I thought this might sound intresting to you guys. Taken from MCSELive.
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A Call for a Master MCSE
The time has come. Microsoft needs to come up with a high-level certification along the lines of the Cisco CCIE certification. It's time for a "Master MCSE".
Let's dream for a few minutes. A Master MCSE-type certification could follow in the footsteps of the CCIE certification. Microsoft could require all people wanting to achieve Master MCSE status to first become a regular MCSE. The next step would be to
create a very difficult written exam to weed out any potential paper MCSEs. Finally, Microsoft could implement an intense, hands-on exam that would test a candidate's ability to install an operating system, configure various networking services and set up
things like Group Policies and Terminal Services.
The Master MCSE certification would go a long way to clear up issues that Microsoft has had with the credibility of the MCSE certification. The regular MCSE would still be seen as an entry and mid-level certification as it currently is today. However, for people who have been administering Microsoft networks for years, the Master MCSE certification would give them the ability to validate their status as an expert in Microsoft products.
Who wins with a Master MCSE certification? Just about everybody.
* Employers win because they now have an easier way of separating people who *work* on networks from people who are *in charge* of networks. If Microsoft handled the certification well, it could be assumed that a Master MCSE could perform the vast majority of tasks required on NT and Windows 2000 networks. No
longer would an employer have to guess as to whether an MCSE was worth the paper his or her certification was printed on.
* IT Workers would benefit by having an additional way to validate their skill sets to employers. MCSEs with a lot of knowledge and experience who could qualify as Master MCSEs would stand to gain the most of course. However, MCSEs who did not achieve Master MCSE status would likely benefit as well. The enhanced credibility afforded to the MCSE program through a Master MCSE certification could potentially reverberate through all levels of Microsoft certification.
* Microsoft would benefit too. Even though Cisco charges a lot of money for their various high-level certification exams, that doesn't seem to deter many people from taking the exams. People are lining up in droves to take Cisco exams and much of that can be attributed to the respect (and increased financial rewards) that people associate with the Cisco certifications. Were Microsoft to implement a Master MCSE certification they would likely find themselves with a potentially lucrative source of revenue.
Will Microsoft end up doing something along these lines? Only time will tell. They tried to do something similar with the MCSE+I certification but most people would agree that the additional benefits that one received by obtaining their "+I" were usually marginal. What Microsoft needs is a distinct top-tier certification and there is no time like the present for Microsoft to implement it. Windows 2000, more than any previous operating
system, requires a high level of expertise to implement. Having a small army of Master MCSEs in the field would probably do wonders for helping Microsoft achieve success with the new operating system.
I know what you're thinking. There's nothing that you can do about whether Microsoft will introduce a Master MCSE-type certification. Well you might be wrong. If enough people speak up about this, we are willing to bet that Microsoft will listen. Send Microsoft an e-mail about this issue. Tell them why you think a Master MCSE-type certification is necessary or if you can't think of any additional reasons other than those we've listed,
simply cut and paste this article and send it to them. The appropriate e-mail address to use is mcp@msprograms.com
>>
<<
A Call for a Master MCSE
The time has come. Microsoft needs to come up with a high-level certification along the lines of the Cisco CCIE certification. It's time for a "Master MCSE".
Let's dream for a few minutes. A Master MCSE-type certification could follow in the footsteps of the CCIE certification. Microsoft could require all people wanting to achieve Master MCSE status to first become a regular MCSE. The next step would be to
create a very difficult written exam to weed out any potential paper MCSEs. Finally, Microsoft could implement an intense, hands-on exam that would test a candidate's ability to install an operating system, configure various networking services and set up
things like Group Policies and Terminal Services.
The Master MCSE certification would go a long way to clear up issues that Microsoft has had with the credibility of the MCSE certification. The regular MCSE would still be seen as an entry and mid-level certification as it currently is today. However, for people who have been administering Microsoft networks for years, the Master MCSE certification would give them the ability to validate their status as an expert in Microsoft products.
Who wins with a Master MCSE certification? Just about everybody.
* Employers win because they now have an easier way of separating people who *work* on networks from people who are *in charge* of networks. If Microsoft handled the certification well, it could be assumed that a Master MCSE could perform the vast majority of tasks required on NT and Windows 2000 networks. No
longer would an employer have to guess as to whether an MCSE was worth the paper his or her certification was printed on.
* IT Workers would benefit by having an additional way to validate their skill sets to employers. MCSEs with a lot of knowledge and experience who could qualify as Master MCSEs would stand to gain the most of course. However, MCSEs who did not achieve Master MCSE status would likely benefit as well. The enhanced credibility afforded to the MCSE program through a Master MCSE certification could potentially reverberate through all levels of Microsoft certification.
* Microsoft would benefit too. Even though Cisco charges a lot of money for their various high-level certification exams, that doesn't seem to deter many people from taking the exams. People are lining up in droves to take Cisco exams and much of that can be attributed to the respect (and increased financial rewards) that people associate with the Cisco certifications. Were Microsoft to implement a Master MCSE certification they would likely find themselves with a potentially lucrative source of revenue.
Will Microsoft end up doing something along these lines? Only time will tell. They tried to do something similar with the MCSE+I certification but most people would agree that the additional benefits that one received by obtaining their "+I" were usually marginal. What Microsoft needs is a distinct top-tier certification and there is no time like the present for Microsoft to implement it. Windows 2000, more than any previous operating
system, requires a high level of expertise to implement. Having a small army of Master MCSEs in the field would probably do wonders for helping Microsoft achieve success with the new operating system.
I know what you're thinking. There's nothing that you can do about whether Microsoft will introduce a Master MCSE-type certification. Well you might be wrong. If enough people speak up about this, we are willing to bet that Microsoft will listen. Send Microsoft an e-mail about this issue. Tell them why you think a Master MCSE-type certification is necessary or if you can't think of any additional reasons other than those we've listed,
simply cut and paste this article and send it to them. The appropriate e-mail address to use is mcp@msprograms.com
>>
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