Flavio B, Brazil

Flavio B Brazil
1. What do you currently do for a living?
   I work for a Oil & gas company administering infrastructure system (full-time job) and teaching MOC classes (part-time job in MS Official Curriculum courses).

2. Please describe your educational background.
   I have an incomplete [Bachelor's] degree in statistics.

3. What kinds of certifications do you currently hold, if any?
   I have MCSE for NT 4, Windows 2000, 2003 and [MCITP] Server/Enterprise Admin 2008.

4. How has earning a certification helped advance your career?
   Besides the fact that my salary had a big raise since the beginning, now I’m more prepared, have more knowledge, and I have more skills than ever.

5. What exam do you plan to use the MCP voucher for?
   I achieved all certifications I had planned for 2009 and have no immediate plans, but probably will use the voucher for some exam on Windows 7 technologies so I can keep updated on the newer technologies.

6. What kind of advice do you have for your peers and colleagues about earning a certification?
   Certification is good, but it’s not all you have to do. A good college is VERY important. Good relationships with other people are important, too. Among other things I recommend studying ITIL/Cobit and other tecnologies like Linux.
    a) How about finding a job?
    Even with good skills, finding a job in my country is very difficult. As systems became more stable, less Admins are needed to maintain those that companies are running. So, layoffs sometimes occur and the remaining admins have to deal with the same systems with less resources.
    b) What about improving your career prospects or outlook?
    Improving my career now depends on various internal projects at my company. One of the projects is a Novell Netware migration in which directory [services] and files must be migrated to a new Windows 2008 environment. After that, new projects will arise.

This concludes my coverage of our recent free MCP voucher contest. I hope you have learned as much from your peers and colleagues as I have, and gotten an extra erg of inspiration to help you pursue your own career development goals!

1. What do you currently do for a living?

I am a Systems Engineer and work with databases – primarily SQL Server but some Oracle. I started on SQL Server version 6.5 and have tested on all versions since then. This has been my work for the last ten years. Prior to that I was a Network Administrator for three years and moved into SQL Server to gain a specialization. I have also taught Microsoft technical courses as an MCT on a freelance, part-time basis.

2. Please describe your educational background.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Ferris State College in Big Rapids, Michigan in 1982. I earned a Master of Information Technology degree from Virginia Tech in 2007.

3. What kinds of certifications do you currently hold, if any?

MCTS: SharePoint Services 3.0
MCITP: SQL Server 2008
MCITP: SQL Server 2005
MCDBA: SQL Server 2000
MCSE
MCP+I
MCT (former)
CTT+
A+
CCNA

4. How has earning a certification helped advance your career?

It gave me credibility when I was making a career change from Accounting  to Information Technology. I keep taking exams and gaining new certifications because in this industry, if you’re not advancing, you’re falling behind. I don’t want to become obsolete.

5. What exam do you plan to use the MCP voucher for?

SharePoint Server (MOSS) exam 70-630

6. What kind of advice do you have for your peers and colleagues about earning a certification?

Look at what’s in demand and what’s up and coming. Get involved with local user groups for networking purposes and to help keep your finger on the pulse of what’s going on in your community.

John C. is the next-to-last of the individuals I’ll be profiling for our recent contest. Our last winner, Flavio B from Brazil, will be featured in my next blog on Friday.

• Earning IT certifications takes real time, money, and effort.
  As obvious as this is (and should be) lots of people don’t really get just how much time and effort is involved (the money is pretty straightforward) until they go through the process a few times. We’re talking about giving up evenings and weekends, sacrificing on leisure or family time, and knuckling down to get some real work done.
• Acquiring and maintaining IT certifications really can help an IT career.
  If there’s one thing that pops out at me from my interviews with the winners, and from thinking about those I know who’ve earned major certs and then put them to work on the job, it’s that the same interest and passion that goes into earning IT credentials can also be employed to help people advance their careers. Does that mean there’s no real connection with the IT certifications themselves, but only with the drive required to earn them? No; rather, it means that you have to talk them up, use them, and build on them to do your career some good.
• For some, IT certifications are like potato chips: they can’t earn only one.
  All of the winners had passed at least a dozen IT cert exams, and many had earned half-a-dozen IT certifications or more. Most started with A+ and/or Network+, then went on to chew through two or more mid-range Microsoft certs such as MCSA and MCSE, with MCTS and MCITP credentials either earned or underway (why else would they want to win an MCP exam voucher?)
• IT Certs build confidence as well as competence.
  To a person, all the winners talked about how earning IT certifications helped them in their careers because they improved their attitudes and confidence about encountering and handling problems on the job, as much because of the experience they gained in developing problem-solving, research, and learning skills in earning certifications as because of the various subject matters they had to master to pass their exams.

