no difference in the certification.  However there is no such thing as being too prepared for an exam… preparation is knowledge which, if nothing else, instills confidence.  It does not guarantee a perfect score, but it is the only path to passing.

I hope all of my students are going to pass their exams… but I am reasonably certain that this woman will.

Filed under Certification Exams, Certifications, Certs, Dedication, Preparation

Certifications versus Degrees

July 21, 2011 Leave a comment

As I peruse the articles I have written over the years that were not originally written for my blog (or, as is the case here, that was originally on my old blog, was republished elsewhere, and did not get transitioned over to the new site after the moves) I am finding a number of articles that are still relevant and, I hope, will still be interesting to people looking to start out on a career in IT. -M

<October, 2009>Last week I was invited to speak at the Microsoft across America event held at Miami Dade College for their CIS Faculty on the subject of Microsoft Certifications. The Q&A Session was quite lively, and I was asked one question that stuck out in my mind:

If we are getting a degree why are certifications important?

This is a fairly common question that I am asked on a regular basis, and the answer is quite simple. A degree will give you a solid foundation in the theorem behind computers. You can take this degree to any employer today, next year, or in twenty years and it will demonstrate that you completed a program, and that you understand the basics. Certifications are different, in that they demonstrate a solid understanding of the current technology, whether that be Active Directory, Exchange Server 2007, SQL Server 2005, or Windows Vista. They are proof that no matter when you finished your schooling you continue to keep current with the platforms.

A good friend of mine has a degree from Concordia in Computer Engineering. He is a highly intelligent man and a very successful management consultant. When he has trouble with his computer he calls me… it doesn’t matter if it is related to hardware, the OS, or applications, he calls me because since he got his degree in 1970 computers have changed somewhat… whereas thirty years ago he was able to program the most advanced mainframes, and some of his programs are still in use by companies today, today he knows how to do everything that he needs to do – including his banking, booking travel and other on-line shopping, and most everything (basic level) with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. In other words, this Computer Engineer (he will always have the right to the title) knows roughly the same as my mother does, but with a much greater understanding of the theory behind it. I am sure he can also (if prompted) still do basic binary and hexadecimal math; if you ask him to check the IP Address of his computer he might or might not be able to do so, and if so only because I walked him through it once.

Does this mean that a degree in computers is useless? Nothing could be further from the truth. The theoretical knowledge that you earn in school is absolutely invaluable to having a deeper understanding of the practical knowledge any IT professional or developer needs to succeed. So then you might ask why certifications are important. Simply put, certifications demonstrate that, whether you have that education or not, you have a thorough understanding of the tasks and job roles based on the current technology.

Every certification course and book that I have ever read or written has a section at the beginning called prerequisites that will state what you need in order to fully grasp the contents. A degree is the foundation for all of those concepts, plus a great deal more. So don’t drop out of your IT program in college just yet… and if you don’t have that basis remember that you have a lot of background reading to do throughout your career if you want to keep up with the competition.

Filed under CertGuard, Certification Exams, Certifications, Certs, Classroom, Genesis of an IT Pro

MCITP: Server Boot Camp, Virginia Beach

July 20, 2011 Leave a comment

It was REALLY last minute… on Friday I got a mass e-mail from a training provider scrambling to replace a trainer who had cancelled at the last minute.  By some miracle of scheduling I was available; after a few hours of back and forth e-mails I booked my flight for Sunday to be at the training facility Monday morning.

All boot camps are hectic.  The pace is often ridiculous… it is frantic to rush through 15 days of classes in 10 days, but with a group of students as good as these, who have met the prerequisites and have the drive and the discipline, then it can be done.  We completed the first course (6421: Configuring and Troubleshooting a Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure) in four days instead of five, and the students all wrote the exam Thursday evening and Friday morning.  All passed (one needed to use his Second Shot Free, but that’s what it’s there for!) the first exam (70-642) and earned their first certification (MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuration) and were psyched and energized to tackle two more courses over a six day period.

IMG_0647

It cannot be easy for them.  The pace that the curriculum dictates I maintain is frenetic.  They are all drinking from the fire hose, and many have been learning concepts that they will never have the opportunity to implement or work with in their day to day jobs.  However the morning of Day One they all answered the questions I ask of every class, starting with ‘Why are you here?’ They all have their reasons, and since their employers all sent them most of them revolve around ‘I need the certifications and/or training to keep my job.’  I respect that.

