obtaining MCSE 2003 certification...

I do not currently have any "certifications" to my credit - just the
computer programmer/analyst diploma I earned at college 23 years ago!! I
have been working in the IT field mainly as a programmer/analyst until more
recent years. I am now in more of a sys admin role. I figure it is high
time I got certified for something! I could purchase the books and do it
that way - but I think I personally (to each his own right??) would benefit
more from doing it using on-line curriculum etc... I don;t live in an area
where I can actually go to school (too far to drive) so it's either self
study with the MS press books or an online solution.

My question is this... There are many schools/ training companies etc...
that offer the MCSE cert online - some of which are most likely better than
others.
Has anyone here got their MCSE cert using online curriculum and if so who
could you recommend? Even if you have not got the MCSE I would appreciate
any recommendations. I was about ready to sign up with QuickCert as they
sounded great and are a registered MS training partner etc... but then got
spooked after reading some bad press... Apparently their material is ok BUT
they lack the quantity of material to pass the exams... ie... did not cover
what they needed to in order to successfully write the exams... I am sure
there are lots of success stories too - but that was enough to scare me off
of them....

Any help would be much appreciated!!!

Thanks!
Brad

 

I was very much in the same situation as yourself. Worked as a
programmer/analyst (Cobol, RPG, assembly, Dibol, Basic, etc) from 1978 until
about 1995, then started moving more and more into system administration.
Eventually, I became the sys admin for a small company of about 12 people,
and we were later absorbed into a larger company where I was able to migrate
into the IT department. I can tell you this... Self study as well as
experience worked for me. My employer put it on my goals list to get
certified. Inside a month, I had MCDST, in 6 months I had MCSA, and a
little while after that I had MCSE.

I used MS Press books, along with TestOut CBTs. I built a home network with
MSDN versions of Server 2003, and Windows XP running in virtual machines. I
did the labs in the books, I took the practice tests that came with them.
What I didn't already know, I practiced on my 'network'. I never
'sub-optimized' a test.

No testing software is going to come close to the questions you'll face on
the tests, I don't care what the people trying to sell them to you say.
However, if you follow the published objectives, you'll do fine.

Before shelling out thousands of dollars on some website, I would highly
recommend you go that route for at least the first couple tests. If it is
not working out for you, then consider paid training. Once you get your
feet wet and pass a test or two, you'll have the confidence to move forward
without them.

Best of luck to you.

John R.