Category Certification

So, for those of you who do not know, I will be “On the Bus” from the start – Still waiting on Itinerary verification, but I will be there… May 1st – 11th with the rest of MS Learning and Certification Team (Something I’m looking forward to!)

You still have until May 20th to win your trip (on the bus, or direct to TechEd) So sign up!

Here is the break down of the travel itinerary as published so far (4/14)

The Career Express tour, day by day:

Friday, May 1st: Atlanta, GA

• United States Army School of Information Technology, in Fort Gordon, GA, 8:30am – 11:00am
• Ask the Experts at New Horizons Atlanta 3:00pm – 6:00pm
• Additional Stops TBA

Saturday, May 2nd: Atlanta, GA to Greensboro, NC

• Gwinnett Technical College, Lawrenceville, GA, 9:00am – 12:00pm

Sunday, May 3rd: Greensboro, NC to Philadelphia, PA

• Philly TechFest 2009 sponsored by Springhouse Education and Consulting Services, 12:00pm – 4:00pm (featuring live rounds of “Are You Certifiable?” Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 previews, and more)

Monday, May 4th: Philadelphia, PA to Cincinnati, OH

• Philly TechFest 2009 at Springhouse, 8:00am – 10:00am
• Additional Stops in Philadelphia TBA
• MCP “Tweet-up” in Columbus (be sure to follow us on Twitter for details!)

Tuesday, May 5th: Cincinnati, OH to Indianapolis, IN

• MAX Learning Luau at MAX Technical Training in Cincinnati, 11:00am – 1:00pm (featuring Windows 7 previews, lunch, drawings and more!)
• “Bring a Friend” Night at “LANTech Training, Indianapolis, 7:00pm – 9:00pm (bring a friend interested in starting a career in IT, and you both might win a TechNet Plus subscription (and your friend might win a laptop, too!))

Wednesday, May 6th: Indianapolis, IN to Kansas City, MO

• New Horizons Kansas City 12:00pm – 3:00pm (featuring Windows 7 previews, Windows Server 2008, .NET 3.5, SharePoint sessions on more)
• Additional stops TBA

Thursday, May 7th: Kansas City, MO to Denver, CO

• MCP Study Break, Red Rocks Community College, Lakewood, CO, 8:00am – 10:00am (featuring live rounds of “Are You Certifiable?” and Windows Server 2008 exam prep sessions)
• Ask the Experts at Ameriteach, Greenwood Village, CO, 4:30pm – 8:00pm (featuring live rounds of “Are you Certifiable?” sessions on Windows 7, SQL Server, OCS and more—delivered by stellar MCTs!)

Friday, May 8th: Denver, CO to Santa Fe, NM

• Get Off the Bus! Free day for our intrepid but tired riders—come join us as we explore Santa Fe (follow us on Twitter to see where we’ll be!)

Saturday, May 9th: Santa Fe, NM to Phoenix, AZ

• Microsoft Technology Round-Up, Training to You, Phoenix, 12:00pm – 3:00pm (featuring Windows 7 previews and Windows Server 2008 certification sessions)
• Additional Stops TBA

Sunday, May 10th: Phoenix, AZ to Las Vegas, NV

• “How to Thrive in Your IT Career” at Netcom, 2:00 – 3:30pm (featuring Windows 7 preview)

Monday, May 11th: Las Vegas, NV to Los Angeles, CA

• Greet the Bus at TechEd 2009, 9am

That’s right! April 16th is the day for the:

Microsoft Certification Coaching Session: Preparing for your Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 – Application Development Exam (70-541)

If you’re interested in SharePoint and want to get Certified, this is a must see event!

More details below!

Duration:
60 Minutes

Start Date:

Thursday, April 16, 2009 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada)

Event Overview

Take advantage of this coaching session hosted by a Microsoft Certified Trainer to help prepare for your Microsoft Certification exam.

This session is intended for Developers and IT Professionals pursuing Technical Specialist: Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 – Application Development certification.  You will review key exam topics including deploying Windows SharePoint Services and custom components, developing components, manipulating site content and configuration.  The session will help you understand the key exam topic areas and how to better focus your study efforts.

Registration Options

Event ID:
1032406314

Also, if you’re interested in other events ‘out in the future’ check out this link

Free Certification Exam Preparation

A glance into the future will reveal:

April 21: Preparing for your Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring / Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuring Exams (70-640/642)

Register Now:  7:30 A.M. Pacific Time   (What time is this in my region?)

April 23: Preparing for your PRO: Windows Server 2008, Server Administrator / PRO: Windows Server 2008, Enterprise Administrator Exams (70-646/647)

Register Now:  7:30 A.M. Pacific Time   (What time is this in my region?)

April 28: Preparing for your Exchange Server 2007, Configuring exam (70-236)

Register Now:  10:00 A.M. Pacific Time   (What time is this in my region?)

