MS certification

MS, Prometric Team Up to Offer Student Exam Discounts

What with Prometric being Microsoft’s primary global testing center operator nowadays, I guess the two companies simply had to team up to make their recent “learn.grow.succeed” program workable. Here’s the deal:

• Visit the afore-linked Student Discount page
• Check out the discounted exams available (2 for MCITP, 8 for MCSA, 6 each for MCDST and MCAD, and a whopping 55 for MCTS), then click the Get Discount link on any given exam to sign up
• Provide your name, e-mail address, and country to get up to 55% off on any or all of these exams, which you must then take on or before June 30, 2010 (the fine print also reads “You MUST present a valid student ID card at the time of the exam to get the student price”)

The logo for the new student exam discount program

I’m also guessing that it will help if the e-mail address you provide includes the domain name of an accredited college or university, as has been the case with other previous higher-ed offerings from MS and Prometric — even though this isn’t spelled out explicitly anywhere on the related Web pages (I’m going to try to sign up for a discount voucher in the absence of such an address, and I’ll let you know what happens).

Discounts apparently vary by country of location, with 55% off as the cap (that’s $82.50 off, for a total exam cost of $67.60, if that discount level applies in the US). Because MS varies its charges from country to country, and generally charges less for exams outside the first world, it makes sense to me that they would vary their discount by location. I can only hope they’re giving those from the poorest countries the best student deals.

Check it out!

Need a cheaper MCP exam? Ask an MCT

MCT stands for Microsoft Certified Trainer, and these stalwart and knowledgable professionals make up the backbone of the classroom training industry for Microsoft certification exams. I stumbled across this tidbit of information in the Born to Learn blog while trolling for topics to write about. Their entry is named “Exams: Why Pay Retail?” and it explains that MCTs can offer discounts of between 10% and 20% (the actual amount varies by country), as well as a 40% discount on any MeasureUp 60 Day Online Practice Test (this program gives you 60 days during which you can take as many practice exams on your topic as you like whenever you like).

How to take advantage of this offer? Ask an MCT for a discount voucher through the MCT Rewards program. Here’s what such a voucher looks like, grabbed straight from the aforementioned Born to Learn blog on this subject:

MCT Discount Voucher

With most MS exams now going for $150, this will save you $30. It’s not enough to retire on, but it ain’t bad either. Now all you have to do is find an MCT…and perhaps you can get lucky even outside the classroom!

The MS Cert Exam Beta Invite Process Explained

Hooray! Liberty Munson of MS Learning has posted a peachy explanation of how the invitation process works for some of the many Microsoft certification exams that get introduced and updated all the time. Here’s the banner for this latest posting on the Born To Learn blog, posted 9/25/09, and entitled “Understanding the Beta Invite Process.”

If you’re interested in finding out about beta exams, it’s a good idea to stay tuned to the “Born to Learn” blog anyway, and you’ll also want to check in on the certifications postings there as well. In fact, a quick jump over there right now shows a recent (9/17/09) posting on the Windows 7 Professional exams (685 and 686) that explains how people find out about open betas so they can sign up and particpate, primarily by filling out an SME (subject matter expert) profile and indicating interest before the beta exam sign-up period begins. There’s even a Beta Exam Announcements blog where you can find out about all the ongoing and upcoming beta exams at Microsoft at any particular point in time.

Now that you know how to find out about exams, how to get considered, and where to look for information, all you need to do is get lucky enough to check about one week in advance so you can indicate interest, and snag an invite or get a beta registration code. Good luck!

MS Plays Contrarian for “Careers of the Future”

In a recent MS PressPass posting entitled “Message to Students and IT Pros: Prepare Today for ‘Careers of the Future‘” Microsoft appears to be taking an interesting and contrarian slant on IT jobs as it attempts to stimulate interest and investment in Microsoft Learning offerings. MS interprets the results of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics July Household Survey to indicate that “computer systems design and services” jobs have increased vis-a-vis those for 2008. They also cite a July Fortune story “Where the tech jobs are now” to indicate that “unemployment among tech workers [is]…less than half the overall U.S. jobless rate” with further mention of that story’s subtitle — “At least 400,000 jobs are going begging, even in this economy.” Then comes the kicker: this situation reflects “the ever-changing nature of the tech industry,” where “even during lean times companies have a hard time finding the right candidates to fill certain technical positions.”