I’ll be commenting further on this experience in upcoming blogs, but thought you would find these observations interesting. I’ve seen this all before, but it’s refreshing to see it again, especially in such a positive light in these times of economic crisis and uncertainty.

• Microsoft’s decisions to create an MCTS-MCITP-MCM-MS Architect ladder creates too many rungs, with too many possibilities at the lower rungs.
• Hiring managers seem confused about the relative weight and merit of these credentials based on a survey of “mentions by name” at Monster.com.
• Microsoft has been forced to up the ante on its exams, question coverage, levels of difficulty, currency, and validity since the original MCSE came out, but too many people earn MS credentials without really mastering the associated subject matter. This comes largely thanks to multiple-choice exams, which are too easily documented online and reduced to rote memorization to ensure a passing grade.

All of this leads him to conclude that current MS credentials are somewhat debased, and that they’re not worth anywhere near what they used to be in the marketplace, thanks to the implications of the preceding summary points.

FWIW, I tend to agree with this analysis, but don’t think the situation is quite as dire as he paints it to be. In recent conversations with MS Learning I’ve also learned that they’re introducing more simulation- and hands-on based forms of testing, which work much better to assess real skills and knowledge than do multiple choice exam questions. That said, Microsoft’s emphasis on job roles and related credentials works very well for those who understand IT, job roles, and the technologies to which they pertain, and not so well for those who don’t–which probably does include hiring managers at a great many small and medium sized businesses where IT is primarily a necessary evil, rather than an important means to realizing business goals.

What do you think? Are MS certs as worthy as they used to be? Does this mean they’re becoming worthless? As with so many other grey areas in life, I think the truth is somewhere inbetween “moderate worth” and “worthless,” but certainly not all the way down at the bitter end of that spectrum.

Here’s his list as ranked at TechRepublic in straight numerical order:

1. MCITP (Microsoft Certified IT Professional), with specific mention of database developer, database administrator, enterprise messaging administrator, and server asministrator
2. MCTS (Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist), with specific mention of SQL Server business intelligence, database creation, or SQL server administration
3. CompTIA Security+, with an observation that “security continues to be a critical topic”
4. MCPD (Microsoft Certified Professional Developer) with specific mention of the Windows Developer 3.5, ASP.NET Developer 3.5, and Enterprise Applications Developer 3.5 tracks
5. CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate), with an emphasis on increasing dependence on remote access technologies, even at smaller companies
6. Comptia A+, iwth an emphasis on “proven support expertise” in the areas of desktop installation, problem diagnosis, preventive maintenance, and computer/network troubleshooting.
7. PMP (Project Management Professional) with an emphasis on “job skills and knowledge required to plan, execute, budget, and lead a technology project”
8. MCSE/MCSA (Microsoft Certified System Engineer/Administrator) represent Microsoft’s previous take on basic admin (MCTS) and professional (MCITP) certs, and enjoy amazing certficiation population numbers–as Eckel observes “…these certifications tend to indicate holders that have been working within the technology field for a long time.”
9. CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) receives mention for “…building a respected, vendor-neutral security certification,” that’s also accredited by ANSI.
10. CompTIA Linux+ get a nod because “…the open source alternative is an important platform…”

Given these choices, it’s no wonder that Microsoft is promoting this list: they’ve garnered 4 out of 10 (really 5 out of 11) choices therein. CompTIA might also take cheer as well from the inclusion of Network+, Security+, and A+ (of which Network+ and A+ are by far its most popular credentials). And certainly, all the other elements in the list–CCNA, PMP, and CISSP–are all immensely popular and highly sought-after credentials as well.

Though Eckel’s selection criteria and methods aren’t entirely clear, this blog makes me wish that CertCities.com would revive its Top 10 lists, which used to be an interesting marker between one year and the next for IT professionals. At  least their list came from a survey of thousands of active IT participants, an could in some sense be argued as representative of collective interests. Funny how those lists of yore don’t differ too much from Eckel’s list, either.