Thanks Beta Exam blog! And otherwise, if you recall all of the beta exams I’d talk about in the past, this is no different!

Note: This exam will be available for testing during the time when TechEd is going on, so be sure to definitely plan accordingly!

Registration begins: April 27, 2009

You are invited to take beta exam 71-680: TS: Windows 7, Configuring. If you pass the beta exam, the exam credit will be added to your transcript and you will not need to take the exam in its released form. The 71-xxx identifier is used for registering for beta versions of MCP exams, when the exam is released in its final form the 70-xxx identifier is used for registration.
By participating in beta exams, you have the opportunity to provide the Microsoft Certification program with feedback about exam content, which is integral to development of exams in their released version. We depend on the contributions of experienced IT professionals and developers as we continually improve exam content and maintain the value of Microsoft certifications.

71-680: TS: Windows 7, Configuring counts as credit towards the following certification(s).

· MCTS: Windows 7, Configuration

Availability

Registration begins: April 27, 2009

Beta exam period runs: May 5, 2009– May 18, 2009

Receiving this invitation does not guarantee you a seat in the beta; we recommend that you register immediately! Beta exams have limited availability and are operated under a first-come-first-served basis. Once all beta slots are filled, no additional seats will be offered.

Testing is held at Prometric testing centers worldwide, although this exam may not be available in all countries (see Regional Restrictions). All testing centers will have the capability to offer this exam in its live version.

Regional Restrictions: India, Pakistan, China

Registration Information

You must register at least 24 hours prior to taking the exam.
Please use the following promotional code when registering for the exam: WIN7J
Receiving this invitation does not guarantee you a seat in the beta; we recommend that you register immediately.

To register in North America, please call:

•Prometric: (800) 755-EXAM (800-755-3926)

Outside the U.S./Canada, please contact:

•Prometric: http://www.register.prometric.com/ClientInformation.asp

Test Information and Support

You are invited to take this beta exam at no charge.
You will be given four hours to complete the beta exam. Please plan accordingly.

If you remember my past posts on Elevate America, there are now some updates to this!

Through a simple clickable map you can find out information on how to obtain YOUR voucher!

This information really speaks to the heart of the issue

The vouchers are part of a new national program Microsoft announced at the National Governors Conference in February. Elevate America hopes to offer job training to as many as 2 million Americans over the next three years.

And if you’re like Sue T. Carter, this comes at the best time possible

Sue T. Carter of Bellevue picked up one of the first vouchers. She said she has been working part time for more than two years and really needs to find a job that will help her pay her rent, because she is less than a month away from eviction.

Special thanks to our friends at the MS Learning Community for the heads up on this

If you remember that “Get On The Bus” Promotion I spoke about before, they’ve changed the game a bit more now! Now it’s not only easier, but it’s even easier than that!

Now, you have the opportunity to be rewarded like so:

• Free admission to TechEd 2009
• Hotel stay during the conference
• Return airfare from Los Angeles to your nearest major airport
• Your choice of:
• Airfare from your closest major airport to your choice of cities on the Career Express tour route, where you’ll meet the bus and ride the rest of the way to TechEd, or
• Airfare directly from your closest major airport to Los Angeles

That’s right! You can be flown to “get on the bus” *or!* You can get flown directly to TechEd itself! How’s that for amazing! It’s like winning one of those raffle contests we’ve all hoped and dreamed to win as children!

So, what does it take to win given light of the news of “I can go directly to TechEd!”

• Send us an e-mail with your name, MCP ID, and preferred contact info. Include a link to the essay we asked for (“Why I’m Passionate about Microsoft Learning and Certification”) and an optional video URL.
• You have until 9am Pacific time on Monday, April 20th to enter; we’ll select and notify up to 5 winners the next day.
• Full legal rules and restrictions here.

And let me break that down for you a bit if you’re at all misunderstanding:

You are required to:

• BE an MCP – Meaning you have an MCP ID, No ID, No Soup for you
• Provide a link to an essay you wrote about “Why you’re passionate about MS Learning and Certification”
• An essay does not mean, a resume, your webpage when it doesn’t include an Essay, or any other form of situation where in the end it does not equal your essay.  If you want an example of what an essay looks like, read mine here:
• Get on the Bus: You mean I have to write an essay?!
• (Optional) Include a link to a Video, further stating your passion for MS Learning and Certification.  Again, here is another example :)
• Get On The Bus: The Video

Do all of this by April 20th and you’re in business! So, it’s never been so easy!

If you want to find more information about this – Read the source article from the Microsoft Learning Communities Blog Another Chance to Get on the Bus (or Fly Directly to TechEd!)

Whether you fly direct, or get on the bus – This will be an opportunity you’ll never forget!