djuk

Afternoon All,

As part of a strategic move to get into my next position I'm looking to equip myself with an MCSE qualification or two. Can anybody tell me a bit about these qualifcations - how much on average does one cost, are they classroom or online based, and how long to complete?

Thanks

David

Pedro_79

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcse/windows2003/

kelvin

Most can be completed without any formal training, provided you have some kind of background/experience/means of teaching yourself along the way There are stacks of books you can buy which will outline the key area's you will be tested on. You may find that a more prudent path to MCSE certification will be to pursue an MCSA first - easier to obtain and provides much of the background that you will need to know for the full MCSE.

There are "crash" type courses that you can do but having experienced individuals who have completed them they're no substitue to genuine experience.

How long? That's up to you - some of the aforementioned courses will get you certified in a matter of weeks but realistically you should probably allow between 8 and 15 months depending on your current position.

Check out Microsoft's site for more info: http://www.microsoft.com/uk/learning...s/default.mspx

K.

David_Wallis

What kind of position are you in at the moment?

Do you currently work in IT? what sort of role?

David

jpor

iTrader: (1)

All I can advise. Is if doing this at home, is to try and get hold of some hardware and software to go along with the course. That way you'll get a better idea on how it works. Good to know something in theory, better to try it practice.

At the moment I am studying towards my IBM AIX 5L Sys Admin Certification. And aimed to get the qualification around September 2006. But I have been doing AIX Sys Admin for nearly 5years. So a lot of the stuff I will be studying will be bits I either havn't covered, or making sure that what IBM want me to know about problem solving is how I am doing it now.

So if you are just starting out, then best to make a lot of time for it.

djuk

David,

I don't work in IT at present - I've had a deep interest in all things both hardware and software for probably 10 years from a personal point of view and currently work in HR for a large IT company.

I want to move into a sales/account management role which involves selling of IT solutions such as Server 2003, Exchange, Project, Visio, Sharepoint, etc and have been given some advice by a friend on that side of the business that given my lack of experience in a real world IT role, a hobbyist knowledge backed up by an MSCE or would nudge the vote in the right direction.

David

David_Wallis

You really dont need an MCSE unless your doing pre-sales consultancy. IMHO

I think it would be a waste doing an MCSE for that kind of role.

djuk

A lot of the work is based around the pre-sales technical sell, the advantages and painting a real picture of which solution is best and how exactly it fits into a customer's business to be honest so this may be their reasoning.

SJ_Skyline

MCSE/MCP sounds like overkill for the kind of role you are describing. Something more like a formal introduction into the applications concerned and their use would be more sensible IMHO.

Best of luck