Value of MCSD

[Gary]

I am a seasoned software designer/developer - for the mainframe and PC/DOS
world. I have taken some VB, SQL and ACCESS courses and am thinking about
obtaining the MCSD. Is that worth the effort? It seems to me that it will
give me the "credibility" that I lack in the Windows development world and
should help me gain employment. What do you think?

[Elena]

Hi Gary!

I was a mainframe developer and I did the MCSD. It was a useful experience
in terms of giving structure and focus to my studies, but it did not carry
any weight in the employment world. The original certification has since
expired and I have not bothered to take another round of exams. I did make
the transition to client/server programming, but both my employer and the
client went out of their way to say they weren't impressed by the MCSD.

There is basically one exception to this: there are consulting companies
that wish to maintain the "Microsoft Solutions Provider" title. Microsoft
requires these outfits to keep a certain number of certified people on staff
and you might have some luck with one of those firms. I think somewhere
on the Microsoft web site you can search for these firms (as if you were
a prospective client looking for developer services) so you might want to
look into these companies and contact them about their hiring requirements.


Good Luck!

[Matthew Cromer]

"Gary" <gcheney@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>I am a seasoned software designer/developer - for the mainframe and PC/DOS
>world. I have taken some VB, SQL and ACCESS courses and am thinking about
>obtaining the MCSD. Is that worth the effort? It seems to me that it will
>give me the "credibility" that I lack in the Windows development world and
>should help me gain employment. What do you think?

I would be extremely wary of trying to land entry-level VB/SQL Server/ Access
work right now. MS last released VB/COM (Version 6) in Summer 1998. It's
going on summer 2001. There are NO MORE RELEASES of VB as we know it. The
new stuff is completely different, fundamentally so. There are reams of
VB programmers out there with real experience in the VB versions through
6, all of which are better qualified than you to work on the drying-up pool
of VB development and maintenance.

If you are sure you want to pursue VB, I'd recommend becoming an expert in
VB.NET instead. At least Microsoft hasn't cancelled it (yet).

I think you would be a lot better off teaching yourself Java and Oracle,
or if you are absolutely committed to Microsoft technologies C++ and/or C#
and SQL Server. I would avoid trying to become an expert in Access, it's
just not widely respected (Note I didn't say it doesn't do a good job, just
not well respected or compensated work). One advantage of training in Java
and Oracle is you can download the tools for free: Sun has the JDK and Forte
IDE for free, and you can get Oracle 8i for personal use for free at Oracle's
web site.

As for certification, It isn't mandatory but it won't hurt and may help you
learn the technologies better.

Matthew Cromer

[tc]

"Gary" <gcheney@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>I am a seasoned software designer/developer - for the mainframe and PC/DOS
>world. I have taken some VB, SQL and ACCESS courses and am thinking about
>obtaining the MCSD. Is that worth the effort? It seems to me that it will
>give me the "credibility" that I lack in the Windows development world and
>should help me gain employment. What do you think?

I was certified on the old rules (VB5 and Win Arch). I have one more test
to re-certify. It is nice to have and I do get some respect from peers.
Employers don't seem to care. If I were in your shoes, I would go for the
cert, but I wouldn't let it stop me from looking until I got it. You will
definatly get a boost in self respect.

tc
MCDBA, MCSE

[Mujtaba]

I think if u have some experience and atleast a bachelors degree then that
should be enough because anyone who has such a qualification is more than
amply equipped to understand and implement different technologies....as far
as Microsoft certifications are concerned i feel they are just a gimmick
to promote their tools and produce people who are only 'tool oriented'.....
i would suggest to go for java which i think is going to be around a long
time no matter what anybody wants u to think!!

[David K.]

I agree with some of the other posters. Companies don't really care whether
or not you have certification. Most employers value paid work experience
and a college degree more than an industry certification. If you look at
job postings at any of the popular employment web sites, you will see this
for yourself.

Also, the current MCSD exams are based upon VB6, which will become obsolete
once the new version of Visual Basic, VB.NET, ships. VB.NET is very different
from VB6, so a lot of what's covered on the MCSD exam will no longer apply.
If you still wanted to get your MCSD, I would reccommend waiting until the
VB.NET exams come out.

The one positive side to taking the exams is that it may help to motivate
you to learn the material. I know some people learn better when there is
a tangible goal that they are working towards.

"Gary" <gcheney@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>I am a seasoned software designer/developer - for the mainframe and PC/DOS
>world. I have taken some VB, SQL and ACCESS courses and am thinking about
>obtaining the MCSD. Is that worth the effort? It seems to me that it will
>give me the "credibility" that I lack in the Windows development world and
>should help me gain employment. What do you think?

[VITIX]

Gary, I agree with the others as well. The cert is good if you want to be
a contractor for a consulting firm, but the "permanent positions" don't really
seem to care about certs as much as they want on the job experience. The
things I do on the job rarely have anythign to do with what's in the exam
cram books, but they can be good reference material for the bookshelf. Certification
seems to matter a lot more for Network gurus than for programmers, but I
have worked with MCSE's who made our network worse than it was before they
came along. One other poster here said you should pursue Java or C# or C++
experience, and I agree with that. Java and C will be around a lot longer
than VB, and Access is only useful among tiny office workers with very small
and specialized goals. Oracle has the popular vote, but I do believe SQL
Server is a decent product worth learning. Don't let yoruself become "tool-oriented"
by getting tooo focused on a particular certification. Concepts apply to
any platform, and good concepts come more from experience than from books
or credentials. - vitix