I had recently started to get ready to potentially take some Microsoft Certification exams in the developer track. Now that I work for Microsoft I feel a certain level of responsibility to "eat my own dog food" in this area.
I am not without experience with certification as a few years back I had taken the VB 6.0 70-175 and 70-176 exams and at that time became an MCP.
What brings me to this specific post is to help others clarify the recent confusion in certification terminology and talk a little bit about the new upcoming exam tracks for Visual Studio 2008.
MCSD: .NET 1.1
It used to be that MCSD was the main certification developers tried to attain. Many people still use the term MCSD when reflecting on the certification they plan to get, and that's where the problem comes in. Most of these people are now talking about the .NET 2.0 Framework of certifications and MCSD does not cover 2.0. Here is the official statement on what MCSD is:
The Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD) for Microsoft .NET credential is the top-level certification for advanced developers who design and develop leading-edge enterprise solutions using Microsoft development tools and technologies in addition to the Microsoft .NET Framework 1.0 and Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1.
Notice the words "Framework 1.0 and Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1".
Note: MCAD is also part of the .NET 1.0/1.1 Track
.NET 2.0: MCTS & MCPD
The new certification that covers .NET 2.0 is Microsoft Certification Technology Specialist and Microsoft Certified Professional Developer. MCTS seems to be the simpler certification with MCPD covering the heavier and more in-depth track.
Another change Microsoft has made since the 1.1 exams is more focus on specialization (something I really like). For example here is how both MCTS and MCPD tracks are broken down into specific areas:
MCTS Track
- Technology Specialist: .NET Framework 2.0 Web Applications
- Technology Specialist: .NET Framework 2.0 Windows
- Applications Technology Specialist: .NET Framework 2.0 Distributed Applications
MCPD Track
- Professional Developer: Web Developer
- Professional Developer: Windows Developer
- Professional Developer: Enterprise Applications Developer
As you can see both tracks focus on Web, Windows or Distributed/Large scale systems. To me this makes perfect sense as certification should help people lead towards a particular goal that can help them in a specific job area. After all this isn't college, this is certification, it should be focused and to the point.
Architect Track?
In addition MCPD can move you towards the Architect level of certification. Unfortunately this is not an area of interest to me at the moment and beyond the image above I don't have personal knowledge of this track.
To find out more information on your own click here.
Visual Studio 2008 Is here, so now what?
While it is true that Visual Studio 2008, .NET 3.5 and other new technologies have arrived, testing still lags behind. Currently Microsoft is working on the next batch of exams (See this link) but nothing is out yet. Expect the first test to start appearing in March/April 2008.
So what should you do, wait for the new exams or get certified now? This answer is simple, start today if you have a need or passion to do it, just be smart and follow a track that can upgrade into 2008 exam paths. For more information see this link: Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 certification—how they know you know
Closing
Overall I really like the direction certification has evolved to with .NET 2.0 specialization tracks, and now a clear "building-block" type path for .NET 3.5 / VS 2008 exams that are coming up this year. I want to wish the best of luck to anyone that tries for these certification as its definitely worth having but is not an easy road.
If any corrections are needed to this post please feel free to post your comment or send me an email.
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