The last professional certification* that I earned was the MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) on the Windows NT 4.0 platform, which I earned on January 26, 2001. Whether or not to re-certify is a question I have been asking myself off and on since Windows 2000 was released.
In the "Do not re-certify" column:
- I do not require a certification for my current job.
- It is a very large time, effort, and monetary investment to earn a Microsoft certification.
In the "Re-certify" column:
- Some companies look to see if candidates have a certification when hiring new employees.
- It is a way to prove to myself that I thoroughly know and understand the Windows Server 2012 R2 technologies.
- I feel it allows me to bring some extra value to my employer and to myself as I further my skills as a sysadmin.
When I earned my MCSE on NT4, I was employed part time, wasn't married, and didn't have kids. Time was not an issue. I did however, have to muddle through learning Windows NT Server on a collection of cobbled together PCs ranging from 486DX2-66 all the way down to a 386SX-25. Needless to say, performance wasn't always as high as I would have liked, but they weren't expensive systems. Many of them were scrounged from people who were upgrading PCs and had components they wanted to dispose of. The training resources I used were the Sybex Windows NT 4 MCSE training kit consisting of four books, the Sybex training guides for TCP/IP and IIS 4.0, and Mark Minasi's "Mastering Windows NT Server 4". Along with those, I had also purchased the Exam Readiness Review for each of the six exams I was planning to take.
Fast forward to 2014. I now have a full time job (sometimes more than full time), a wife, kids, and far less time than I used to have. What I do have that differs, is resources. I now have a nice training server running a quad-core 3.6 GHz CPU and 32 GB of RAM with plenty of disk space and running vSphere 5.5. I also have purchased the Microsoft Training Guides and the Exam Refs for the MCSA exams, Mark Minasi's "Mastering Windows Server 2012 R2", and a few other books. I have access to live, online instructor led training, day-to-day experience with Windows Server technologies at work, access to TechNet, Microsoft Virtual Academy, and the entirety of the rest of the Internet's resources at my fingertips. Getting the knowledge is not going to be a problem this time around.
As I have reviewed the Pros and Cons of re-certifying, and my past and present situation with regards to time, and resources, I am left feeling that it will be no easier, and yet no harder to earn an updated certification. The challenges are simply different now than they were then.
All things considered, I do plan to re-certify. The reasons are many, but some of the big ones include personal satisfaction, enhanced skills that I can bring to my employer, and guarding against becoming a technological has-been. I do not think I will complete my MCSE (Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert) certification as quickly as I had before**, but I do plan to complete the exams, and then stay on top of upgrading it when new Windows Server products come out.
How long will this re-certification process take? I do not know. I do know that it will be quite challenging, and ultimately rewarding. I will regularly chart my progress here, as much for my own benefit as for keeping everyone else up to date. In case anyone is interested, I have also listed below the previous exams that I took and the exams that I plan to take over the coming year.
Wish me luck! It's time to bring my A-Game!
Have a great day!
MCSE - NT4 - Completed Exams
70-067 - Implementing and Supporting NT Server 4.0
70-068 - Implementing and Supporting NT Server 4.0 in the Enterprise
70-073 - Implementing and Supporting NT 4.0 Workstation
70-058 - Networking Essentials
70-059 - Internetworking with Microsoft TCP/IP on Microsoft Windows NT 4.0
70-087 - Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Internet Information Server 4.0
MCSE - Windows Server 2012 R2 - Planned Exams
70-410 - Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012
70-411 - Administering Windows Server 2012
70-412 - Configuring Advanced Windows Server 2012 Services
70-413 - Designing and Implementing a Server Infrastructure
70-414 - Implementing an Advanced Server Infrastructure
* During this post, whenever I mention certification, I am referring to the Microsoft Certified Professional certifications, and unless otherwise stated, I am referring specifically to the MCSA/MCSE certification tracks for Windows Server 2012 R2.
** My last MCSE was earned in 4 months, 16 days, from first exam to last exam. It worked out to approximately one exam every three weeks.
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1 comment:
In a similar boat here.I'd like to have a certification especially since I am new to the administrator role, but it isn't required and time is the scarves resource. I'll have to give it some thought too.
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