What did you learn today? - New Certifications for .NET 2.0

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

New Certifications for .NET 2.0 by phildenoncourt

Microsoft has released details for the next generation of .NET Certifications. (Information here). I've been certified by Microsoft for 10 years now (my MCP ID is in the 36000 range) and I currently hold the MCP, MCP+SB, MCSD, MCDBA, MCSA, MCSE, MCAD, and MCSD.NET certifications. I was fortunate enough to work for a Microsoft Partner for a few years who paid the testing fee for as many tests as I wanted to take. These certifications haven't gotten me jobs by themselves or increased my billing rate. But they do help employers/clients overlook that I didn't get a 4 year degree in Computer Science (I just have a two year degree) and have made clients feel more comfortable with my skillset.

It looks like that I just have to take an upgrade exam to bring my certs current. 4 tests for all the developer stuff. However, I also have the DBA certifications. There is an upgrade exam for the DBA Cert, but if I want to become a MCITP: Database Developer, or MCITP: Business Intelligence Developer , I have to start from scratch for a total of 5 exams.

One of my pet peeves is developers who think certifications are worthless. For the most part, the rant sounds something like this: "I know everything I need to know to do my job, I'm a .NET god, why do I need to prove it to other people?". Well, you don't know what you don't know. Take one of the practice tests. Every developer I know who has taken one is humbled by the results. For the most part, developers use only a fraction of the .NET framework. Until I started preparing for the exams, I had never used EnterpriseServices, Reflection, or Code Access Security. You can write a lot of good applications without ever touching any of these areas. But, by knowing these areas, you can write more complete applications, and troubleshoot all those weird problems that crop up every now and then.

It's been known for some time that Microsoft is going to offer a Microsoft Certified Architect program. I'm on the fence with this one. It strikes me as Country Clubish. You begin the program by having someone who is an architect recommend you. To gain acceptance, you are grilled by a "board" of other Architects about your solutions and experience. I would like to see it be a little more capability based. The costs are unclear, but I can't see that it would be cheap, and I'm not sure what advantage this credential gives me compared to some other guy who doesn't have it.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005 4:54:05 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

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