During the two week class two of the seven students have celebrated birthdays.  These were marked by the class going to lunch together, happy birthday wishes, and (very small) token presents.  Neither birthday boy/girl missed class because they were out partying or celebrating too late.  Several times over the fortnight smartphones have vibrated with messages of the world coming to an end back at the office… yet nobody took time off of class because they understand the importance of learning.  When labs break they work out how to fix them, or ask for help (first of their fellow students, then of me).  When concepts are unclear the fellow students help clarify.  It is wonderful to watch.

None of them have complained about the pace, none has shied away from homework and I have not once heard a complaint about the extended work days and early morning.  As Master Lee (see my previous post about Master Lee’s Joonbi Taekwondo) taught his new student last night, our ability to succeed hinges on our willingness to work hard to achieve our goals.  As Grand Master Kim makes us recite before and after class, Everything is up to my mind, Sir!

These students know all of that, and have the work ethic, and now the certification, to prove it!

Way to go class!

Filed under Article, Blog, Boot Camp, Bootcamp, Certification Exams, Certifications, Certs, Classroom, Exams, Genesis of an IT Pro, Industry, IT Pro, MCITP, MCITP: Server Administrator, MCP, MCT, MCTS, Microsoft Learning, Microsoft Windows, SWMI Consulting Group, Trainer, Virginia Beach, Windows Server 2008 R2

Certifications Alone Do Not Make the Pro

July 20, 2011 9 Comments

An interesting post appeared in a newsgroup that I monitor today. A desktop support technician in the United Kingdom lamented a colleague who had attended a two week MCSE boot camp and indeed earned that certification. Unfortunately he later encountered a number of simple issues that he could not resolve, including one with regard to network connectivity; it seemed he tried everything he could think of but never checked that the network cable was tightly connected. She of course had a good laugh at his expense (well deserved) and commented that at last we see the true value of certifications. She very quickly (and to my knowledge unbidden) clarified that she meant that her boss would see that certifications alone would never make an IT professional valuable.

She is right of course. Every Microsoft Official Curriculum course lists prerequisites for taking the course. For 2151 (Microsoft Windows 2000 Network and Operating System Essentials) it lists:

  • Proficiency using the Microsoft Windows interface to configure the desktop environment and to locate, create, and manipulate folders and files;
  • General knowledge of computer hardware components, including memory, hard disks, and CPUs; and
  • General knowledge of networking concepts, including network operating system, client/server relationship, and local area network (LAN).

In turn, course 2151 was a prerequisite for all subsequent courses. In other words, Microsoft Learning expects you to know these concepts, and will not teach them to you.

Let me repeat that last phrase for those who want to blame Microsoft Learning for the shortcomings of some MCSEs: There are basic computing and networking concepts that they expect you to know as prerequisites, and will not teach you.

This is one of the reasons that boot camps tend to make me nervous. If you have someone with strong computer skills, a background in troubleshooting, or even someone who has passed CompTia’s A+ and Network+ certifications, and you send them to an MCSE boot camp, chances are they will come out a more knowledgeable IT Professional. On the other hand, if you were to send a relatively intelligent person who picks up information and concepts quickly and can cram a lot of information into their consciousness over a relatively short period of time they will probably be able to pass the exams required to obtain the MCSE certification… but that will not necessarily make them an IT Pro.

There is a conundrum in the IT industry; you need to have experience, knowledge, and certifications to get many of the good jobs. The knowledge you can get from books, the certifications you can get once you have that knowledge by passing a number of exams, but the experience you will only get from working in the field. That is why companies cannot rely solely on a professional’s MCP Transcript, they also require a CV and a series of interviews. This often frustrates people who ask me why it is that even with their shiny new certifications they cannot find work. When I explain the situation to them they get even more frustrated and ask how they can get experience if nobody will hire them?

