First off: I want to apologize for asking this kind of question. I know, by performing a preliminary search, that you guys get this all the time. I am a bit overwhelmed by the exam choices, and I need to figure out which path/order I should take them in. However, as you can easily read, I am a Web developer; not your average IT cert. junkie. I am wondering which exams are most applicable to my career path.
I have done some research and it seems that the most marketable certifications in my industry are the Oracle (very expensive) ones. While I am a Web developer, I also want to get into regular software development, hence the desire for MCSD--or maybe MCSE; I am also considering Linux Professional Institute Certifications (LPIC).
Now I wonder: What is the best order for me to take the Microsoft exams in? I would like to aquire the various intermediate certification titles incrementally, so that I can update my resume every couple of tests. I am also worried about obsolescence; i.e., I don't want to pass Server 2003 exams only to have them become outdated next year when Longhorn is available. I wonder which tests are going to become obsolete and whether I can prolong taking them until the new ones are available (if it is not too long from now). After all, it is going to take me a while to take all of these exams.
Sorry to ask a million questions in one post. I appreciate your help. ;]
Since you're unclear on which way you want your career to go, it's a little hard to give you any advice.
First, you need to determine whether you want to continue as a programmer or move in another direction.
Second, you need to determine which technologies you want to carve a niche in.
After you do that, you can choose your training path.
Regarding MS certs, as soon as you pass your first test, you'll be an MCP, so you can add that designation to your resume. You can list which tests you've passed until you earn the higher level cert. If you want to pursue a Microsoft developer certification, I suggest going for one of the new MCPD certifications. Visual Studio .NET 2005 and the .NET Framework Class Library 2.0 just came out.
For any certification track, I would sit for the hardest test first to make sure I'm up to the task.
I really want to pursue both Web and software development. I'm already skilled (yet still learning) with Web dev., and I am interested in learning software dev. too. Also, I see that many Web jobs these days also require programming skills.
From a programmer standpoint, is there any use going beyond MCPD? I would like to be a project manager or something like that some day.
I see that many Web jobs these days also require programming skills.
Forgive me, I found this statement rather humorous. In my opinion, if you're not programming code, you're not a web developer. Slapping graphics and text onto a web page is not a technical skill especially with all of the tools that simplify the process. Web developers build applications.
If you're going to continue down the web developer path, the certifications that are directly relevant are the MCPD, Java certs, and OCP certs depending on which technology you want to specialize in.
As a programmer, you need to know about databases, security, operating systems, and networks. You may or may not decide that certifications for these areas are worth the effort.
If you want to go into management, you're going to want a bachelor or master degree.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You can vote in polls in this forum
Topic: Web developer certification path
Topic Closed)