I wouldn’t have any arguments with this list, in fact, if it used the word “Popular” instead of “Best” to describe its constituents, because there’s almost no argument about any of these on a pure numbers basis. But the definition of best is one that’s fraught with peril, and certainly subject to lots of differing interpretations. While he does give the CCIE passing mention in his CCNA item, I’d be inclined to put it in any Top 10 Best I were to put together,  and I’d be more inclined to pick rather more senior-level credentials rather than entry-levels ones like the CompTIA items, MCTS, and CCNA. But that’s my “best” interpretation showing. What’s yours?

Here’s how to exercise this offer for yourself (and as far as I can tell,  the SecondShot promo does NOT apply, but at $25, who cares?):

1. Log into www.prometric.com/microsoft
2. If you don’t already have an account, register to create one
3. Sign up for the MCP exam of your choice
4. Include the promotion code MCPBACK as you work through the payment process

If you’re within the first 4,000 folks to do this, you’ll be able to take an exam for only $25. Between this and the $35 collection for Installing and Configuring Vista available through the Microsoft “SecondShot” program I’m shooting for an MCTS on Vista in late May, 2009, for a whopping $60. Anybody with the luck and/or hustle to qualify for these programs (act fast!!!) can do likewise.

As the old saying goes: “This is too good a deal to pass up.” I’ve already said, “Act fast!” but I’ll say it again just so you don’t forget. See you in the testing center soon!

Now for some cost analysis, and then some explanations:

• As I explained waaaay back in 2002, an MCSA is going to cost you about $1,100 to acquire based on minimal and actual costs for self-study including the exams themselves ($125 x 4 = $500 ), Exam Crams ($30 x 4 = $120), full-length study guides ($50 x 4 = $200), and practice tests ($70 x 4 = $280). BTW, obtaining the MCSA gets you an MCP when you pass the first exam in the series, so mentioning the MCP is a little misleading: you must be an MCP to become an MCSA in any case.
• If you shop for exam vouchers carefully, you can find discounts on Network+ costs, with a low of about $215 (see ITExamVouchers.com for the latest deals). Add in the Exam Cram ($30), Study Guide ($50), and a practice exam ($70) for a total of $365 for self-study costs.
• Ditto above for A+, and you can find a low of about $300 for both of the A+ exams. Add two each Exam Crams ($60), Study Guides ($100), and practice exams ($140) for a total of $600 for self-study costs.
• Total self-study budget: $2,065 vs. package price of $15,000. Need I say any more?

Now some explanations, thoughts, and ideas:

• Why go after the MCSA when you should be thinking MCITP for the latest Windows client and server versions, plus platform technologies, services, and so forth, anyway. Chances are good the MCSA will disappear no later than 2012 anyway. Why spend that kind of cash on a soon-to-be-obsolete credential?
• Network+ and A+ are strictly entry level technician certs. They might get you into a support tech or help desk “starter job,” but they won’t get you much further than that. If you’re expecting a significant return on your training/cert investments, these are just the first elements in what should be a much longer sequence of increasingly serious (and higher-paying) credentials.
• If you really want to get a sequence going, you’d want to think about various MCITP credentials, and possibly also Cisco certifications in the CCENT, CCNA, and professional (CCNP, CCDP, CCVP, CCSP) families. Cisco exams cost $125 (two-step CCNA process) or $250 (one-step CCNA and most other non-CCIE exams) each, and you can take 1 (640-802) or 2 (640-822 which also gets you a CCENT, and 640-816) to earn the CCNA. Most of the Cisco professional certs require 4 exams at $250 each to earn, but are highly regarded in the marketplace.

My final take on this situation is that only those with money to burn, or other people’s money to spend, should be considering a “full boat classroom ride to certification.” For everybody else, the economics of self-study are still too compelling to overlook. Still the very best bang for your certification bucks around!

• Three exams are currently under development (see next bulleted list below for as much information as I can provide on same at this time)
• MS is building one of these exams for a hitherto unserved job role: Desktop Administrator. Here’s how MS describes this job role:

…Desktop Administrators (DAs) are IT Professionals who are responsible for provisioning desktop PCs and deploying service packs and updates to these PCs. They are also responsible for setting the strategic direction for the desktop operating system and applications. DAs work with other lines of businesses in their company and are responsible for addressing high-end desktop infrastructure needs. DAs are Tier 3 level support and mostly handle escalations related to system and large site issues.

• The lone Windows 7 TS exam scheduled in this batch will provide one more additional option to meet desktop exam requirements for the MCITP Enterprise Administrator cert, rather than replacing the Vista TS exam of the same ilk outright.

