The World According to Mitch

I had a conversation this week with someone who was asking me about becoming an MCT.

I know I am a good presenter, and I know my stuff… what do I need to do to become a Microsoft Certified Trainer?

Becoming a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) was, for me, a turning point in my career.  It opened a lot of doors, and made a lot of things possible for me.  I remember hesitating for several months, because I did not think that my most advanced certification at the time (MCSA) was sufficient… and there was no clear guideline that I could find to confirm it.

I spoke with several MCTs, including some who worked for Microsoft Learning.  The clearest guidance they could give me was that you needed ‘a senior certification’ in order to qualify.  However nobody could confirm what that consisted of.  I later surmised that it meant any cert on supported technology that was higher than a simple Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP). 

Today there is a list of requirements listed on the Microsoft Learning website (http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/mct-certification.aspx), along with a list of benefits, and a link to the program guide and application process.  However I noticed that the list seems to be short… it has not been updated with the latest certifications.  So to help out, I am going to add a few certs to this list, and if anyone at Microsoft Learning gives you guff about it, just tell them I said it was okay -M

• Microsoft Certified Solutions Master

• Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert

• Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate

• Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer

• Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer

• Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator

• Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator: Security

• Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician

• Microsoft Certified Microsoft Certified IT Professional

• Microsoft Certified Professional Developer

• Microsoft Office 2007 Specialist

• Microsoft Office 2010 Specialist

• Microsoft Certified Business Management Solutions Specialist

• Microsoft Certified Business Management Solutions Professional

• Microsoft Certified Master

• Microsoft Office 2007 Master

• Microsoft Certified Architect

Please Note: The Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA) is not on this list.  I do not know if that is by design or by error, but I hope one of my DBA friends out there can help to clarify for us!