My advice to these people is usually very simple:

  1. Volunteer. There are community organizations all over the world with computers that are not being managed, and would be grateful to have an MCSE (MCSA, MCDST) working for them on a part-time basis if it would not cost them anything. Many people list day to day tasks on their CVs, but projects are what HR people in the know are looking for. ‘I implemented a domain-based network for Charity A in my neighbourhood; I migrated fifteen disjoint PCs into an Active Directory network with centralized management and monitoring; I instructed volunteers on the day-to-day tasks required of them. Going forward I am responsible for the monitoring, management, and maintenance of the computer centre while working with the on-site volunteers to give them a better understanding of the implemented infrastructure.’
    The project I just described might be a one week or one month project, depending on the systems and what goes wrong during the process. Dont worry about that, you will learn from it. In an interview someone looking at this curriculum vitae and ask if that was a paid position or a volunteer job; answer them honestly, say you spent the time learning, you passed the required tests, and acquiring the necessary certifications. You understand that this is not enough for the interviewer to hire you so you went out and found a charity that needed you so that you could gain the experience to be truly valuable to his organization. Rather than seeing this as a ploy, most interviewers will commend you for your honesty as well as for your industriousness.
    I am willing to wager that sometime soon the sample projects I listed above will find their way verbatim onto someone’s CV.If that CV ends up on my desk you can be sure I will be checking the reference!
  2. Accept an internship. Depending on the company it could either be low or no pay, but if you are willing to work for a company to prove yourself then one of two things will happen:
    1. You will prove your worth to them and they will hire you into a proper position; or
    2. You will have earned experience and a reference that can be added to your CV so that the next company will see that you have done something.
  3. Be prepared to accept a position that is a rung or two lower than you had hoped for. The truth is that if you went out and paid for either a boot camp or a series of certification courses you probably read somewhere or heard from someone (often the sales person who sold you the courses) that upon earning your certifications you will instantly be ready to take on the position of senior network administrator for Large Corporation B which commands a salary of Two Hundred and Seventy-Five Thousand Dollars. I am reminded of an anecdote where a graduate fresh out of MIT Engineering is interviewing for a job and he says ‘I am looking for a starting salary of $300,000, a company car, and four weeks vacation per year.’ The interviewer answers ‘Well we do have an opening for Senior Project Manager; the starting salary is $360,000, it comes with a corporate condo downtown, a company limo, and six weeks paid vacation when you can use our corporate facilities in Bermuda, Vail, or the French Riviera.’ The graduate is stunned and says ‘You’re kidding me!’ to which the interviewer replies: ‘Yes I am, but only because you started it.’
    We would all like to start at the top, but it is not realistic. Most companies interviewing for senior IT staff will require degrees, certifications, and five (or more) years experience. How do you get to the level where you can demand your own terms? Spend a few years gaining the experience; while you are doing that revisit point 1. Never stop studying. Take on projects that your bosses will look back on and realize your worth when it comes time to review you, or alternately will look appealing to the interviewer who reads it on your CV a couple of years down the road.

Over the past few years I have been a very vocal proponent of the value of certifications. I have worked and continue to work closely with Microsoft Learning to increase the value and to protect the integrity of the certification program. I honestly feel that certifications are an important aspect of an IT Professionals growth. I do not, on the other hand, feel that certifications alone are proof of knowledge or ability. I would never hire anyone based solely on certifications, and would not hire someone without proof of a firm knowledge of how things work in the real world. On the flipside of the same coin I would probably not hire an IT professional with the real world knowledge but who lacked the certifications.

I have said before and will say it again: Certifications are not proof of knowledge. They are a demonstration that someone has the respect for his or her profession to pursue not only the knowledge but the credentials which attest that they are not simply computer guys, but IT Professionals.

Filed under Article, Boot Camp, Bootcamp, CertGuard, Certification Exams, Certifications, Certs, Exams, Industry, IT Pro, MCP, MCSE, Microsoft Learning, SWMI Consulting Group

This MCTs Path to Certification

July 19, 2011 Leave a comment

As I peruse the collection of articles that I have written over the past ten years that are, for whatever reason, not posted on The World According to Mitch I am amazed to see the differences from where I was to where I am.  I hope that some of these articles will help others to see that nobody starts at the top.  Taking the time to decide where you want to go is a good first step to devising the path you will take to get there, and then planning out the journey. -M

<October, 2006>I am not sure when I first started respecting the certifications that some people bragged of, but I do know that the first time I was ever serious about getting certified was in 2001. I was IT Manager for a security firm in Montreal, and I had built my first Active Directory domain around Windows 2000 Server. Thinking back on it I remember how many mistakes I made because I was just following instructions, and did not really have any real knowledge of servers and server environments.

