Tag: Certification
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Become a Virtualization Expert!
For those who missed the virtualization jump start, the entire course is now available on demand, as is the link to grab a free voucher for exam 409. This is a single exam virt specialist cert. I would encourage you to take the exam soon before all the free spots are booked. Full info…
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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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Just in time… Second Shot Exams Are Back!
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…
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Are you a Microsoft Certified Professional?
As we celebrate twenty years of Microsoft Learning, it is amazing to see some of the changes that the certification program has gone through. I remember the first day I was ever able to call myself a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP). It was March 31, 2003, and I was ecstatic! When Microsoft Learning unveiled 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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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…
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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…