And of course, MS wants to help with this. They’re launching a new campaign called “Chart YOUR Career” where you can pick among a list of job roles to see what kinds of training and career development information is available for each one:

Chart Your Career job roles

Not only does Microsoft want to get you involved in related training and certifications, it is also offering exam discounts of up to 25% ($37.50 on a $150 exam in the US), and touting free software with classroom training (this has been Microsoft’s practice for those who take authorized classroom training for as long as I can remember, at least as far back as 1995). For each role, you’ll find a job description, skill sets, and various learning plans to help pursue that path into demonstrations of competence. Careful reading of the recitations from the various Microsoft executives involved in the press release indicate this information is aimed primarily at students at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

This makes sense because those already in the workforce usually have to keep earning a paycheck and can only pursue new job roles part-time. Students looking for career choices could conceivably use this information to target specific job roles — and related certifications — as they work through their degree plans. Though Microsoft points readres to its programs for job seekers, as well as for IT pros and developers, this information is likely to have the biggest impact on those in the process of figuring out what to do with their professional lives. It should be interesting to see what kind of fruit it bears, and to see whether or not the roles that the company targets here translate into real opportunities for those who seek to fill such shoes.

Performance-based MS exams take an 83 prefix

Call it the end of an era, or perhaps the start of a brave new world. Others who, like myself, have gone looking for MS Exam 70-640 (TS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring) probably also walked away scratching their heads when they couldn’t find hide nor hair of this exam. A blog posted on MS “Born to Learn” yesterday entitled ‘What happened to “70-640?”‘ makes everything clear. This is a performance-based exam and as such is a relative rarity that will soon gain numerous other cohorts in the MS exam annals. As such, it gets a prefix of 83- (so it’s exam number 83-640), rather than the more familiar and expected 70-640. The exam is the same, and the same objectives still hold as described in the MS preparation guide (whose URL still includes the string ‘70-640′ BTW! ;-). You just have to scroll down further in the Prometric exam listings to get to those that start with 83- and to finally wind up at 83-640.

Sign up today! Who knew?

MCP Voucher Winner Renne B from The Phillipines

1. What do you currently do for a living?
I am currently working as an IT Operations Head/Team Lead for an IT Outsourcing Company here in our country and also doing some part-time jobs as an IT Instructor.
 
2. Please describe your educational background.
I started my studies with an Associate/Vocational degree and currently on my way on pursuing my Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science

3. What kinds of certifications do you currently hold, if any?
I currently hold MCP, MCDST, MCTS, MCITP and various local government certification credentials from our Country’s Technical Education Department (TESDA).

4. How has earning a certification helped to advance your career?
It really helped me a lot, it boosted my morale alongwith my career, and I got everyone’s recognition and acknowledgment. It is an important stepping stone to success in reaching my goals in life.
 
5. What exam do you plan to use the MCP voucher to take?
I am planning to continue on pursuing my MCSA Credential, particularly Exam 70-290 and/or 70-291.
 
6. What kind of advice do you have for your peers and colleagues about earning a certification?
Certification is very crucial because it defines an industry standard, a commitment to a level of knowledge and learning that can be relied upon. Like a professional license, certification offers structured and reliable evidence of skills. Through certification you can show current and prospective employers what you’ve really got to offer. Saying so is one thing, but proving it is enitrely another.
 
As this epigram from Microsoft notes: “GREAT IT PROFESSIONALS AREN’T BORN, THEY’RE CERTIFIED” 
 
Special Message:
Hello Ed, thank you very much for choosing me to be one of the lucky winners of your exam vouchers. I am really grateful and thankful for this wonderful opportunity, may God Bless you and your family.
 
Again, I thank you very very much.

<end Renne’s testimonial>

All I can say to Renne in return is “You’re very welcome, and good luck with your continuing career development activities.”

Best wishes,

–Ed–

MS Exam Voucher Winners for “Cert Success” Contest

Here is a list of winners by first name and last initial, plus city and state (US) or country (outside US). All the winners should have received an e-mail from SearchNetworking.com by now, asking for their mailing addresses so that the physical paper vouchers may be mailed to them (if you haven’t gotten such a message yet, please post a comment here to the blog and I’ll work with you to get this taken care of). For the benefit of all and sundry, here are the names, in order of ranking (highest ranked response comes first):

• Melissa S Spring, TX
• Thomas L Germany
• John C Virginia Beach, VA
• Renne B Philippines
• Flavio B Brazil
• Steven M SE Ontario, CA

Now that they’ve all won, I need each of the winners to fill out the following questionnaire, so that I can write up interviews with each of them, mostly for this blog. As the “big winner” Melissa S. of Spring, TX, will be profiled in a SearchNetworking.com article as soon as I can get her on the phone for an interview, and write up the results. Stay tuned for lots more information about all of these folks right here!

