MCSE Studying - What Happened During Weeks 39-48?

As you may have noticed, I have not made one single blog post in the past 10 weeks. What happened? Life. Circumstances changed quite rapidly over the past 10 weeks, and things are only now starting to settle down. In this post, I will try to catch you up on the events of the past few weeks. I will also try to get back on track doing regular weekly blog posts. So, without further delay, here's what has been happening.

On March 10, I went into the testing center, ready to write the 70-410 Exam: Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012. Unfortunately, due to a technical error at the testing center, I was unable to write the exam that day. The test center did what they could to try to correct the error, but ultimately it was up to the test provider to correct the issue. The staff at the test center encouraged me to stay in Edmonton for the remainder of the week, just in case the exam could be rescheduled before I left for home.

It was not rescheduled. In fact, It was just over a week before I heard back from the test provider, and a further 3 days (due to another technical glitch) before I could book a time to write the test. I finally managed to book the second attempt at exam 70-410 for April 29.

Also adding to the chaos of my life, I started a new job on March 16. I am working on the help desk for a local college. This is only a temporary position, as I am covering for an individual who is on maternity leave. I have been having a great time, as this job is considerable less stressful than the last position I held. It has, however, reduced the amount of time I have to study.

During the seven weeks between the first and second attempt at the exam, I managed to get very little studying done. I would say that it was less than 5 hours a week. It was very difficult to find that balance between work/home/study time. Needless to say,  few things fell by the wayside during this period, not the least of which was this blog.

I went back into Edmonton on April 29, and managed to write, and pass exam 70-410. The experience taught me a lot about myself, my studying habits, and just what is required to pass a Microsoft certification exam. I was glad I wrote it, and even happier that I passed. Upon my return home, I took a couple of days off from studying and took an opportunity to relax a little bit.

I am now back into studying, preparing myself for the 70-411 Exam: Administering Window Server 2012. I have finally managed to hit my stride, and the studying is once again back on track. I have not yet booked the exam, but I plan to do that over the next few days. I would expect to be ready to write it sometime in late May, or possibly early June.

I will be back on track with my blog posts starting next week, so look forward to more information on how things are going, and what I am learning.

Have a great week everyone!