When I decided to get certified I sat with the sales people from the technical centre and figured ‘how hard could it be?’ I would be polishing knowledge I already had, and figured I would take six courses, pass seven exams, and three months later I would be an MCSE.

I took my first five day Microsoft Official Curriculum course in November of 2001 which I consider the single most significant date in my career in IT. My eyes were opened to a whole new world which I thought I knew but really knew nothing about. It would be a long journey from that class until I passed my first exam. Don’t get me wrong, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing and it took nearly no time at all for me to fail my first one, but passing would take until March of 2003. There were some real setbacks (the technical centre who pre-sold me six courses went bankrupt after only one course) but the truth is that once I failed the first two exams I lost my confidence.

After four months of quasi-studying and two failed exams I got very down on myself, and frankly got down on the certification process. ‘I don’t need to be certified… I am good at what I do, and frankly can fake a lot of the rest.’ Thoughts like that were a defense mechanism against that dreaded next exam, which I would not take for another year.

In the meantime I was not a little unhappy with the company where I worked, and started perusing the want ads in the computer field and was astonished by what I found. Everyone was looking for three years experience and certifications. The few available positions that did not advertise these minimum qualifications were often paying near minimum wage, and the ones that did not I eventually lost – to people with certifications. I began to think I would be stuck where I was forever.

Three events transpired to change the course of my life. The first was a CTEC named 3-Soft made a deal with the defunct school I had been at which included honouring some of the courses that students had lost out on. The sales girl at 3-Soft (a woman named Genevieve) scheduled three of the courses for me, and I was back on track. She also suggested I order the Microsoft Press box set of the Self-Paced Training for MCSE 2000. The second event was a letter that an intern had sent to my boss, calling me arrogant in thinking I could become certified without much effort. The letter which my boss shared with me so infuriated me that I was going to prove to her that I could become certified. The third was a ski trip to Montana which I recount in my essay ‘Skiing as a Parallel to Professional Choices.’

I went to work. I studied and I crammed and I reviewed. I took practice exams and (to my shame) I reviewed a brain dump (it would be two more years until I heard the term and realized just how bad they are) and I decided I was ready. I scheduled my exam and in March of 2003 I became a Microsoft Certified Professional.

I was proud, I left my job and found one that paid better (where I was miserable for 10 months) and for a year I rested on my laurels. I know how much work went into that first exam, and frankly now that I had a cert and a logo I did not feel I needed any more. I had something to separate me from the rest.

It was fourteen months before I sat for my next exam and that was really only because I had a free exam voucher that was expiring. I was unemployed and consulting, I was recently married (earlier that same month) and when my bride saw the voucher’s expiry date she told me not to waste it. I did not have any time to study, and was frankly astonished that I passed; but since I did not get any new cert or logo for it, I really saw it as nothing but another exam.

It shocked everyone that my marriage fell apart as quickly as it did, and during the months following my separation I threw myself into work; unfortunately I could not keep myself busy with the two clients and sub-contract work that I had, and one day I looked on my shelf at the Self-Paced Training kit and the MOCs that had been gathering dust. I decided to pull them out and keep them with me. Also it turned out that a new friend I had met through the newly formed user group was on the same cert path that I was on, and we were only one exam apart. We started studying together, and when he passed an exam I wanted to pass it as soon after as I could. It did not hurt that there was a ‘Second Chance Free’ offer but after taking two years to pass two exams, I passed my third on Tuesday and fourth on Friday and just like that I was an MCSA.

It mattered little that I was MCSA on Windows 2000 when the vogue was 2003, my career started to really take off. My peers started to look at me differently, and I started to feel better about myself. After all, if I could pass these four exams, maybe I was as good as people thought! My clients started to listen when I spoke, and my peers came to me for advice.

A few months later I passed my SBS exam and then a few months after that I passed my first Server 2003 exam – and then an upgrade exam; I remember my first teacher describing just how hard upgrade exams were and I believed it – I had failed this one twice before a year earlier.

