Getting to be Microsoft Certified Professional (Part 1)
At the beginning of 2008 I decided that it would be beneficial to get myself Microsoft certified, so I looked into the options available to me. It soon become apparent that actually I ought to wait, the reason being because Microsoft released Visual Studio 2008 along with the .NET Framework 3.0-3.5, and to follow was a reshuffle of the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) development certifications:
FROM - MCTS: .NET 2.0:
TO – MCTS: .NET 3.5:
As you can see, there is now a lot more choice which enables developers to choose a specialist area.
I have selected my specialist area in ASP.NET Applications. Although I plan to take that to Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) level as shown below:
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MCTS: ASP.NET Applications - 2 Exams Required
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Exam 70-536: Microsoft .NET Framework – Application Development Foundation
Exam 70-562: Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 – ASP.NET Application Development
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| MCPD: ASP.NET 3.5 Developer - 1 Exam Required |
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Exam 70-564: Designing and Developing ASP.NET Applications Using Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5
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Progress at the moment, well, I am studying for Exam 70-536, and to help me out I have the official Microsoft Collection 5160: Core Development with the Microsoft® .NET Framework 2.0 Foundation and Collection 5161: Advanced Development with the Microsoft® .NET Framework 2.0 Foundation.
Progress is… slow, despite finding myself trying to study each and every night. Part of the problem is that I’m a self taught .NET programmer, and I’m confident that I know 60-70% of the content already, however, its not just knowing it, it’s knowing it the Microsoft way.
In an attempt to power forward this exam I have bought myself 170 practice questions and my exam voucher from MeasureUp which expires in March 2009, so I better have done it by then!