Back to the Future…
Microsoft is changing its certification track yet again, this time going back to the future.
Déjà vu anyone?
Funny, I could have sworn it was just yesterday we were reading statements from Redmond like “We feel that hiring managers today have a tough time deciding which computer certifications best identify job candidates who best meet their needs” when Microsoft was addressing the need to go to the new MCITP track.
Wait a minute…
It was…but now suddenly they’re talking like the MCSE never left us and making statements like “we want to make it easier for hiring managers to identify credentials that match their organization’s needs” and “make it easier for IT professionals to organize their plans to match their own career path”
Did I bump my head really hard in 2008 and wake up in 2012? Was the MCITP just a figment of my imagination?
With the way the economy has gone the last four years that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. But no, sadly I have had to endure the last four years the same as you.
So with the Olympics right around the corner maybe we should add one more game and let the verbal bashing and shots at Microsoft begin.
Yes folks we have come full circle… So without further a due let us welcome back the MCSE.
But wait, wasn’t the MCITP supposed to give us a more specialized certification track like Cisco? What about the “overcertification” of the MCSE, especially on the NT4.0? Weren’t the more specific/specialized MCITP certifications supposed to make it easier for the job candidate to prove they weren’t a “paper MCSE” and could actually perform their job?
Things that make you go HMMM…
Not to fear, the definitions of acronyms have changed:
| Now | Originally | |
| MCSE | Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert | Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer |
| MCSA | Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate | Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator |
| MCSD | Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer | Microsoft Certified Solution Developer |
Microsoft Certified Master (MCM) has been renamed also to fit the new naming scheme, Microsoft Certified Solutions Master (MCSM), but the requirements are unchanged.
So really, what has changed? The proverbial CLOUD has changed all. The new MCSE certification track will give IT professionals and their employers the credentials relevant to THE CLOUD and help them reach it with Microsoft technologies. The Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert will help you to become an indispensible asset to organizations moving to cloud.
When it comes to the cloud, Microsoft will dominate yet again. You will gain “direct-from-the-source knowledge” that will put you in the best position to increase your earning potential.
And the MCITP will retire and eventually fall to the certification wasteland and join the likes of the MCSE… Oh wait….
Let’s face it, when it come to IT change is inevitable. We can bitch and moan all we want but at the end of the day to be successful in this industry you must stay current.
So as with everything else, stay informed or be left behind. I recommend visiting Microsoft early and often… or… move to CISCO
-James Haun