A few weeks ago I passed my tenth exam without much fanfare, and believe me it feels good to look at my transcript and see more passes than failures. That same day I earned my credentials as a Microsoft Certified Trainer – one of the most exciting days since I started down the long path to certification. It is not over though, and never will be. Certification is an ongoing journey for me, not a path to a goal. I will not say that I do not still approach each and every exam with a healthy dose of fear and trepidation, but it is not the same as it once was. Like with everything else you get into a groove; I have over the years developed my study patterns and habits, and I try to not stray from them no matter how hard or easy I expect an exam to be. With one exception it never matters how easy and exam may be, as I go through the questions I am always convinced I am going to fail. I still consider the seconds between clicking ‘End Exam’ and the Results page the longest and most grueling seconds (on some exams it may feel like minutes!), and live in constant fear of walking out to the secretary’s silent snickering when she hands me a failing exam report. It is for these reasons that I make sure that when preparing for an exam I take every measure possible to pass it.

For those people who are scared of failing their first exam (and from the newsgroups and what I hear from people in my study group) I say dive in because there is a great feeling of relief, satisfaction, and elation to passing and exam but frankly there is more to learn from failing one. If you have never taken an exam before you get a feeling for the process, how it is, and see actual exam questions that you can go back and study what you feel you were weak on. Unlike with my first exams you get a score report which lets you know how strong or weak you were on each concept tested, which you can use to prepare for your next go-around. Take the time to examine it and hit the books. Take your time to read and re-read the sections that you are not fluent on, and then go back to the exam centre a few days or weeks later and get it right. Believe me, when you walk out of that first pass and know you are the world’s newest Microsoft Certified Professional (or MCSA or MCSE or MCDST ) you will be walking on air, and all of those fears will be well and truly behind you.

Filed under Article, CertGuard, Certification Exams, Certifications, Certs

Choose Your First Certification Exam Wisely

July 18, 2011 Leave a comment

As I peruse the articles that I have written over the past ten years I occasionally come across one that is interesting or relevant today.  I wrote this article when I was working with CertGuard, and it was published in November, 2006.  If you are an IT Pro starting down the path to certifications, this may be relevant to you! -M

<November, 2006>I have gone on and on about the importance of that first cert exam, but I have read a lot of comments recently that made me realize how important exam selection can be to that successful first exam.

If your decision to get certified is based on professional necessity – i.e.: your boss said you need to get certified in order to keep your job, the choice may have been made for you, i.e.: ‘We have Windows Server 2003 running our networks, we want you to pass 070-290: Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment.’ Simple and done, you know what your first exam is.

If you have made the decision yourself to follow a certification path on your own, or your bosses have given you incentive to get certified, you should pick your first exams wisely, because they can be a real defining factor in the future of your certification path. (If you have read my articles you will know that I picked the wrong exams for my first two tries when I started out, and instead of getting certified within weeks or months it took about sixteen months for me to pass my first exam, another fifteen months until I passed my second.

A lot of us (yes I said US) think that we know more than the average bear and love a challenge, we decide to do something stupid like pick one of the hardest tests to write first, figuring that once the hard ones are done you can coast. THIS IS A BAD STRATEGY. Cert exams are not only tough, but they are also (probably inadvertently) designed to be cumulative to some degree or another. That is, information you learn for 70-290 may appear in 70-291, or be expected knowledge whereas information specific to 70-291 will never appear in 70-290. If you study for the first and pass, that means you will probably have a good basis for that assumed knowledge in the second exam.

Before everyone jumps all over me I know and agree: Microsoft Certification Exams are not linear, and there is no official ‘recommended path’. That being said there is that fall-over knowledge. An OS or Server exam would not cover routers and sub-netting (at least not in depth). The Infrastructure exams on the other hand will assume that you know Server inside and out. The core exams are numbered (nearly) sequentially for a reason, and any competent counselor will tell you to start at the bottom and work your way up.

