Tag MCSE

Here is the mail I will be sending to the folks who I send vouchers to.. :)

Microsoft Learning (and I:))  are pleased to offer an exclusive discount on your Microsoft Certification exam

Use the discount code below and pay only $25USD for your Microsoft Certification exam

To register for your exam visit: http://www.register.prometric.com This offer is only good until June 30^th, 2009 so be sure to act quick on this!

These exams have “Second Shot” built in, meaning if for whatever reason you do not pass the first time, you can use the same voucher for your second time at $0 cost.

If for whatever reason you find yourself unable to use the voucher you’re given, let me know immediately so it can be recycled to someone else who can use it!

Your voucher code is: VoucherCodeHere!

If you need any help finding resources to study, train and prepare for your exam, let me know and I can help you get access to those resources.

Thanks!

Christopher Kusek, CISSP
Technology Evangelist, Consultant
CISSP | MCSE* | NCSA* | NCIE* | CWUG

NetApp
630.362.1320 Mobile
Christopher.Kusek@NetApp.com
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P Please consider the environment before printing this message.

Yea, so this is the ‘format’ for the emails I’ll be sending… for what it’s worth :)

Firstly, a hearty congratulations to the 8 Year old (and 1 day) Lavina Shree who recently completed her MCP Exam in C#.

[NDTV via NewLaunches]

She has made quite an accomplishment for defeating the previous title holder Arfa Karim from Pakistan who was 10 Years old at the time she completed her MCP exam in 2005.

Apparently, she is 8 years old, and not 9 years old as some of the stories report (Her own website reports this)

Okay, time for the Therapy Faq on this.

Q: Should I feel bad about myself and my own certifications?

A:  No, why should you feel bad?   If you had a photographic memory and were 8 years old, wouldn’t you be able to find the time to study just a bit? I mean, outside of your regular 80 hour workweek fixing networks or dealing with your significant other, I’m sure you’d be able to find a few minutes to study for an exam, right?

Q:  What? But seriously, she’s 8 years old! Not even 9 years old like the other reports are saying!

A:  Wait, you’re right.    I forgot these exams aren’t based upon sole memorization and require you to have to think about extremely bound concepts the likes of which cannot exist in books.   I mean when I go into the Oracle to take the exam, it analyzes what I have in my brain and then starts providing dynamic questions the likes of which noone could ever hold challenge to.

Q: Does this happening make the Certification process at all less valuable?

A: Absolutely not.   That same analysis could be said of the Bar Exam, SAT’s or GRE’s.    Some people are extremely good at certain things (say, memorization) but that is not to say that they know everything there is, only what they’ve read.   So, while you can know the ‘answer’ to a defined question, if provided with a question outside the context of original discussion that shows your true ability to innovate and provide a solution.   If I want someone to be able to recite back to me verbatim a fixed question/answer, I’d get Wikipedia or something.

Q: So you’re saying I should feel good for this girl, and not feel bad about myself?

A: Exactly.  I think it is great, prior to this a lot of people didn’t even realize there was such a thing as the MCP.  Now perhaps some may feel this is bad PR, but any PR is better than none, and this will pass.    Especially when a girl who is cited as having performed feats of memorization at age 3? No, this will definitely do wonders for the Certification community and help to improve the process as a whole for years to come.   We’ve been watching it come for the past several years as tests have improved to be more relevant, and this will be no different.

Good luck out there, get ready for a whole new Certification year! And I look forward to the new innovative Betas as you should!

That’s right! New Mastery in the form of a “Master” Cert.
It is rumoured to be above the current MCITP, and equally above the old-school MCSE, yet below (and a pre-requisite) of the MCA (Architect).

It will be offered in 3 varieties.

It is covered at an EXTREMELY high-level here at Microsoft Certified Master Program
And also is briefly mentioned here on Trika’s Blog

There is a little bit of depth to be found here:
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/master/products/default.mspx

However, outside of these high-level ideas of it, and its very narrow focus on a set of core technologies (Hey, where is my MOSS Mastery?!)

It appears to be just another Certification to join the pile – definitely a precursor to the MCA with these requirements:

To achieve Master certification, candidates must fulfill the following training requirements:

And if history has shown us anything, when you have ‘class attendance requirements’ that usually translates into “This is going to cost you some serious $$$” Not only from ‘attendance’ but also from your inability to be producing revenue or working as you’re going to classes.

Perhaps this is trying to go the way of the “Masters” programs available within the ‘Educational’ community, but today you can phone that in, and the technology and extreme depth this is looking to promote is not something earned in the classroom – It’s earned in the trenches.

Who knows how this will be implemented, we’ll certainly find out as time moves on – Adoption is key though – Look at the CCIE Program for Cisco…