mcp

Oct 14 2008   1:31PM GMT

Nice study resources for your Microsoft Certifications

Posted by: Raj Perumal
mcse, Microsoft certifications, mcp, mcts, MCT, Microsoft Official Curriculum, Microsoft Study Guides, Self Test Software, Microsoft Press, Microsoft Exams

When studying for your Microsoft Certifications I would always recommend studying using a mixture of classroom time, Microsoft study guides, and Microsoft approved practice exams.

The classroom time will always give you the opportunity to ask those questions in class of the teacher that you otherwise couldn’t get answered through another medium. This kind of one on one interaction is always great for the budding IT engineer first venturing out into the world of certification.

The Microsoft Press study guides direct from Microsoft are also great. You can easily find them at Amazon and order them online. They are larger than some of the smaller exam cram books but they definitely cover all the material.

Then the approved practice exams are the final step. I find that the Microsoft recommended Self Test Software exams are great as they really do a great job of testing on the proper exam objectives to prepare you for the exam. There are a lot of companies out there that claim they have good practice tests but the reality of it is that a lot of them are just garbage.

Finally, last but not least….schedule the exam already!!!! I see lots of people who have every intent of writing the exam but never go and schedule it. So what ends up happening is they keep postponing and putting off the exam until they never actually end up writing it. By forcing yourself to schedule the exam you are putting yourself into the exam/study mindset and that will give you the necessary push to go out there and do it. Trust me, it works!

 -RP

Oct 11 2008   7:13PM GMT

To certify or not to certify?

Posted by: Raj Perumal
certifications, university, mcse, Information Technology, CCNA, ccie, ccnp, mcp, mcts, college, certify, vendor certifications, experience, work placement, co-op programs, post secondary education, volunteer work, paper MCSE, IT employment

So you’ve graduated from university or college and you’re ready to go out into the world and nail that first awesome IT job. You and your family and friends all know how good you are. You’re the resident computer whiz and you think to yourself “People would be crazy not to hire me!”. So you go out into the world and you find that you get little to no bites on your resumes.

One of the reasons is because everyone and their dog thinks they know IT but unfortunately it’s getting increasingly harder for employers to tell the difference between a wannabe and the real deal. As someone who has been regularly engaged in the hiring process over the course of my career, I can tell you about two things that stand out on a resume for an IT prospect - experience, and certifications.

One without the other just doesn’t cut it. You can have all the experience in the world but if you don’t have the certs then people will wonder how good that experience actually is. You can have a billion and one certs, but if you don’t have the experience with actual projects people are going to think you’re all flash and no substance. The “paper MCSE” comes to mind here.

So how do you get both of these? Well if you are having problems finding work, what you should do is during your education get enrolled in a good co-op program (combination of study and work) where your school places you in a company to learn the trade for a few months of the year. This way you graduate with both experience and theory.

The other way is to volunteer at many organizations that need volunteer IT help. This is a great way to get experience and do something good for your community. This also looks great on resumes. This will also help you when you go to write your certification exams because some experience in the real world will always help you pass those exams.

I always hear people make fun of certifications, but those are usually the people who don’t have the kahonas to go and write them and feel like they have to put them down to legitimize themselves. Instead ignore those naysayers and go out and get that experience and those certifications. Together that will put you a cut above the rest!

-RP