Category: Certs
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My Certification History, and the Importance of Multi-Vendor Certifications
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…
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Wow that certification exam was TOUGH!
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…
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A response to a recent blog response
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. …
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Skills Measured: Improving your chances of passing certification exams
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…
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Dedication
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…
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Certifications versus Degrees
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…
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MCITP: Server Boot Camp, Virginia Beach
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…
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Certifications Alone Do Not Make the Pro
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…
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This MCTs Path to Certification
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…
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Choose Your First Certification Exam Wisely
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…
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Skiing as a Parallel for Professional Life
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>…
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Time Tips for Certification Exams
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…
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The Genesis of my Career as an IT Consultant and Trainer
I can’t believe it has been eight years… I wrote this article for TechRepublic while I was still working for IGS Security in Montreal. These articles are the genesis of my career as a computer consultant and IT Trainer and Presenter. The first article tells of how and why I began to transition from a…
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Do you have your VirtCerts?
Ok I made the term VirtCert up, and frankly I am reasonably hopeful that it doesn’t catch on. However I know the certifications are, and to help you along, Microsoft is giving you some really huge incentives! As you know from reading this blog there are three Microsoft certifications around virtualization: MCTS: Windows Server 2008,…
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Five GREAT tips to remember when taking certification exams
I just read a blog article by Christopher Harrison, the Head Geek at GeekTrainer. He points out five key things to remember when sitting certification exams. Read them, know them, live them! Then pass your exam! –M http://blog.geektrainer.com/2011/06/taking-certification-exams.html
The World According to Mitch 