Category: Microsoft Learning
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The End of An Era… Again.
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…
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Replay: Not quite a Second Shot, rather like buying Exam Insurance.
Microsoft certifications are worth the money… but there is certainly money involved. You are paying USD$165.00 to sit an exam, whether you pass or fail. Some time ago, Microsoft started offering Second Shot vouchers. As long as you pre-registered for it, you would get the chance to re-sit an exam in the event that you did…
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Microsoft Technology Roadshow
Tuesday morning I stood up in front of a great audience of IT Professionals at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa. The subject? Azure networking. One of the slides that Microsoft gave me for the ‘Curtain Warmer’ contained a list of links for further information. They are: Azure Training: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-ca/training Azure Certification: https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/learning/certification-overview.aspx Windows Certifications: https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/learning/windows-certification.aspx…
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It’s Good to be Back…
It is hard to believe that it has been twelve years since I first became an MCT…
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Free E-Books for your Technical Library
Every so often Microsoft releases a bunch of new books that they give away for free. Most of the time they are for the latest and greatest software and systems, so they are worth checking out. Currently they have books for: Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Windows Server 2016 Microsoft Azure Microsoft Power BI Windows 10…
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Certification Exams: Is there a value to failing?
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…
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The Harsh Realities of the Exam Room
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…
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Changes for MCTs
You may not have heard the complaints about the Microsoft Certified Trainer program… you may not be involved or interested in the program, or you may live on Mars. However if you are an MCT, you have heard a lot of complaints over the past few years. I have done my best to keep my…
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Does Microsoft Learning listen?
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…
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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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MCT Regional Lead: Step Up!
This is a message direct from Veronica Sopher, the MCT Community Manager. If you are an MCT who is interested in becoming more involved you should read it and click to apply! I have done it for the past year, and would love to see some fresh faces! –MDG — Call for Applications: MCT Regional…
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How Do I Become an MCT?
Recently I wrote a piece on the Benefits of Being a MCT. I got an interesting comment from one reader that they keep moving the bar. I know that I have spoken with this reader before, and she lamented the extreme costs associated with becoming certified, especially in North America. She also asked if it…
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Benefits of Being a MCT
Over the past few weeks there has been a lot of talk about the benefits that MCTs receive from Microsoft. This conversation comes up every now and again, often because changes are being made or Microsoft Learning is reevaluating the benefits. The most recent flare in the discussion was caused by the July 1st announcement…
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Free Books from MS Press
As many people know I covet books, and have been collecting (hoarding?) technical books since I got back into IT. So when Eric Ligman pings me an entire list of free eBooks available from Microsoft Press for download, I was thrilled… as you should be! Now here is my dirty little secret that will get…
The World According to Mitch 