MCP certifications - questions

wesley

wesley

wesley

Soldato
Joined
29 Jul 2003
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hi guys

I have been working in IT for a little while now, completed the Cisco CCNA earlier this year. I think it's time for me to get microsoft certifications now.

i am not sure which route to go first, straight to MCDST first then upgrade to MCSE. or simply straight to MCSE?

my understanding that exams in MCDST arent elective for MCSE so therefore would be more exams.

if i choose go straight to MCSE, should i start with XP (70-270) or Vista (70-620), also which core, 2003 or 2008?

any useful tip/information would be really helpful.

cheers
 
To be honest mate, the MCSE and MCSA are becomming outdated now.

You have to do all the exams to then do another upgrade exam to get in line with the newest server products/features.

My advice would be to look into: MCITP: Enterprise Admin.

This covers server 2008 and they can be tailored slightly to fit in with whatever job role you do.

Take a look on the MS Site!
 
i am currently working towards the mcse. i have done 3 mcp exams so far and my forth in 5 days time.
I plan to have done the rest by the end of the year then do the upgrade. i chose this path as most of my knowledge is on server 2003 and it is what we use at work.

I think the best thing would be to take the route that you think you will do best with. But as said they are getting outdated.

The MS site is your best place to look
 
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thanks for replies,

just had a look at MCITP Enterprise Administrator looks good, which books you'd recommend?

cheers
 
I was advised to go down the MCSE 2003 route and then upgrade the various parts as deemed necessery. Server 2003 has a further 5 year support plan so it'll still be in demand for the forseeable future and it gives an excellent grounding from which to carry on your studies.
 
yeah, at my work, we use server 2003 and as far i'm aware we wont be upgrading to server 2008 in next few years.

to be honest, i havent find any job advertised saying MCITP needed, mainly mcsa/mcse or MCP's

i'm still not sure which route to go for lol grrrr
 
All a muchness mate - and 90% rebranding.

My personal opinion (but this may be biased because that's what i'm doing) is to go towards my MCSE (12-15 monthes away) and then re-evaluate the job market once i've gained this to decide my next route.

Generally everything can be re-used and 'upgraded' so I wouldn't worry to much :)
 
NiCkNaMe said:
I was advised to go down the MCSE 2003 route and then upgrade the various parts as deemed necessery. Server 2003 has a further 5 year support plan so it'll still be in demand for the forseeable future and it gives an excellent grounding from which to carry on your studies.
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Makes sense. Server 2003 will be around for a while yet. And then Server 2008 won't be that much different. Certainly easier to go from Server 2003 to 2008 than nothing to Server 2008. :)

wesley said:
yeah, at my work, we use server 2003 and as far i'm aware we wont be upgrading to server 2008 in next few years.

to be honest, i havent find any job advertised saying MCITP needed, mainly mcsa/mcse or MCP's

i'm still not sure which route to go for lol grrrr
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We use Server 2003 at my place. Very little change of Server 2008 for ages. :D

MCSE/MCSA/MCPs are the "known" MS qualifications. Until they disappear wouldn't have thought MCITPs would be mentioned a lot.

Threads like these help me a lot as I want/need to do CCNA/MCSE/MCSA stuff for my career. Sometimes I think I should forget MCSE/MCSA and do MCITP but if I have to explain to future employers what MCITP is am I shooting myself in the foot? Might just be better to get MCSE/MCSA for its universal recognition then "upgrade" to MCITP when that fully takes over. :)
 
Remember there will probably be a lot of work out there for 2003 > 2008 migrations, personally if I was starting out fresh for a cert now I'd be hitting the 2008 ones myself.

Nothing wrong with an MCSE just not what I'd do if I was going for MS certs :)
 
Ev0 said:
Remember there will probably be a lot of work out there for 2003 > 2008 migrations, personally if I was starting out fresh for a cert now I'd be hitting the 2008 ones myself.

Nothing wrong with an MCSE just not what I'd do if I was going for MS certs :)
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Exactly what I'm doing. I use 2003 day to day at work and we have a copy of 2008 on the way for the newest server.

However, why start a whole new bunch of exams which can take quite a while of your time, even with constant dedication; if you are going to have to do the upgrades.

As mentioned earlier, it's all much of a muchness. Server 2008 is extremely similar to 2003 just with a few added bits and bobs. The "core" of the functions it performs are pretty identical if you ask me.

To answer the OP; you should know which modules you will need to do the exam (or it will list them). I personally use the MS Self paced Training books/cd's and also the CBT nugget videos. Good theory with practical excercises and practice exam questions. The videos are good as a general reminder and to take your attention from the constant theory whilst still getting your learn on :)

Good luck in whatever you do.
 
Read and understand the MCDST material and then skip the exam. Save the money for doing an MCSE - perhaps do the Messaging module to make the MCSE+ with the extra Messaging certification.
 
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