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Microsoft certification

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  • C C0d3_P03t

    Hi guys, I was going to do MCAD, but since net2.0 and now nearly 3.0 is out now its better to do them. But the scheme changed a little bit now, i used to know it as first you do MCAD and then advance to MCSD. Now there's MCPD for web development, Mcpd for application development, is there one for both? MCTS in .net framework 2.0 MCTS in sql server 2005 I am a little confused, can any one help me? Thanks Luke

    S Offline
    S Offline
    Scott Dorman
    wrote on last edited by
    #6

    See this response in an earlier discussion on these certifications: http://www.codeproject.com/lounge.asp?mode=all&userid=157870&select=2084405&df=100&forumid=1159&fr=2863.5#xx2084405xx[^]

    ----------------------------- In just two days, tomorrow will be yesterday.

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    • N NormDroid

      I seriously wouldn't bother with these certifications they're not worth the paper there written on.

      .net is a box of never ending treasures, every day I get find another gem.

      K Offline
      K Offline
      Kevin McFarlane
      wrote on last edited by
      #7

      It's sometimes the case that experience + certification is worth more than experience alone. In other words, some employers (typically consultancies) insist on it. I don't have certification but I did have an interview in which I was asked why I wasn't certified. I didn't get the job. I suspect they would have been happier had I been certified.

      Kevin

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      • N NormDroid

        I seriously wouldn't bother with these certifications they're not worth the paper there written on.

        .net is a box of never ending treasures, every day I get find another gem.

        E Offline
        E Offline
        El Corazon
        wrote on last edited by
        #8

        norm .net wrote:

        they're not worth the paper there written on

        they are only worth it to the company, if the company believes they are worth it. For instance, although a degree or an MS certification would not assist me in my job since most of it is R&D (how do get instruction on inventing things that have not been invented?). Still, if I had either, or both, the company would increase my salary appropriate to the level of "worth" they associate with the degree or certification. It is all a bit subjective and it could be a little or a lot, but you don't know until you do it and they decide subjectively what it means to them. Mostly it is PR worth. The lead programmer for yyy project has zzz certifications/degrees. It just looks good on paper. Sometimes they will even partner with me someone who's certifications or degrees looks better on paper to improve the comfort level of the contract granting office who hasn't a clue what any of it means.

        _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

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        • N NormDroid

          I seriously wouldn't bother with these certifications they're not worth the paper there written on.

          .net is a box of never ending treasures, every day I get find another gem.

          S Offline
          S Offline
          Scott Dorman
          wrote on last edited by
          #9

          I would actually argue that for any of the certifications, not just the MCPD certifications. I just got mine and the only reason I did is because the industry still tends to give more weight to individuals with those 4 little initials after their name than those that don't. It took me close to 14 years to decide to actually get my certs. Now that I have one, I still don't look at those initials (or my skills) any differently. The problem with the certifications is that there is such a huge amount of "preparation work" available (study halls, practice exams, etc.) that they become more about how much you can remember just before you take the exam rather than about how much you actually know. (Hence the reason I've never put much weight behind them.) Your scores are also not public knowledge either, only if you passed or failed an exam, which is both good and bad. I took mine "cold", having only looked at the prep sheets, provided on the Microsoft Training site for each exam, which only list the topic areas covered. I figured that if I couldn't pass them on my own merits after 14 years as a developer there was a problem.

          ----------------------------- In just two days, tomorrow will be yesterday.

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          • N NormDroid

            I seriously wouldn't bother with these certifications they're not worth the paper there written on.

            .net is a box of never ending treasures, every day I get find another gem.

            A Offline
            A Offline
            Amar Chaudhary
            wrote on last edited by
            #10

            I did saw it in eligibility criteria in one company

            1 Reply Last reply
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            • N NormDroid

              I seriously wouldn't bother with these certifications they're not worth the paper there written on.

              .net is a box of never ending treasures, every day I get find another gem.

