Just starting -- MCPD vs. MCSD

One of my New Year's resolutions, if you will, is getting my Microsoft
certification this year. The certs I'm considering are the MCSD and
the MCPD: Enterprise Applications Developer. For the MCSD, I have not
gotten past starting in on the study material for 70-315...i.e. I'm
very early into the process. I know Microsoft's FAQ for the new certs
says that you should continue on your current cert path and upgrade
later. But since I haven't really started down a path yet, for all
practical purposes, I'm wondering if it's better to just start down the
MCPD path and be ready for the tests once they're out of beta.

I guess my main concern with going the MCPD route is that there isn't
really that much in the way of study material out there at this point
(understandably: there aren't even tests yet, per se), which makes me
feel like I may be on hold from actually getting a start for a few
months. And once I've decided to do something, I don't like to wait.


On the other hand, I know I'll eventually be working toward the MCPD,
whatever I do, and taking the indirect path to the MCPD via the MCSD
means 7 tests instead of 5. If the MCPD is ultimately inevitable--and
I believe it is--the indirect route seems to be less efficient.

Anyway, as a newbie to MS certifications, I figured I would see if any
of you seasoned veterans might have some advice for me.

Thanks,
Kevin

 

rambled on and asked a buch of questions:

If I were you, I would go ahead and get a current MCSD, then take the
upgrade exams when they are available. If you are doing any consulting or
trying to get a job, you will probably need the stuff on the current
framework anyway because it will be some time before companies will be
demanding 2.0 certs.

just my $0.02.. ymmv

Paul

 

December 31, 2005

Good resolution!

Frankly.... current MCSD .Net = 5 exams + 2 upgrade exams to MCPD = 7
exams total

.... MCPD with no upgrading = 7 exams and therefore is the same as getting
your MCSD now and then upgrading. Therefore, I would go ahead and get the
current MCSD and then upgrade as you will have the same exam amounts and you
will have shown 'previous experience'. Just my thoughts...

--

Joseph Bittman
Microsoft Certified Solution Developer
Microsoft Most Valuable Professional -- DPM

Blog/Web Site: http://71.39.42.23/

 

My understanding (from Microsoft's site) is that for the MCPD: EAD, You
have to take the four tests which make up the three MCTS certs, then
70-549, making for only five exams.

I think I'm going to end up waiting it out to do the MCPD from scratch.
I already have a reasonable bounty of .NET Framework 1.1 professional
experience on my resume, which makes getting the MCSD end up being more
for posterity. I think I have enough other things that I want to be
studying in addition to cert studying, which I can jump into now, while
I wait for the new cert tests and materials to solidify. I figure by
the time I get through "Refactoring to Patterns" and "Test-Driven
Development in Microsoft .NET," I'll just start into "Pro C# 2005 and
the .NET 2.0 Platform" if there still aren't cert-driven material
packages out, and I'll augment my knowledge later for getting
certified.

Thanks, all, for weighing in.

Kevin

 

December 31, 2005

lol I think you are right, it is only 5 exams. Thanks for pointing that
out, and if you have something else worth studying for in the mean time,
then I'd say to wait too. Good luck!!!

--

Joseph Bittman
Microsoft Certified Solution Developer
Microsoft Most Valuable Professional -- DPM

Blog/Web Site: http://71.39.42.23/

 

I am also thinking for the certification but as I came to know that MCPD is
getting launched in the market, So Which five papers are common for the
certification
and which two upgrades

Best Regards
Rahul Goel

 

Word of caution:

In .Net 2.0 ADO.NET has been radically simplified and MCAD 1.1 exams are
heavy on the ADO.NET technologies….all of them.

I personally don’t agree with the advice people here have been giving you at
all.

Read ASP.NET 2.0 book
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/07...103-7347969-3444627?n=507846&s=books&v=glance

Read generic
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/07...103-7347969-3444627?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

read ADO.NE
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15...7969-3444627?_encoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155

End of this month
Read
http://www.microsoft.com/MSPress/books/7219.asp

Read:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/03...103-7347969-3444627?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

If you have even more time shoot for MCITP: SQL 2005 which there is already
an exam for and material for.