Value of ms certificates in time

Hello,

I'm thinking on taking some certificate tests to get a MCP. However I'm
going to be enrolled in a project for the next 4 years where that
certificate will not make any difference. So now I'm wondering what the
value of todays tests will be in 4 years since that will be the first time I
can actually use them. I find it hard to believe that the tests will still
be the same 4 years from now. So how long does a certificate (I was thinking
about the MCSD one) will last.
Should I wait 3/4 years before taking it?
Or can I take it now and still get some of/all the benifits from it in 4
years?
Or can I take it now and then have to do less exams in 4 years to "upgrade"
my current certificate to a new one?
Or do you have any other suggestions?

TIA

Yves

phoenix

Just let me dust off my crystal ball...

I would suggest that certifications may not have great weight when looking
for a position at the moment. I have read several articles however that
suggest that individuals with certifications tend to gain larger salary
increases during employment. I suppose that if you are valuable enough that
a company wants to keep you employed, certification helps to showcase your
value.

I have never seen a MCAD/MCSD upgrade path. Unlike OS's, programming
languages tend to morph into different beasts, although the logic remains
somewhat constant.

Ralph Page
MBA, CMBA, MCAD .Net, MCDBA 2000, MCSE 2000, CCNA
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"phoenix" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Hello,
>
> I'm thinking on taking some certificate tests to get a MCP. However I'm
> going to be enrolled in a project for the next 4 years where that
> certificate will not make any difference. So now I'm wondering what the
> value of todays tests will be in 4 years since that will be the first time
I
> can actually use them. I find it hard to believe that the tests will still
> be the same 4 years from now. So how long does a certificate (I was
thinking
> about the MCSD one) will last.
> Should I wait 3/4 years before taking it?
> Or can I take it now and still get some of/all the benifits from it in 4
> years?
> Or can I take it now and then have to do less exams in 4 years to
"upgrade"
> my current certificate to a new one?
> Or do you have any other suggestions?
>
> TIA
>
> Yves
>
>

The first question to ask is "is it the certification I want or the
knowledge that comes with it?" If it is the knowledge and it can you help
you in the future then pursue it but if it is the certiciation you want then
focus your attention on something else if you can't "use" it for four years.
Certification is also not a "one-time" deal but rather a committment. You
can certify today and take the required 6 or 7 exams to get certified and
undoubtedly need to take at least two upgrade exams every couple of years
for the rest of your certified life. So you can start this journey today or
wait four years. Not much of an answer but some things to think about!

"phoenix" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Hello,
>
> I'm thinking on taking some certificate tests to get a MCP. However I'm
> going to be enrolled in a project for the next 4 years where that
> certificate will not make any difference. So now I'm wondering what the
> value of todays tests will be in 4 years since that will be the first time
I
> can actually use them. I find it hard to believe that the tests will still
> be the same 4 years from now. So how long does a certificate (I was
thinking
> about the MCSD one) will last.
> Should I wait 3/4 years before taking it?
> Or can I take it now and still get some of/all the benifits from it in 4
> years?
> Or can I take it now and then have to do less exams in 4 years to
"upgrade"
> my current certificate to a new one?
> Or do you have any other suggestions?
>
> TIA
>
> Yves
>
>

phoenix wrote:


> I'm thinking on taking some certificate tests to get a MCP. However
> I'm going to be enrolled in a project for the next 4 years where that
> certificate will not make any difference.

You have a guaranteed job for 4 years? That's pretty cool. In the US
you never have a guarantee. Even if you have a contract with a company,
they can usually terminate the contract for a number of reasons.

Most of us need to be ready to find a new job "just in case".

> Should I wait 3/4 years before taking it?

Sure, why not? Nobody knows what tests will be used in 4 years.

Eric

A certification is a piece of paper in the same way that a driver's license,
a college diploma or a treasure map are just paper. It's "value" depends a
great deal on the capabilities and inventiveness of the person holding it.
My certificatiobn helped me land a job earning 50% more money at a time (a
few months after the dotcom crash) when many developers were unemployed.

"phoenix" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Hello,
>
> I'm thinking on taking some certificate tests to get a MCP. However I'm
> going to be enrolled in a project for the next 4 years where that
> certificate will not make any difference. So now I'm wondering what the
> value of todays tests will be in 4 years since that will be the first time
I
> can actually use them. I find it hard to believe that the tests will still
> be the same 4 years from now. So how long does a certificate (I was
thinking
> about the MCSD one) will last.
> Should I wait 3/4 years before taking it?
> Or can I take it now and still get some of/all the benifits from it in 4
> years?
> Or can I take it now and then have to do less exams in 4 years to
"upgrade"
> my current certificate to a new one?
> Or do you have any other suggestions?
>
> TIA
>
> Yves
>
>

I would go further. A driver's license gives you certain legal
privileges. A college diploma (from an accredited institution) is a
requirement for many jobs as well as for further degrees. Although there
may be some jobs that have certifications for requirements, there don't
seem to be many. I sometimes wonder if we're kidding ourselves here, and
just generating money for MS, VUE, Prometric, and the book publishers. I
seem to see lots of posts that say "certification didn't do squat for
me", and very few that say "life is so much better after certification".
If anybody thinks I'm wrong, please tell me. I'd love to hear about it.



WKidd wrote:
> A certification is a piece of paper in the same way that a driver's license,
> a college diploma or a treasure map are just paper. It's "value" depends a
> great deal on the capabilities and inventiveness of the person holding it.
> My certificatiobn helped me land a job earning 50% more money at a time (a
> few months after the dotcom crash) when many developers were unemployed.
>
> "phoenix" <> wrote in message
> news:...
>
>>Hello,
>>
>>I'm thinking on taking some certificate tests to get a MCP. However I'm
>>going to be enrolled in a project for the next 4 years where that
>>certificate will not make any difference. So now I'm wondering what the
>>value of todays tests will be in 4 years since that will be the first time
>
> I
>
>>can actually use them. I find it hard to believe that the tests will still
>>be the same 4 years from now. So how long does a certificate (I was
>
> thinking
>
>>about the MCSD one) will last.
>>Should I wait 3/4 years before taking it?
>>Or can I take it now and still get some of/all the benifits from it in 4
>>years?
>>Or can I take it now and then have to do less exams in 4 years to
>
> "upgrade"
>
>>my current certificate to a new one?
>>Or do you have any other suggestions?
>>
>>TIA
>>
>>Yves
>>
>>
>
>
>

>Although there
>may be some jobs that have certifications for requirements, there don't
>seem to be many.

Back in the mad days of the late 90's, there were many more so called
'microsoft partners' companies; as such those type of 'companies'
required mcp's etc on their staff. Thankfully most of those cowboy
companies have long since gone bust.

> I sometimes wonder if we're kidding ourselves here, and
>just generating money for MS, VUE, Prometric, and the book publishers.

There are many charlatan companies out there who make money out of
stupid people, people who believe that an microsoft certification will
change there life. Those companies must make money as there are new
ones springing up everyday. If people are so stupid as to hand over
there cash, well more the fool they are.

As for microsoft, I don't think microsoft directly make too much money
out of the process. Microsoft are only concerned is getting as many
mcp's into their system, and rather like the russian red army of WWII,
microsoft don't care about the quality, just the quantity....

> I
>seem to see lots of posts that say "certification didn't do squat for
>me",

If people really believed a certification would help solve their
problems, then they are truly naive and I can't imagine them having a
career in IT.

Kline Sphere (Chalk) MCNGP #3