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October 12, 2001

MS Decertification Canned

It should really be a time to exhale, but I'm still holding my breath.

When I first saw this on one of my email lists, I thought it was wishful thinking or someone misreading some article. Then I was lead to this article and it appears to be true. But is it really true? [ie - what does the market say is necessary?]

It was very wonderful of Microsoft to not "decertify" those (like me) who got their MCSE when NT4.0 was the software of the day. We all knew that when the cutoff day came - it was merely a "suits" issue. The knowledge and ability would still be there. The servers would still be there. And someone would have to know how to run them.

I'm sure there are many (like me) who haven't upgraded their certification. I'm studying...they may or may not be studying. But there's another component of this equation that the talking heads are ignoring. One of the reasons it's taking me so much longer to train on Win2000 is: I don't have servers with 2000 on it to work with!

I started studying 2000 over a year ago. I was working for a Defense Contractor and my position allowed me to snag one of the spare computers to use as a monitoring computer. Since no one was really going to be using it, I could put any operating system on it. I had a copy of the pre-release version that I used on that computer. Well, since it wasn't a part of the (known) network, I didn't get much time to configure it or poke around and try things with it. Priorities always go to the machines that are in service. I asked for a time table on upgrade to Win2K - and the question was reflected back to me. Hmmm...I don't know when you're going to BUY the software that you're going to want me to install.

Anyway - I relocated and got a job at a pre-IPO dot-com company. [At the time, those were the hot buzz words.] It was a small company, but they kept me pretty busy. In between the workstation setups, hurricane preparations, and problem resolutions, I managed to set up a test workstation with (again pre-release version) Win2K Pro. I didn't get much time with it before the dot-bomb fallout caused us to reorganize/pack up the servers and computers and put the company in mothballs. Luckily, just before that happened, I had purchased a new computer with Win2K Pro on it.

When I was studying NT4.0, I had servers at my disposal. I had formatted and configured a number of servers in a production environment. The computer I used had NT Workstation on it, and I was using a migration tool to convert GroupWise email to Exchange 5.5. It was much easier then. The books were in front of me, the hands-on opportunity was in front of me, and there was a goal in sight. All I had to do was certify and there were companies wanting MCSEs - waving large salaries.

I love a challenge. And yes, it's quite challenging to figure out a new system with limited hands-on (Win2KPro only). Make bricks without straw. Okay, I'll do it without hands-on server experience. But to what end? It's been six months since I had to work an 8 hour day. I'm sending out a few resumes, but there aren't too many companies that are hiring right now. Most are laying off employees instead. And I seriously doubt that the companies who are laying off workers are going to spend any money on upgrading their operating systems. Yet, the few job opportunities that are posted are looking for certification on Win2K. They're also offering less money and looking for more credentials and experience.

So where's the incentive? Even if I do certify on 2000, will I still be "looking" for a job? Gee, I can't wait! Let me study hard so I can (maybe) get a job at 20K less than I was making 6 months ago (with lesser credentials). And perhaps if I do get that job (which would require 2K certs) there's a good chance that it'll be a long time before I actually get to use the product in a production environment. It's no small wonder that it's hard to push myself to study.

Yes, I would like a Marbled Colby or Edam with this whine. Oh, what the hell...at least the Accelerated test is free.

*opens book and continues to study*

Posted by BlueWolf on October 12, 2001 02:44 PM