That said, here are the three exam identifiers mentioned in this blog:

1. 70-680 TS: Windows 7, Configuring: all that MS Learning says at this point is that this exam is “under development.” I take this to mean that 70-680 will be cast in the same mold as exam 70-620 except with Windows 7 as its focus, rather than Windows Vista. I don’t expect to see any more change in coverage or skills measured than the changes from Vista to Windows 7 require.
2. 70-685 MCITP: Windows 7, Enterprise Desktop Support Technician: ditto 70-680, except this time the analogous Vista exam is 70-622 “Supporting and Troubleshooting Applications on a Vista Client for Enterprise Support Technicians.”
3. 70-686, MCITP: Windows 7, Desktop Administrator: development on this exam is scheduled to start this week. MS is also looking for experienced desktop administrators to get some help and feedback in developing this exam. If you read this blog, you may want to check the other blog to get Krista Wall’s e-mail address and drop her a line indicating interest. It will be interesting to see how much of the cool technology that enterprise Windows Desktop admins have available to them (WAIK, Deployment Toolkits, Business Desktop Deployment, MDOP, and so forth) appears in this exam. I’ve perceived a “burning need” to make order out of the many options (not to say chaos) that make up today’s offerings, and am hopeful that this exam and related training materials could provide some much-needed guidance and clarity.

I’ve called the MS Learning PR person and have requested a follow-up conversation on these topics, and about when related online and classroom training materials should become available. Stay tuned over the next couple of weeks if this discussion interests you: I’ll be sure to revisit it as soon as I get a chance to talk further on these exams, and this general subject matter, with the people in charge of this effort.

Now that we know some of what’s coming Windows 7′s way, the next obvious question is “When?” Of course, answering that would mean disclosing the real planned release date for the OS, and Microsoft has remained resolutely mum on that subject of late. Don’t expect me to drop any news (or bombs) in that direction in my follow-up and you are much less likely to come away disappointed. Those kinds of scoops I leave to my infinitely better connected peers and colleagues at TechARP.

There are several interesting things about this announcement:

• The original beta period ran from October 13 through 30, 2008; the new period runs from 11/19-12/11/2008. What’s interesting about that is that the announcement on 11/22 follows the start day by three days.
• Microsoft usually gets more takers than seats during beta periods, but the fact that this exam is going into another beta period strongly suggests two possibilities: First (and most likely), that they didn’t get enough takers in the first go-round to completely exercise the exam; second (less likely), that problems with questions surfaced during the first beta–such as those everybody gets right or wrong, neither of which helps to distinguish know-nothings from know-somethings–that are being addressed in a repeat try.
• Might the lack of uptake on the exam indicate a similar phenomenon where the .NET Framework 3.5 and Visual Studio 2008 are concerned? Maybe: if you look at .NET Framework 3.5 related credential counts on the MS “Number of Microsoft Certified Professionals Worldwide” page, you’ll see counts that vary from 128 to 240 on the Technology Specialist front. The Microsoft Certified Solution Developer counts, which include mostly older .NET Framework versions at this point but also include some .NET Framework 3.5 numbers, on the other hand, vary between a much more considerable 2391 (Windows Developer) and 7319 (Web Developer), with Enterprise Application Developer at 6073. Right now, it’s hard to say…

With Visual Studio 2008 and the .NET Framework 3.5 just turning one year old, it’s probably just a new development toolset, environment, and APIs still gathering momentum and finally getting off the ground. Whatever the reason for this extended beta period, it gives Microsoft Developers working on the leading edge another chance to take the exam for free. Check it out on the Beta Announcements blog.