              N Offline
              N Offline
              Not Active
              wrote on last edited by
              #11

              I would disagree. Certainly for ones that are only interested in passing the exam to lend credibility to themselves this may be true. However there are many pepole, myself included, who take the exams as a means of acquiring knowledge.


              only two letters away from being an asset

              1 Reply Last reply
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              • N NormDroid

                Where? cut the code and show them an app, jobs yours.

                .net is a box of never ending treasures, every day I get find another gem.

                D Offline
                D Offline
                Dave Sexton
                wrote on last edited by
                #12

                That's always been my experience too. I've never been to an interview where there wasn't some form of technical evaluation.

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                • C C0d3_P03t

                  Hi guys, I was going to do MCAD, but since net2.0 and now nearly 3.0 is out now its better to do them. But the scheme changed a little bit now, i used to know it as first you do MCAD and then advance to MCSD. Now there's MCPD for web development, Mcpd for application development, is there one for both? MCTS in .net framework 2.0 MCTS in sql server 2005 I am a little confused, can any one help me? Thanks Luke

                  C Offline
                  C Offline
                  Colin Angus Mackay
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #13

                  C0d3_P03t wrote:

                  since net2.0 and now nearly 3.0 is out now

                  .NET 3.0 is out. See this chart on my blog[^] which I copied from a presentation by Microsoft DPE Daniel Moth.


                  Upcoming events: * Glasgow: Mock Objects, SQL Server CLR Integration, Reporting Services, db4o, Dependency Injection with Spring ... * Reading: Developer Day 5 Ready to Give up - Your help will be much appreciated. My website

                  1 Reply Last reply
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                  • N NormDroid

                    Where? cut the code and show them an app, jobs yours.

                    .net is a box of never ending treasures, every day I get find another gem.

                    C Offline
                    C Offline
                    Colin Angus Mackay
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #14

                    norm .net wrote:

                    Where?

                    At the company I work for.

                    norm .net wrote:

                    cut the code and show them an app, jobs yours.

                    Yes, that too is part of the interview process. It is the more important part, naturally. But the certification is required as we are a Microsoft Gold Partner. The cost savings that brings are worth the expenditure of ensuring that we certify our IT team.


                    Upcoming events: * Glasgow: Mock Objects, SQL Server CLR Integration, Reporting Services, db4o, Dependency Injection with Spring ... * Reading: Developer Day 5 Ready to Give up - Your help will be much appreciated. My website

                    1 Reply Last reply
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                    • S Scott Dorman

                      I would actually argue that for any of the certifications, not just the MCPD certifications. I just got mine and the only reason I did is because the industry still tends to give more weight to individuals with those 4 little initials after their name than those that don't. It took me close to 14 years to decide to actually get my certs. Now that I have one, I still don't look at those initials (or my skills) any differently. The problem with the certifications is that there is such a huge amount of "preparation work" available (study halls, practice exams, etc.) that they become more about how much you can remember just before you take the exam rather than about how much you actually know. (Hence the reason I've never put much weight behind them.) Your scores are also not public knowledge either, only if you passed or failed an exam, which is both good and bad. I took mine "cold", having only looked at the prep sheets, provided on the Microsoft Training site for each exam, which only list the topic areas covered. I figured that if I couldn't pass them on my own merits after 14 years as a developer there was a problem.

                      ----------------------------- In just two days, tomorrow will be yesterday.

                      C Offline
                      C Offline
                      Colin Angus Mackay
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #15

                      Scott Dorman wrote:

                      Your scores are also not public knowledge either, only if you passed or failed an exam

                      Not always. I took various exams at various testing centres. Some had scores, others didn't. Where a score was shown the pass was mark was 700 and the maximum score was 1000. For example, the SQL Server 2000 and ASP.NET exams were simple pass/fail and I took them in London. The WinForms exam had a score and I took that in Edinburgh.


