The day to day ramblings of an IT Professional and Community Leader
Around 2005-2006, when I was running the Montreal IT Professionals Community, Microsoft announced that due to a lawsuit from the Quebec Order of Engineers, Microsoft would be eliminating the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) designation in the province of Quebec. As a community leader I rallied against that; my position was that it would create... Continue Reading →
In mid-September, the recruiting department of my company introduced me to the man who would become my manager at my new client. He told me he reviewed my CV, and did not see Microsoft Office 365 listed on it. I told him honestly that while I have worked with the technologies before, I never felt... Continue Reading →
It is hard to believe that thirteen years ago I sat down at the Java U café at the corner of Queen Mary Rd. and Circle Rd. in Montreal and wrote an article about superstitions. It was called Don’t Mess with Juju! and it was one of the most popular articles that I wrote that... Continue Reading →
Since I started working on Microsoft Azure certifications, I have noticed a lot of things that are quite different from what I am used to. for instance, the single, non-technical AZ-900 exam does give you a certification (Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals). Okay, I passed that exam... but when I went to start looking for courseware... Continue Reading →
Last week my company launched a certification challenge. Yes, they would be rewarding employees who passed certification exams, but they also asked if I would be able to teach a class. My pleasure... but before I teach it, I'd like to pass the exam. I decided that the best way to light a fire under... Continue Reading →
I have a spreadsheet that I keep in my OneDrive that tracks the certification exams I have taken. Over the years (starting in December, 2011) I have written a great many of them, Mostly for Microsoft but also a few VMware exams sprinkled in there. Much has changed since I wrote my first exam (which,... Continue Reading →
I was definitely a proponent of expiring certifications when the topic came up. Why? Because my value as an MCSE was diminished by others who held the same title… from Windows NT. By making professionals renew their certifications we obtained the ability to differentiate between someone with current value and skills and knowledge and someone... Continue Reading →
Although it is not something I am proud of, I have failed a number (the exact number is quite secret!) of certification exams. I am not proud of this fact, but the reality is I have taken a number of exams that I have been unprepared for, and that is a sure-fire way to come... Continue Reading →
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how tough I found Exam 74-409 was in my article Another Tough Exam. I also mentioned that Microsoft exams were meant to be tough, and going into an exam unprepared can (and usually will) come back to bite you. Last week I decided to bite the bullet... Continue Reading →
I often tell people who are worried about taking Microsoft exams for fear of failing that I have failed more exams than most people have ever taken – to date over twenty failures, including one miserable exam that I only passed on my fourth attempt. Don’t worry, I do pass more than I fail. Something... Continue Reading →
This is one of those situations I laugh at… because even great organizations like Microsoft Learning Experience is going to make the occasional mistake.. especially when it’s systems are all automated and unmonitored. I received the following e-mail today congratulating me on passing my exam yesterday: I was reasonably sure that I already had that... Continue Reading →
I maintain a spreadsheet of every certification exam I take – pass or fail. Excluding the title line it currently consists of seventy (70) rows, dating back to my first failed exam in December of 2001. I don’t remember when I started maintaining it, but it goes back a while, and consists of the following... Continue Reading →
As a subject matter expert (SME) on virtualization, I was neither excited nor intimidated when Microsoft announced their new exam, 74-409: Server Virtualization with Windows Server Hyper-V and System Center. Unlike many previous exams I did not rush out to be the first to take it, nor was I going to wait forever. I actually... Continue Reading →
Why do I say Just in Time? Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8 exams are coming out soon, and there’s a good chance that you may still have to write a few exams to earn your MCSE! I don’t know if they are THE most popular promotions that Microsoft Learning offers, but if they are... Continue Reading →
This morning before I started teaching I came into the training centre early to sit an exam. It is not the ideal way to take exams – I showed up at 7:30, knowing I had to start teaching at 9:00 – but sometimes it is the only way that you can make it work, and... Continue Reading →