Winner Questionnaire:
1. What do you currently do for a living?
2. Please describe your educational background.
3. What kinds of certifications do you currently hold, if any?
4. How has earning a certification helped to advance your career?
5. What exam do you plan to use the MCP voucher to take?
6. What kind of advice do you have for your peers and colleagues about earning a certification?
    about finding a job?
    about improving your career prospects or outlook?

Please cut and paste the questionnaire into an e-mail message and send it to me ASAP at ed at edtittel dot com. Your speedy replies will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks to one and all who participated. It was an interesting batch of entries to consider, and lots of fun to choose and rank the contestants.

–Ed–

Comments Always Welcome! Choose Your Programs Wisely!!!

Recently, I received a comment from a reader on my August 18, 2008 blog entitled “Understanding What Drives IT Salaries,” from an astute young reader named Ronald Moore. He observed that it makes sense to choose an academic computer science or MIS program that prepares students for multiple certifications as a way of jump-starting one’s assault on the workplace with both degree and certifications in hand. He goes on to mention earning a CS degree that prepared him for a whole laundry list of certs, including A+ and CCNA plus various Microsoft and Oracle credentials as well. Very interesting!

For those considering such options, I’d urge you to factor the certs mentioned against their age and planned obsolescence. Ron’s not in bad shape, even if he does decide to go after an MCSD in .NET or an MCDBA credential. But with a new version of Windows Server now on the drawing board for 2011, certs based on Server 2003 (such as the MCDBA and the MCSD) are nearing their expiration dates. It doesn’t make sense to tout preparation for a cert that won’t be around for too much longer, but given the sometimes glacial speeds at which academic programs move along, that’s a possibility that prospective candidates must ponder when choosing any kind of training program that involves certification, academic  or otherwise.

I’d urge prospective students (and their parents) to quiz the admissions folks about how programs adapt and evolve to accommodate new certifications as old ones age out of the picture. I guess an outdated cert may be better than no cert, but isn’t worth anywhere near as much as a current one. If the idea is to help degree holders to get an edge into the job market, it’s best to make sure that the edge stays sharp and provides a way to cut through the red tape into the short list of “real job contenders” when the time comes to enter the workforce.

MS Exam Voucher Contest Concludes (Winners to be Announced)

This blog post is just a progress report, or perhaps a placeholder. At this time, I’m waiting for feedback from my colleagues at Microsoft and SearchNetworking.com (who sponsored this contest, MS by providing the exam vouchers, and SearchNetworking by encouraging me to create and promote this online event). We received a total of 14 entries in all that break down geographically as follows:

• 6 from the US
• 2 from Germany
• 1 each from Brazil, Canada, Colombia, India, the Philippines, and South Africa

I’ve already picked and ranked my 6 winners, with 2 from the US and one from Canada in the North America group, and the “rest-of-world” group currently including Germany, Brazil, and the Philippines. This may very well change when I get the reactions from the SearchNetworking and MS folks, so I’ll wait until that happens before announcing the winners and my interview schedules to help all of them tell you their stories.

In the meantime, please stay tuned! Also, thanks very much to all of you who took the time to fill out the application. In my book, you’re all winners, even though I have a more limited number of exam vouchers to dispense.

Best,

–Ed–

Cert Success Story Contest Closes Next Week

OK readers, this blog is just a quick reminder that we started a contest on June 11 in a blog entitled Share Your Certification Success Story, Win an MS Voucher. You can click the afore-cited link for all the details but the gist of the contest is this: visit the blog, click the e-mail link, and tell us about how you or somebody you know earned a cert that led to a new job, a promotion, or some other significant career boost. Microsoft has generously donated six (6) exam vouchers, each worth $125 at going prices for MCP exams.

We’re going to pick 3 winners in North America, and 3 more outside the US, Canada, and Mexico. Each one will get a free exam voucher good for any MCP exam–and hence, toward earning another certification to presumably help boost a career even further. I’ll interview all six winners and provide capsule summaries here in my blog for 5 of those 6. The person we decide has told the most compelling story will be featured in an article I will write for SearchNetworking.com.

So far, we’ve received more entries than we have exam vouchers to give away, but I’d very much like to get some more entries to widen the field of contestants, and to make sure we have some great certification stories to tell. Please e-mail us at editors@searchnetworking.com to share your story with us. This contest ends on June 30 at midnight, so please let us hear from you soon!

Good luck to one and all,

–Ed–