Of course for these examples I have taken what I know best – the MCSA/MCSA courses as my example. However if you want to start slower than that – maybe you do not have a great deal of knowledge or experience in servers but know that certifications are the way to go then Microsoft recently released a cert that may be more your speed. The Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST) material is based entirely on Windows XP and the applications that run on it, while teaching a decent introduction to Active Directory technology (on a relatively desktop-centric basis). If you consider yourself a real Windows XP guru then these two exams will be a good launch-pad for a successful certification path. A number of friends of mine have gone this way to start out, and have been proudly signing their names as My Name, MCDST, MCP and that’s okay – I know that when all I had was MCP I signed it everywhere!

In short find the exam that you have the most background understanding of, study until you are ready, then go get certified. Every exam is a stepping stone to something greater but it is a long process, and there is no advantage to starting the hard way. Nobody will ever be more impressed that you passed Infrastructure before Server or Active Directory before Desktop. If you know Active Directory better than anything then by all means try that exam first, but chances are you will want to start smaller. MCP take a single exam, and (as I learned the hard way) it might as well be the easier exam to get your feet wet – don’t try to drink from a fire hose!

Good luck and now go out and get certified!

Filed under Article, CertGuard, Certification Exams, Certifications, Certs, Exams, Genesis of an IT Pro, IT Pro, MCP, MCT, Microsoft, Microsoft Learning, Microsoft Windows

Skiing as a Parallel for Professional Life

July 14, 2011 3 Comments

As I peruse my old articles I keep coming up with things I wrote in 2002-2003 and reminisce about where I came from.  I have often told people about this article that I wrote about taking the professional plunge, but it had been lost until recently.  I hope you enjoy it! -M

<March 31, 2003> On a recent trip to the Rocky Mountains I took the opportunity to do some skiing. Although I was not a beginner, my confidence had been completely shattered because of past runs. However by enlisting the help of an instructor and sticking to the beginner ‘Green Dot’ trails, I shone all morning. Although the runs I was sticking to were not particularly challenging, they were comfortable. Okay, maybe nobody would take notice of me and I was not going to get any better as a skier, but at least I knew that at the end of the day I would make it home safe. The scenery was all the same, and since I was skiing close to the bottom of the hill I did not have the spectacular views that I would have had from the summit… but I was safe, and that’s what counted.

As I tore down the bunny hill, I started thinking of the similarities to my professional life. I have been a computer professional for most of my adult life, and it seems that I am pretty good at it. When I was younger I owned my own consulting firm, and though my clients were mostly pleased with my work, I was a poor manager, and probably not very reliable. I was young and foolish, and thought I knew everything – and I was too proud to ask for help. My business closed, and ever since, I was always happy working for others. One has less chance of really getting ahead, and they say that you can never get rich working for someone else. As the network administrator of a company I would never have the chance to shine, but I always knew that on every second Thursday there was a paycheque waiting for me. Meager though it may be I am safe. I always know where my next meal is coming from, and that is what counts; right?

After lunch I grew brave, and boarded the chairlift to the summit from which there were no Green Dot trails in sight. It matters little that I was invited to ski with an attractive young lady and did not want to show her my fears – the fact is that when I disembarked from the chair, I was looking down from eight thousand feet and the view was magnificent. There really is little in my experience to compare to viewing the Rocky Mountains from high atop one of its peaks. When I skied over to the edge, I looked down and lost my nerve… again. I was looking down at a hard Blue Square to Black Diamond slope, and every memory of the traumatic experience that made me lose my confidence in the first place rushed to the fore… and I froze. My brave exterior was shaking, and my insides were fighting to regain my composure.

It was not too late to go back. I could just climb back to the chairlift and ride to the bottom. I might not look brave to my companion, but I would be safe. I could return to the bunny slopes, and forget my worries. I looked up to see the beauty once more, and tried to convince myself that it looked just like it had from the Green Dot slopes. How much different could it be?

Over the past few years I have had several opportunities to leave the safety of my job and venture out on my own, but I was always worried about the consequences. I was afraid of failing, of falling on my face. Most of all, I was afraid of the unknown and the lack of control that came when you took your fate in your own hands. Would I survive? Could I make it on my own? Did I stand a chance of thriving in the real world on my own?

I thought back to before that fateful experience. I used to ski the slopes like a champion. As I always tell my clients and colleagues alike it is crucial to always know where your limits are. Pushing your limits can be exhilarating. Breaking blindly through them can be disastrous. One wrong turn over a year ago had shattered my confidence completely. I would never be the skier that I had been once.

