Category: Certifications
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Gee thanks…
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…
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Certification Planning
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…
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Another tough exam…
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…
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I’m back in the (WServer) News :)
One of my favorite publications about the Windows Server ecosystem is WServerNews.com, which I get delivered to my Inbox every Monday morning. Several weeks ago the Editor of WServerNews (Mitch Tulloch, who refers to me as The Other Mitch), posted a question earlier this summer from a loyal reader asking about his career path. He…
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Certification Questions from a reader
I often get questions from readers and followers about different aspects of the IT Pro world. If the answer is a simple one- or two-liner then I answer directly, but when the question is complex and the answer could benefit others I like to share that with the blogosphere. This week I received this question:…
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Microsoft Certified Career Day!
Our industry moves fast! There was a time when if you learned a system you e set for a long time. Now Microsoft is releasing operating systems every three years (client AND server), and the management tools are constantly evolving. A carpenter who takes a year off work may be out of practice, but will…
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Want to be an MCT? Start Here!
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. …
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Clarity: MCSA vs. MCSE: the what and why
This article was originally published in June, 2012. Due to the relevance and current interest in certifications I decided to republish. -MDG When I found out that Microsoft Learning was (again!) revamping the certification stack, I thought to myself that after all these years it might be time to stop chasing certifications. After all, when…
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Getting Certified: Things have really changed!
This article was originally published to The Canadian IT Pro Connection.Boy has it been an exciting year… Microsoft’s busiest release year ever! On the IT Pro side we have System Center 2012 (a single product now, but truly seven distinct products for managing your environment!), Windows Server 2012, Windows 8… we have Windows Azure (which…
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What’s this new Cert? MCSA: Windows 7!
This post was originally written for the Canadian IT Pro Connection blog, and can be seen there at http://blogs.technet.com/b/canitpro/archive/2012/09/12/what-s-this-new-cert-mcsa-windows-7.aspx. In April of this year Microsoft Learning announced its new generation of certifications. Many of us who had previously earned certain MCITP (Microsoft Certified IT Professional) credentials were automatically ported into a new certification category, the…
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Can you convince your boss to let you get certified? UCA!
One of the benefits I get from conferences like Microsoft TechEd is reconnecting with friends and colleagues that I only see at these shows. David and I have been friends for a couple of years, and when we discovered that we were both staying over an extra night we decided to splurge and drive a…
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Wanna be an MCT? Read on!
I cannot count how many people have come to me and asked how they could become a Microsoft Certified Trainer(MCT). I have said many times that I consider it among my most valuable credentials, and well worth the yearly fee. If you are one of those who would like to become one, then read on……
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70-659 Vouchers Giveaway!
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,…
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Congratulations on Your Microsoft Certification!
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…
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Microsoft Renews the Certification Plan
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…
The World According to Mitch 