Category Christopher Kusek

Certification 101: Getting Started with Microsoft Certification

Thinking about getting Certified? Not sure what to do? What the value is?

I’d like to point you to our good friends at Microsoft running a Certification 101 Live meeting.

*Begin Blatant Theft from the MSLCommunity :)*

After many suggestions from you, and from our dear friend Trika, we are hosting another Certification 101 Live Meeting. This one will take place on Tuesday, November 18th and will hopefully be the start of a regular schedule of these Live Meetings.

Audience: IT Professionals, developers who think they might like to get certified, but aren’t sure it’s right for them and/or aren’t sure where to start. People who have never taken a Microsoft exam and work with Microsoft products, or people who will be working with Microsoft in the very near future.

Registration: Join folks from the Microsoft Certified Professional team (including ME) to learn about the benefits and process of getting certified: choosing a certification path, preparing for your first exam, taking an exam, and what to expect after that. Click to register for:

  • November 18, 2008 at 7:30 A.M. Pacific Time http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032394770&Culture=en-US)(What time is this in my region?)
  • November 18, 2008 at 5:30 P.M. Pacific Time http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032394771&Culture=en-US (What time is this in my region?)

Here’s what we’ll talk about…

  • what a technical certification can do for you–what is the goal?
  • how to choose a certification track that will help you meet your goals – career or otherwise
  • how do you know when you’re ready (expected experience level, time/money involved, etc)
  • preparation options (what you need to know, how to learn it)
  • the testing experience (registering, during the test, what happens when you’re done)

Our hope is to make this less intimidating for new people.

Please send the links around if you have co-workers or user groups who might find this helpful.

*End Blatant theft!*

Do check out and comment on their blog as well! this post Certification 101: Getting Started with Microsoft Certification and others are available there!

Hey NetApp, where do I find that damn TR document?!

You ever get up and say “ooh! I want to find these TR articles!” Okay, if you don’t, *I* do :)

I certainly know a number of other folks who are always out there wondering …. Where do I find this?!?

Well, here is this little gem!

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That’s right! all you need to do is click this Technical Reports: By Number link, and there you will have them all right there! I expanded it out to the “View All” feel free to manipulate as appropriate.

Something about Community, that brings us together (Obama ’08)

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It’s been said that it takes a village.  Or if we address it by its official distinction:

It takes a village to raise a child.

However, if there is one thing that this campaign has taught us:  

It takes a nation to exhibit change

Taken in Grant Park, Chicago when Barack Obama was announced President - Special Thanks to Laura for taking this picture!

We’ve been on a long road these many centuries and we’ve made changes which have shaped not only this nation, but also the world.   When Barack Obama was announced President Elect, parties rang out in the streets across the world.    Some people who hold on dearly and tightly to their ideals hoping the world will not change, sadly were in for a rude awakening.   This was the straw which broke the proverbial camels back.   The world is always changing, the question you must ask yourself; do you want to be an agent of change? In line with the early adopters and the innovators, there has never been a better opportunity in our life times to not only watch change happen but to be part of the evolution of change.

It takes a child to raise a village.  And it takes you to change a nation.

Free Testing Archive – Your Guide to Certification Freebies

To make it easier to find out what tests are currently available in general and in Beta’s, I’m creating this “link” more or less, which I’ll keep current as I can. – All dates update 04/15/09

 

71-680: TS: Windows 7, Configuring. May 5, 2009– May 18, 2009 (WIN7J)

NS1-501: NetApp Certified Implementation Engineer:SAN – October 23, 2008 – December 31, 2008 (No Code needed)

70-113: TS: Windows® Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring (Pilot)July 31, 2008– December 31, 2008 (Code H640) (Qualifies you for 3 free vouchers after exam release)

71-505: TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5, Windows Forms Application DevelopmentNovember 25, 2008 – December 15, 2008 (Code: X356Y)

71-563: Pro: Design & Dev Windows Apps Using MS.NET Framework 3.5October 13, 2008 – December 11, 2008 (Code: DW897)

71-564: Pro: Designing and Developing ASP.NET Applications Using the Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.5November 6, 2008 – December 1, 2008 (Code: RSC43)

71-565: Pro: Designing and Developing Enterprise Applications Using the Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.5November 10, 2008 – December 3, 2008 (Code: 999TR)

71-403: TS: Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008, Configuring – September 30, 2008 – December 15, 2008 (Code: VMM08) (Code may be expired, keep trying it)

70-656 Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack, ConfiguringFirst 500 Free (Code: MDOP)

71-433: TS: Microsoft SQL 2008, Database Development – September 22, 2008 – October 10, 2008 (Code: F589G)

NS1-060: NetApp Accredited Support Engineer – September 12, 2008 – November 7, 2008 (No Code needed)

NS1-050: NetApp Installation Accredited Professional – August 1, 2008 – September 12 2008 (No Code needed) – Extended to September 12th!

71-450: PRO: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Designing, Optimizing, and Maintaining a Database Administrative SolutionAugust 18, 2008– September 16, 2008 (Code: 239F4)

71-451: PRO: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Designing and Optimizing Database Solutions – September 2, 2008 – September 30, 2008 (Code: 14F65)

71-653: Windows Small Business Server 2008, ConfiguringAugust 22, 2008 – September 25, 2008 (Code: SBS8)

71-654 – TS: Windows Essential Business Server 2008, Configuring – July 22, 2008 – ??? Sep 25?  (Code EBS08)

71-452: Designing a Business Intelligence Infrastructure Using Microsoft SQL Server 2008August 13, 2008– September 10, 2008 (Code: 3568C)

71-660: TS: Windows® InternalsJuly 21, 2008 – August 5, 2008 (Code WINT)

All older exams will not be referenced