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Who Moved My MCSE Cheese? Part 3

Posted on February 11th, 2009 by Jason Zandri 2 Comments »

Jason Zandri

Part 3 – Microsoft Certified Professionals – study now for the future

This is the last article in this multipart series where I have reviewed the recent history of the Microsoft Certification Program from the NT4 days right through to the releases of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 series of exams.

Part 1 – The Microsoft Certified Professional – from humble beginnings took a look at some of the back history of the MCP program up to the changes around the time when the Windows 2000 track was released.

Part 2 – Microsoft Certified Professionals – still relevant after all these years took a look at some of the changes made to the Microsoft Certification program with the release of the Windows 2000 track of certifications.

In this segment Part 3 – Microsoft Certified Professionals – study now for the future I will detail some of the recent changes to the certification program, including the new generation of certifications (the series structure) and the “New Generation Certification Lifecycle Policies” that are in place for this new generation which actually outline a definitive lifecycle for given certifications.

[NOTES FROM THE FIELD] – I don’t have any particular insight into the certification programs at Microsoft beyond personal experience, but I do have a deep understanding of some of the workings from my exposure to them as I took the exams. I was a heavily involved certification candidate at the times of these sweeping changes from 1998 steadily though 2004 and I was acutely aware of the radically changing landscape around me.

Microsoft had dealt with some changes to their series of certifications for the Windows 2000 track as well as the Server 2003 releases “on the fly,” for lack of a better term, as their product releases continued and broadened.

Different scenarios had been considered (and are outlined in more details in my Part 2 write up) but it was finally decided with the new certification tracks, now referred to as “series,” to offer a set lifecycle rules for a given certification from the onset based on the overall product lifecycle.

I’ll go ahead and start with an overview of the different certification series and then finish with a summary of the New Generation Certification Lifecycle Policies as outlined by Microsoft.


Desktop Support Series Overview — MCAS and MOS

The Desktop Support Series designed to gauge the testers’ skill and knowledge with respect to their desktop computer skills for the 2007 Office System and prior releases, along with the Vista operating system.

There are two certifications in this series

  • Microsoft Certified Application Specialist (MCAS)
  • Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS)

The bulk of the details regarding the Microsoft Business Certification Requirements can be found via this link. In summary, Microsoft outlines this credential as “a globally recognized standard that validates skills with using the 2007 Microsoft Office system and Windows Vista.”

The newly offered MCAS certification is the successor to the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) credential that we’ll get to in the next section.

With respect to the MCAS certifications, when you take and pass Exam 77-600: MCAS: Windows Vista for the Business Worker you complete the requirements for Microsoft Certified Application Specialist: Windows Vista for the Business Worker.

The remainder of the series is based on the different Office 2007 components as follows:

To earn the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification for Microsoft Office 2003, XP or the 2000 tracks or with respect to Microsoft Office Project there are a different set of exams that must be taken.

Each of the tracks breaks down to the individual product level (Word, Excel, etc.) and there are some divisional exams that allow the test taker to move up to an identifiable “expert” level.

[NOTES FROM THE FIELD] – The Microsoft Office 2003 editions track is outlined in additional detail here. And you can find information on the Microsoft Office XP editions track here and on the Microsoft Office 2000 editions track here.

There is also the Microsoft Office Specialist Master Instructor certification for those interested in certifying at this level with respect to instruction of others. The requirements for this credential can be found here.


Technology Series Overview — MCTS

There is a large and growing assortment of Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certifications outlined at Microsoft Learning.

These differentiating exams permit information technology professionals to exemplify their expertise on one or more targeted technologies which allow them to earn the credential and distinguish themselves from other IT pros.

The main objective for each of the exams is to validate candidates’ abilities with respect to the given technology and it allows them to show a comprehensive understanding of that product and their level of skill at deploying, configuring maintaining and troubleshooting.

The expansive list of more than 30 certification tracks on the Microsoft website is an ongoing, growing and changing list as products are released and the accompanying certifications for them under this series also release.



The list as of January 2009 includes:

Many of the exams are stand alone in that passing them singly grants the test taker the certification but there are some that also grant stand alone MCTS status but also provide a base for other certifications such as Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP).

One example of this is the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) Certifications for Microsoft SQL Server 2008 which shows you how earning multiple MCTS certifications allows you to build on your MCTS certifications to earn a Professional Series credential.

That is just one example to outline and there are others for Windows Platforms, Exchange and so on.


Professional Series Overview — MCITP and MCPD

The Professional Series certifications of Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) or Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) allows successful testing candidates to show that their set of job-related skills are a match for perspective employers from a project management standpoint as well as system design, operations management, and planning.

Professional Series certifications will require candidates to pass one to three exams depending on the track taken and they will also need to have one or more technology certifications.

The Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) track highlights the field of expertise for the IT professional and breaks out into a number of specific technology tracks as outlined by the individual certifications below:

With respect to the Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) credential, developers demonstrate their expertise and knowledge of Microsoft Visual Studio and the Microsoft .NET Framework in a specific detail which reflects a comprehensive set of skills that are required to be successful in the developer role in the enterprise.

There are a number of different certification levels on different developer technologies such as the current MCPD: Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 as well as prior versions MCPD: Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 and Visual Studio .NET Credentials.

All of the additional details and breakdowns on these certifications can be reviewed at Microsoft Learning.


Master Series Overview

As outlined on the Microsoft website for the Microsoft Certified Master Program;

“The Microsoft Certified Master series offers advanced technical training and certifications on Microsoft technologies that go beyond any product training offered outside of Microsoft today. IT professionals who successfully complete the training program and certification testing validate their skills as product experts who successfully design and implement solutions that meet the most complex business requirements.”

There are presently five Master-level certifications that can be obtained by IT professionals:

The embedded links will take you to the specified webpage on the Microsoft site that outlines the specific details for each of the Master programs.

Qualified Microsoft Certified Master candidates are considered to be of the highest skilled professionals in their specified technology with several years of experience designing, deploying, and managing solutions for a given software solution or design.

In order to meet the minimum eligibility requirements for any of the Master certifications, the candidate must be a current Microsoft Certified Professional or an eligible Microsoft employee. Each of the specific technology requirements will vary by platform.

To achieve Master certification, candidates must:

Attend required training sessions which are three weeks total and they must be able to complete all of the in class exams. These exams are both written exams and lab simulations. Additionally the candidates must also successfully complete an additional qualification lab exam.

Architect Series Overview — MCA

The Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA) certification is accredited to professionals that have industry expertise in IT architecture with five or more years of advanced experience.

In order to obtain the MCA certification, candidates must be able to successfully demonstrate the seven competencies of business acumen and technological proficiency that are part of the certification requirements in front a Review Board interview session with other industry experts.

A Microsoft Certified Master certification is a prerequisite for all Microsoft Certified Architect candidates that are seeking the certification.

If you’re interested check out the Microsoft Certified Architect: Technology Programs details and the Microsoft Certified Architect: Infrastructure Program details.

[NOTES FROM THE FIELD] – The details of both of these tracks are simply far too involved to be able to comment on them in a condensed overview manner in which this article would otherwise provide so I have provided the links to the additional details for your review.

New Generation Certification Lifecycle Policies

All of the new generation of Microsoft Certifications listed in this article including the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS), Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP), and Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) has lifecycle policies in place that map to a given technology’s product support lifecycle.

These certifications will retire when Microsoft discontinues mainstream support for the relevant technology. As a rule, mainstream support for products is discontinued 5 to 7 years after the initial product release. At the time when this support ends the related certification will be retired.

This change was made to make sure that Microsoft Certification holders remain as an up-to-date resource on relevant technologies of Microsoft products that are in the mainstream support phase of their lifecycle.

These new lifecycle policies apply only to the MCTS, MCITP, and MCPD certifications and there are presently no plans to retire any of the older certifications that were already active before the lifecycle plans were introduced.

MCPs, MCSAs, MCSEs etc. are all effectively grandfathered in and will not be retired.

[NOTES FROM THE FIELD] – The details above are as offered on Microsoft Learning as of January of 2009. As with all things in technology this may change at any time.

Additional information on product lifecycle details can be found via the Microsoft Support Lifecycle.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this article and the others in this series and I am looking forward to any feedback you have on it. I would also welcome any topics of interest that you would like to see and based on demand and column space we’ll do what we can to deliver them to you.

Best of luck in your studies.

Read Part 1 of Who Moved My MCSE Cheese:
Microsoft Certified Professionals – From humble beginnings

Read Part 2 of Who Moved My MCSE Cheese:
Microsoft Certified Professionals – Still relevant after all these years


 

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2 Responses to “Who Moved My MCSE Cheese? Part 3”

  • fola olubodun Says:

    February 26th, 2009 at 4:48 am

    hello,i was wondering if i can get additional materials from you to help with my certification track…am currently studying on my own to take the microsoft certified professional cert,i am a certified oracle DBA but want to get microsoft certification now..thanks

  • Jason Zandri Says:

    February 26th, 2009 at 10:38 am

    There are a number of training materials (articles and such) available here on the site.

    Additionally, I am working on some summary information on some of the MCTS and MCITP certification exams and I expect them to be posted here.

    That and many of the information articles that I and others on the sites write easily translate into great study material for the exams. Granted they do not map perfectly (Article X covers topics of certification Y) but they are really sharp for condensed topical information.

    Hopefully that helps you a bit.

    At the same time – do you have suggestions for future features?

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