Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Kurt, =20 You didn't say anything about what your goals are. Why do you want to take the exams?=20 =20 Are you looking to gain more knowledge & skills to increase your abilities to perform the work you're currently doing? If this is the case I wouldn't waste my time with any of the Microsoft exams. The purpose of the exams are to document/certify your technical abilities. The MCSE courses will help prepare you for the exam but they really aren't the best way to increase your skills. =20 Or are you trying to find a more permanent, hopefully lucrative, position in an Operations dept? If so having the MCSE credentials will help open doors for that might otherwise be closed but ultimately you'll still need the right skills to get the good jobs.=20 =20 Instead of focusing on getting certified I'd recommend getting as much technical training & experience as possible. Volunteering at your church and supporting your families & friends PCs is a good start. I'd also recommend checking out the technical training available at Lake Washington Technical College (http://www.lwtc.ctc.edu <http://www.lwtc.ctc.edu/> ). They have excellent extended education courses and one-year certificate & two-year associate degree programs. (This might seem like a step back for someone with a CS degree but it'll bring you up to speed on the latest & greatest in technology since you were last in the biz.) =20 Oh, and I do concur with just about everything David said, especially the suggestion to get the Transcender practice exams when you're ready to take the tests! =20 With a little training and experience you shouldn't have any trouble passing the MCP & MCSE/SA exams at all! =20 =20 Good Luck! =20 =20 -Stephen =20 stephen l cox <http://join.msn.com/>=20 MCSE, MOUS, A+,=20 Operations Administrator MSN Subscriptions Services =20 -----Original Message----- From: kegswindows-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:kegswindows-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of David Dodge Sent: Saturday, October 18, 2003 8:44 AM To: kegswindows@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [kegswindows] Re: Certification classes =20 Kurt, Most of Microsoft's certifications are focused at professionals that do network and server support on a daily basis. If you have not touched Windows 2000 server and are reasonably familiar with it, what you suggest is very difficult(and relatively expensive). The server test alone is a 2 hour test. The other tests range from 50 minutes to 90 minutes and are also comparatively brutal. =20 =20 If you want to get your feet wet and get a sample of how Microsoft tests are, I suggest you take the Windows 2000 Pro or Windows XP Pro training classes and try taking the test. This will get you an MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional). This will be more useful to those you are helping now doing desktop support, will be less expensive and will give you an idea if you want to proceed further. The tests are not free either, at $125 for each attempt, it gets pricey for failing tests. You might want to also get the Transcender practice test for the class you are taking as well. These are very good practice tests. They are designed to overtrain you, so don't expect to pass these. If you score in the mid 700-800 range, you can usually pass the MS test. =20 =20 An MCSE or MCSA certification is not easy to get, but unless you have a critical job need to be certified, or have a lot of time and money to do the cert track, then I don't recommend you undertake the entire track. If you focus on desktop support, then the Desktop OS MCP may be more useful in the long term. =20 =20 //David Dodge// MCSE-NT4, MCSE-2000, HP ASE ProLiant/Windows, and HP Master ASE-SAN Architect =20 =20 -----Original Message----- From: kegswindows-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:kegswindows-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Kurt Mincin Sent: Saturday, October 18, 2003 12:17 AM To: KEGS Subject: [kegswindows] Certification classes =20 =20 I want to take the MCSA classes at Bellevue CC but am wondering how I can know that I'm ready? Am I right that the courses are meant for those who are or recently were in the IT industry? =20 =20 Though I haven't been in the computer industry recently, I have a computer science degree and 3 years experience in technical support and programming. A little over a year ago I built the computer I'm currently using (and networked it with my old Win 98 computer). In the past 12-18 months I've replaced a CD drive, reformatted the disk and reinstalled Win 98 on family members' computers. =20 I'm also volunteering at my church, which uses Windows 2000, by working with the person who handles the IT needs. =20 I feel that I can handle it, but I think it's smart to get counsel from those who have done it. =20 Kurt =20 =20 =20 =20 -- Binary/unsupported file stripped by Ecartis -- -- Type: image/gif -- File: image001.gif -- Desc: image001.gif