I thought back to the private consulting I had done. My clients were always pleased with me, and so many of them had suggested I could do well at it – if only I did not have to limit my consulting to evenings and week-ends. I am at the point where my word-of-mouth referrals are so plentiful that I am turning business away. I am often reminded of the times before the nineteen-year-old I once was ruined my business. I was good with computers, but was limited by my lack of business savvy and management skills. Since then I have grown somewhat and nothing moves boundaries like experience. Yes I failed once, but with the lessons learned, history need not repeat itself.

I took one last look at the mountain vista before me, and then turned back to my now impatient friend. I gave her a big ‘thumbs up,’ and with adrenaline pumping through my veins I pushed myself over the edge. Though I was a little shaky at first I did not fall, and within minutes my legs had remembered how it had felt once to be a really good skier. By the end of the next day I was throwing myself off the mountain with the eager anticipation of a child at Christmas… not knowing what was around the next bend, but knowing that whatever it was would be exciting.

My once shattered confidence has returned, and my consulting practice is reborn. In hoping to keep them as a client, I gave my soon to be former employers two months notice, so that I can properly train them to stand on their own without the instructor always holding their poles. After all, I had built their network; shaped their mountain… I realize that I am the ski instructor on this Blue Square trail that my employers are facing, and though I will be there to offer support when they need it, they too no longer need me to hold their hand all the way to the bottom… just to offer them the occasional tweaking when the snow gets too icy and needs grooming.

I may not always know what looms around the next corner anymore, but I know two things are certain: Firstly it will be exciting, and secondly, I can now control my own destiny. It is certainly not for everyone… but I know that the bunny trails are behind me.

Filed under Article, Certs, Consulting, independence, Skiing

Time Tips for Certification Exams

July 13, 2011 Leave a comment

As I peruse the tome of articles that I wrote over the past ten years that were never published on this site, I am finding some articles that are timeless, including this one originally written for CertGuard, on Exam Time Management. -M

<May, 2007>It is a common misconception that information such as the number of questions on a given cert exam is protected by the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), and it has been repeated so many times by so many people that some people are surprised when I answer the question. That being said, this is not a History test, it is a test of your skills. If you are concerned by time, I suggest the following:

  • When you go into the testing room you will be told how much time you have to complete the test. When you begin your test you will know the number of questions. Pace yourself accordingly.
  • Make sure you are not parked at a parking meter with a time limit of 60 or 120 minutes because chances are you will need more time, and you will not be allowed out to feed the meter.
  • When you schedule your test reserve a morning or an afternoon for it. As late as last year I would never schedule two exams in a half day, though now I generally book them (when doubling up) 90 minutes apart… that is me, and I am a very fast test taker, and have taken enough cert exams to know how long they will take me. Forgetting other tests, don’t book a doctor’s appointment two hours after your exam. If you take the exam at 8:30am, don’t schedule anything before noon, for example.
  • Don’t go into the exam hungry, figuring you’ll be out quick. You might be, but you might not be, and most exam centers will not allow you to bring food or drink in.
  • Visit the restroom for all bodily functions before the exam. No joke, I had an employee who failed an exam because her bladder was going to busrt so she just pressed ‘END’ and did not finish. (To the best of my understanding she is no longer in the IT field)
  • If you are sick and do not think that you will be able to sit still for three hours, reschedule. True story: I once woke up with a 102 degree fever on the day I wanted to take an exam, and I figured it was an easy exam so it wouldn’t matter. I called Pearson/Vue to schedule it for later that morning. The next thing I remember is waking up on the floor of my home office several hours later, the battery of my cordless phone dead, a pool of drool under my mouth, and a headache from where I smashed my head. Fortunately I was on hold and did not finish the registration process :)
  • If you are dyslexic, or if English is not your first language, call the test provider and ask for extra time. Some people just read slowly, and they understand that. The truth is that with most Microsoft exams if you don’t know the answer now then you won’t know it any better in two hours unless you look it up. Because of that although there are time limits, they can be flexible if arranged ahead of time.

Filed under Article, CertGuard, Certification Exams, Certifications, Certs, Exams

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