                      Upcoming events: * Glasgow: Mock Objects, SQL Server CLR Integration, Reporting Services, db4o, Dependency Injection with Spring ... * Reading: Developer Day 5 Ready to Give up - Your help will be much appreciated. My website

                      S 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • C C0d3_P03t

                        Hi guys, I was going to do MCAD, but since net2.0 and now nearly 3.0 is out now its better to do them. But the scheme changed a little bit now, i used to know it as first you do MCAD and then advance to MCSD. Now there's MCPD for web development, Mcpd for application development, is there one for both? MCTS in .net framework 2.0 MCTS in sql server 2005 I am a little confused, can any one help me? Thanks Luke

                        B Offline
                        B Offline
                        bryce
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #16

                        I started my MCSD course recently in c# .net 2.0 here in Brisneyland As you sit the exams you do pick up a cert or two :) Bryce

                        --- To paraphrase Fred Dagg - the views expressed in this post are bloody good ones. --
                        Publitor, making Pubmed easy. http://www.sohocode.com/publitor

                        Our kids books :The Snot Goblin, and Book 2 - the Snotgoblin and Fluff

                        N 1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • C Colin Angus Mackay

                          Scott Dorman wrote:

                          Your scores are also not public knowledge either, only if you passed or failed an exam

                          Not always. I took various exams at various testing centres. Some had scores, others didn't. Where a score was shown the pass was mark was 700 and the maximum score was 1000. For example, the SQL Server 2000 and ASP.NET exams were simple pass/fail and I took them in London. The WinForms exam had a score and I took that in Edinburgh.


                          Upcoming events: * Glasgow: Mock Objects, SQL Server CLR Integration, Reporting Services, db4o, Dependency Injection with Spring ... * Reading: Developer Day 5 Ready to Give up - Your help will be much appreciated. My website

                          S Offline
                          S Offline
                          Scott Dorman
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #17

                          Colin Angus Mackay wrote:

                          Not always. I took various exams at various testing centres. Some had scores, others didn't. Where a score was shown the pass was mark was 700 and the maximum score was 1000.

                          Sorry...guess I wasn't clear. All of the exams had an actual score, with a 700 being the lowest to pass. What I was saying was that on the public transcript it only shows a pass/fail and not the actual score.

                          ----------------------------- In just two days, tomorrow will be yesterday.

                          S 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • N NormDroid

                            I seriously wouldn't bother with these certifications they're not worth the paper there written on.

                            .net is a box of never ending treasures, every day I get find another gem.

                            M Offline
                            M Offline
                            Member 96
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #18

                            I don't know why you were voted down; what you say is perfectly true. I guess it's a bunch of people that payed for those certs. :)


                            "110%" - it's the new 70%

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                            • D daniilzol

                              Believe it or not they do help getting a job, or at least an interview.

                              M Offline
                              M Offline
                              Member 96
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #19

                              Not at any place most programmers would want to work at though. Anyone who has ever had to hire a programmer or computer tech knows just how much certification blows. I *always* found the best candidates were the ones that were *not* certified.


                              "110%" - it's the new 70%

                              L 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • N NormDroid

                                I seriously wouldn't bother with these certifications they're not worth the paper there written on.

                                .net is a box of never ending treasures, every day I get find another gem.

                                D Offline
                                D Offline
                                DJ van Wyk
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #20

                                Generally we rather draw up a test regarding specific problem that the candidate will be employed for. We don't even care if the person finished school. If he can do the job he is qualified enough. On the other hand, experience plays a large part in the decision. The more the experience, the shorter the learning curve.

                                N 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • S Scott Dorman

                                  Colin Angus Mackay wrote:

                                  Not always. I took various exams at various testing centres. Some had scores, others didn't. Where a score was shown the pass was mark was 700 and the maximum score was 1000.

                                  Sorry...guess I wasn't clear. All of the exams had an actual score, with a 700 being the lowest to pass. What I was saying was that on the public transcript it only shows a pass/fail and not the actual score.

                                  ----------------------------- In just two days, tomorrow will be yesterday.

