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Home > Archive > 70-217 > January 2003 > MCSE and MCSA certification changed again!
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MCSE and MCSA certification changed again!
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| B4yaman3 2003-01-14, 8:25 am |
| Microsoft's decision to create separate Win2K and .NET tracks could affect your MCSA and MCSE plans. But if you're certified in Win2K, you may not need to worry.
Just when you think your Microsoft certification game plan is set, the playing field shifts. In December, the software giant announced it was reversing its decision to permit mixing and matching of exams for the Windows 2000 and .NET certification tracks. The switch met with consternation and some confusion. Here's what you need to know about what's really changing and how you can best move forward.
No more mix-and-match
Back in July 2001, Microsoft announced that IT professionals could earn MCSE certification by selecting from a smorgasbord of Windows 2000 and .NET exams. It even published exam numbers and titles. The idea was that IT pros would pick from available and eligible exams to piece together an MCSE.
When the new MCSA accreditation was announced, the same deal was in place; IT pros could earn the new system administrator credential by selecting from the available Windows 2000 and .NET exams listed as eligible for MCSA certification.
That all changed last month, when Microsoft announced that it's eliminating the combined approach. Instead, Redmond will form separate tracks.
"The mix-and-match strategy wasn't just about having a single version of the credential that spanned both platform versions," said Dan Truax, Director of Microsoft Certification Business and Product Strategy.
At one time, based on some customer feedback Microsoft had received, Truax felt that "customers [wanted] to be able to take exams in the newer version but be able to count them back toward the older track".
That's not what Truax said he hears now.
"What led us to this upgrade strategy was that I very clearly heard from customers that is not what they wanted. The change we made to go from mix-and-match to a clear upgrade path was because customers said--every single person I talked to in the last six months said very clearly--I don't want to take new exams and count them toward my old credential. If I'm taking new exams, I want to be recognized on the new version."
Win2K and .NET: Two tracks
The impact of the announcement is simple: Windows 2000 and Windows .NET now form two tracks, not one. IT pros will earn accreditation in a single track, depending upon the exams taken.
The only catch is that if you've earned certification on the Windows 2000 platform, you won't be .NET certified. But Microsoft certified professionals need not worry that heir electives will be rendered ineligible or otherwise invalidated.
"Anyone who's certified in Windows 2000 today will always be certified in Windows 2000," Truax said. "Over time, we may retire specific exams if customer demand goes away for an exam, but we will not decertify or take that credential away from the individuals who have it."
Source and Full Story | |
| jeff_j_black 2003-01-14, 12:11 pm |
| It's always good to keep your ear to the ground, while you are on the way to completing any vendor certification. Fortunately, it sounds like MCSE 2000 will only need 1-2 exams to be MCSE .Net.
Don't think that this is just a Microsoft phenomena, try buying books for Cisco CCNP right before they change the exam topics to include items that are not in your books.
It's not the kill, it's the thrill of the chase. | |
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| quote:
Originally posted by jeff_j_black
It's not the kill, it's the thrill of the chase.
I like to look at it that way as well  | |
| jeff_j_black 2003-01-15, 7:31 am |
| I knew those eighties rock lyrics would come in handy! |
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