A Question for Those in IT Support: Are Your Certifiable?
Posted by Solutions Center on Thu, May 27, 2010
My wife thinks I am. Every 3 to 6 months my next glorious purchase arrives. It is a lovely shade of blue and about 4 inches thick. With glee I say "Look honey, this one is only 795 pages!" At which point she just shakes her head and walks away. Her cat Tucker goes with her and my cat Hoshi (name that TV series) knows that she will be able to have extended lap time. What is this glorious purchase you ask? Well it is my next Microsoft Press self-paced training book of course.
If you are an IT Professional you know how important obtaining Microsoft certification is. Or is it? Way back in the day (10 years ago) having a Microsoft certification garnered you respect, some prestige and usually a better salary than not having a certification. Today employers are questioning the relevance of whether someone having a, or several, of these once coveted certifications really matters.
With Boot-camps, Brain-dumps, copies of actual tests online and myriad other ways to pass the exams to become certified, this questioning is valid. So what is the answer? Is a Microsoft certification relevant in today's IT Solutions oriented world? My answer is a resounding yes........If you understand what you are getting.
Having a certification does not guarantee you, or an employer, that you can perform every function the title of the certification implies. Nor does that appear to be the intention of Microsoft's certification programs. Here is what I have found going through the certification process. It provides an overview of the roles and features that are available, how to install, access and manage them; and the basics of how they function. These are all very important things to know. However, to be proficient you will need to go beyond this and obtain hands on experience on the job and/or in a test environment.
With the multitude of paths to certification, choose which is right for you. Attending classes provided by Microsoft Certified Trainers can be beneficial as you have access to someone who should be able to answer your questions and can tailor the training to the audience. It is also very expensive. This is how I received training for several of my certifications. Of late I have found the self-paced training provided by Microsoft Press to be just what I need. You must determine how you learn best and what is going to work for you.
If you want to see just how certifiable you are you can play Microsoft's Are You Certifiable? game at http://www.microsoft.com/click/areyoucertifiable/. And if you need IT Support help from our certified IT Engineers, contact us today at 1-888-494-TRIGON or by email at solutions@trigonit.com.