                                  S Offline
                                  S Offline
                                  Sparkie50
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #21

                                  What certification shows is a breadth of understanding - a good interviewer will be able to determine depth. More importantly, they show a commitment to your profession. Whilst an inexperienced developer can pass the exams, and not make a good programmer, they will most likely know more than an uncertified bluffer. As someone who has done a lot of recruitment, it certainly won't get you the job, but it will tell me you are serious about development as your profession (and thus make you more likely to get an interview). Plus, I think as a personal development exercise, studying for and passing MCP exams is highly beneficial, as it exposes you to areas where your work my not require you to go. My knowledge of encryption is almost totally based on my MCP study. So not mandatory, but highly recommended. Sparkie

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • D DJ van Wyk

                                    Generally we rather draw up a test regarding specific problem that the candidate will be employed for. We don't even care if the person finished school. If he can do the job he is qualified enough. On the other hand, experience plays a large part in the decision. The more the experience, the shorter the learning curve.

                                    N Offline
                                    N Offline
                                    NormDroid
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #22

                                    DJ van Wyk wrote:

                                    The more the experience, the shorter the learning curve

                                    Absolutely. :cool:

                                    .net is a box of never ending treasures, every day I get find another gem.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • B bryce

                                      I started my MCSD course recently in c# .net 2.0 here in Brisneyland As you sit the exams you do pick up a cert or two :) Bryce

                                      --- To paraphrase Fred Dagg - the views expressed in this post are bloody good ones. --
                                      Publitor, making Pubmed easy. http://www.sohocode.com/publitor

                                      Our kids books :The Snot Goblin, and Book 2 - the Snotgoblin and Fluff

                                      N Offline
                                      N Offline
                                      NormDroid
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #23

                                      I know of people who claim the done MCSD MCAD and actaully haven't :rolleyes:

                                      .net is a box of never ending treasures, every day I get find another gem.

                                      B 1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • C C0d3_P03t

                                        Hi guys, I was going to do MCAD, but since net2.0 and now nearly 3.0 is out now its better to do them. But the scheme changed a little bit now, i used to know it as first you do MCAD and then advance to MCSD. Now there's MCPD for web development, Mcpd for application development, is there one for both? MCTS in .net framework 2.0 MCTS in sql server 2005 I am a little confused, can any one help me? Thanks Luke

                                        S Offline
                                        S Offline
                                        sdesapriya
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #24

                                        Microsoft has divided the certification exams in to more sections than earlier. Now in the new track they don't have MCAD and MCSD which covers all the areas like windows dev, web dev and database etc. Instead of that they have divided the exams in more specific way. MCTS is basic lavel in the new track and you can get MCTS in any area you like.For that you have to do one or more exams depends on the area Eg. MCTS in web development,MCTS in Winwods development. after that, if you want to be a professional in your area you can do next step exams and earn MCPD in relevent area. Same as you can earn MCTS,MCPD in several areas (eg. Web dev+Win dev+Ent dev) see more details on http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcts/default.mspx hope i make my self clear to you rgds Thushara

                                        C 1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • S sdesapriya

                                          Microsoft has divided the certification exams in to more sections than earlier. Now in the new track they don't have MCAD and MCSD which covers all the areas like windows dev, web dev and database etc. Instead of that they have divided the exams in more specific way. MCTS is basic lavel in the new track and you can get MCTS in any area you like.For that you have to do one or more exams depends on the area Eg. MCTS in web development,MCTS in Winwods development. after that, if you want to be a professional in your area you can do next step exams and earn MCPD in relevent area. Same as you can earn MCTS,MCPD in several areas (eg. Web dev+Win dev+Ent dev) see more details on http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcts/default.mspx hope i make my self clear to you rgds Thushara

                                          C Offline
                                          C Offline
                                          C0d3_P03t
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #25

                                          After 24 posts i got an answer for my question! Thanks sdesapriya

                                          S 1 Reply Last reply
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