• SQL Server 2005 credentials:
  Business Intelligence Developer:
  Pre-req 70-445 SQL Server 2005 BI; Exam: 70-446: Designing a BI Infrastructure using SQL Server 2005. “Business intelligence developers design and implement multi-dimensional database models (logical and physical), data marts, data warehousing, data transforms, data analytics, and reporting solutions.”
  Database Developer: Pre-req: 70-431; Exams: 70-441 Desginign Database Solutions by Using Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and 70-442 Designing and Optimizing Data Access by Using Microsoft SQL Server 2005. “…design, create, deploy, and maintain database solutions by using SQL Server 2005.”
  Database Administrator: Pre-req: 70-431; Exams: 70-443 Designing a Database Server Infrastructure by Using Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and 70-444 Optimizing and Maintaining a Database Adminsitration Solution by Using Microsoft SQL Server 2005. (Note 70-431 and 70-447 permit MCDBA’s to upgrade to this cert.)
• SQL Server 2008 credentials:
  BI Developer 2008: Pre-req: one of 70-448; Exam: 70-452 Designing a BI Infrastructure using SQL Server 2008. Business intelligence developers design and implement multi-dimensional database models (logical and physical), data marts, data warehousing, data transforms, data analytics, and reporting solutions.
  Database Developer 2008: Pre-req: One of 70-443; Exam: 70-451 Designing Database Solutions and Data Access Using Microsoft SQL Server 2008. “…design, create, deploy, and maintain database solutions by using SQL Server 2008.”
  Database Administrator 2008: Pre-req: 70-432; Exam 70-450 Designing, Optimizing, and Maintaining a Database Infrastructure using Microsoft SQL Server 2008. “…design, deploy, optimize, and maintain SQL Server 2008.” (Note upgrade exams from 2005 to 2008 are also available.)
• Consumer Support Technician:
  Pre-req 70-620 Configuring Microsoft Windows Vista; Exam: 70-623 Supporting and Troubleshooting Applications on a Windows Vista Client… “…highlight and validate your expertise and skill set in a job role supporting a broad range of consumer desktop operating systems, desktop applications, mobile devices, networking, and hardware support issues related to the Windows Vista operating system.”
• Enterprise Messaging Administrator:
  Pre-req: 70-236; Exams: 70-237 Designing Messaging Solutions with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and 70-238 Deploying Messaging Solutions with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. “…validates the knowledge and skills associated with performing as the lead engineer for messaging solutions within an enterprise organization, as well as the ability to design and deploy messaging solutions with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007.”
• Enterprise Project Management with Microsoft Office Project Server 2007:
  Pre-reqs: 70-632 and 70-633; Exam: 70-634 Micorsoft Office Project Server 2007, Managing Projects and Programs. “…designed specifically to help project managers apply the leading project management best practices and methodologies as established by the Project Management Institute (PMI), resulting in better project outcomes, greater efficiency, and optimal resource management.”
• Enterprise Support Technician:
  Pre-req: 70-620; Exam 70-622 Supporting and Troubleshooting Applications on a Windows Vista Client for Enterprise Support Technicians. “..validates the knowledge and skills required to deploy and support the Windows Vista operating system.” (Note a separate upgrade exam is available to those who already hold the MCDST.)
• Enterprise Administrator:
  Pre-reqs: 70-640, 70-642, 70-643, 70-620 or 70-642 (4 total); Exam: 70-647 Windows Server 2008, Enterprise Administrator. “…demonstrate your skills in Windows infrastructure design and your readiness to excel in working with Windows Server 2008.” (Note upgrade paths from MCSA or MCSE on Windows Server 2003 have been defined; they involved a transition exam plus two additional MCTS exams for MCSA and a transition exam plus three additional MCTS exams for MCSE, plus the MCITP Enterprise Admin exam.)
• Server Administrator:
  Pre-reqs: 70-640 and 70-642; Exam: 70-646: Windows Server 2008, Server Administrator. “…demonstrate your leadership and problem-solving skills in working with Windows Server 2008.” (Same upgrade path as for preceding item for MCSA and MCSEs, plus the MCITP Server Admin exam.)

Careful reading of the preceding information and perusal of the related MS Certification Pages (all available through the MCITP Home page) makes several interesting things clear. First, the database certifications for both SQL Server 2005 and 2008 are partitioned into developer, administrator, and business intelligence roles. Second, the Enterprise Administrator emerges as the successor cert to the MCSE, and the Server Administrator the MCSA certifications, and will probably be recognized in the marketplace as such next year. And finally, I see strong evidence that Microsoft has put a lot of time and effort into its cert program designs to make exam requirements more transparent and logical, and to tie credentials to specific platforms and versions so that individuals will have an easier time of explaining or claiming what they know, what they can do, and what problems they can solve to HR professionals and hiring managers in the future.

All in all, the MCITP looks like a serious and hefty credential, especially for Windows Server 2008 Enterprise and Server Administrator credentials, and all the various database credentials. Kudos to Microsoft for defining clear, intelligible upgrade paths, and good certification descriptions and qualifications. This takes a lot of the mystery out of the programs that I and others had to painstakingly decode in previous incarnations.