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Microsoft Books and Certifications?
ozTravman asks: "I have been doing my Microsoft MCSE exams, so far I have completed 70-270 and 79-290 and I am about to start preparing for 70-291 'Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure'. I currently work as a Systems Engineer and for the previous two tests I simply read the Microsoft Press books related to the test. However, I found those particular books to be quite useless and found that cramming for the test using Braindumps and practice exams the night before was far more effective and relevant to the test content. I did not even bother finishing the 70-290 book. So what books have other Slashdot readers have used to help them to prepare for these tests?"
The perfect place to post your question. I do hope you have abestos gloves on!
"It is possible to commit no errors and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life." -Peak Performance
Minesweeper Certified Solitare Expert?
"Does your computer have IP on it?"
One company I worked with displayed them at the front desk...is this the best use of them?
If you have a degree in Engineering, why are you pursuing an MCSE?
Seriously, as an Engineer I despise it when the term is abused. The AMA and ABA would never allow Microsoft et alia to churn out "Microsoft Certified Systems Doctors" or "C# Lawyers" so why does the IEEE/SAE/etc. sit on their hands when the word "Engineer" is abused?
However, I found those particular books to be quite useless and found that cramming for the test using Braindumps and practice exams the night before was far more effective and relevant to the test content. I did not even bother finishing the 70-290 book.
The purpose of taking the exam is to pass it. Short of outright cheating, it doesn't matter how you pass it, only that you pass it.
It also doesn't matter whether you retain any of the knowledge afterwards: ALL THAT MATTERS IS THAT YOU RECEIVE THE SHEEPSKIN.*
I'm with you: Purchase the practice exams, and study backwards from there, i.e. investigate the theory behind only those questions you can't answer correctly a priori.
*If you are wondering, the purpose of the sheepskin is to help you get your foot in the door, or, if you're already inside, to help in justifying a raise in salary [and maybe a promotion to a more chi-chi sounding job title].
Yeah, certifications mean nothing to people who know anything about the craft of software engineering. That right there tells you why you'd bother getting them. I've just started with a consulting company, and they require their developers to get four certifications a year (and give a bonus for each one). It isn't because the certifications make the developers better, but because it makes them more marketable to potential clients who know neither jack nor shit about software. The only criteria those potential clients have to judge a consulting company on are 1) case studies of previous projects, and 2) arbitrary measures of skill like "90% of our developers hold MCSE certifications."
Forget for the moment that you know anything about software development. Forget that you give a damn about the differences between C#, Java, C, and Perl. Forget that you actually comprehend why an object-oriented programming paradigm benefits certain kinds of software projects. You're just a guy at some company who has a business or even liberal arts degree, who understands just enough about computers to expect email to be sent and received by Outlook, and who has been tasked with replacing/upgrading some mission-critical software system by the end of the fiscal year. How do you judge who should do the work? You know all the computers at work run Microsoft [sic]. You are told by these consulting companies who are bidding on your project that the M in MCSE stands for Microsoft. You figure that's got to be good, so the company with the most MCSE thud factor sounds the best, especially if their bid is near the lowest.
That's how business is conducted in the real world. This also applies to hiring developers internally. I refer you to Paul Graham's essay on how it takes a good hacker to know a good hacker. For those unfortunate companies who do not have good hackers in their employ to judge the quality of potential developer employees/contractors, the certifications are the next best thing (however sad that may be).
I don't have any certifications at the moment, but I expect to have an MCSE within a year or so. I need to know the material so I can do my job, and that will come by actually doing it. I also need to know the material well enough to pass the tests, and for that I recommend hitting the library. I'll be damned if I'm going to buy books for this crap if I can possibly avoid it. My colleagues at this company recommend the Exam Cram series, but I found MCAD/MCSD Self-Paced Training books (from Microsoft Press) at my library, so that's what I'm using.
"... I simply read the Microsoft Press books related to the test. However, I found those particular books to be quite useless..."
Thank you for saying that. It's good to see the relative uselessness of Microsoft publications be discussed publically.
When I try to analyze why MS books and web sites are so useless, I come to the conclusion it is because they are written with the philosophy that most important issue is the ease of the writers, not the ease of the readers.
I suppose that Microsoft writers and editors think "Why try harder?" Anything they publish will be sold to people who don't have enough expertise in the subject of the book to realize that the book is very scattered and that it leaves out important information.
For example, consider the file encryption in Windows XP, called EFS, Encryping File System. EFS is very poorly documented. The encryption is tied to the user's password in a way that is apparently not documented. EFS depends on being part of a Windows 2003 Server domain in a way that is not clearly documented; if you are using Windows XP on a stand alone computer, there are situations in which you can lose your files forever, even if you have made all the backups suggested in the Microsoft books and web sites.
(Microsoft Technical Support agrees with what I just said, and provides no help or workarounds.)
The official Microsoft forums contain complaints of many people who have lost their files due to problems with EFS.
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If your gov't chose killing as policy, expect others to choose the same.
I have my NT 4.0 certs, and because back then, getting a Microsoft cert meant you could read a book and/or memorize the Transcender tests which were the exact same question with "Bob" substituted in for "Sally."
Recently, I did some work with some third party engineers on a few projects, and was surprised to find that they, like many companies, will not hire non-MCSAs these days. I did some additional research, and found this to be true - the certs are MUCH harder to get these days than they used to be, and the majority of the companies I called said that certs was a "make or break" when they reviewed resumes.
Here at Slashdot, you'll get a thousand idiots making fun of Microsoft, telling you to use Linux, and saying your MCSE isn't worth shit.
Let me dispell that rumor: THEY ARE WRONG. Don't listen to them, their knowledge is VERY outdated. Get your MCSE - it will mean a better job and higher pay, no matter what anyone here tells you.
These little red books ar the best books out there. As for reading the Braindumps, I myself have read those over from time to time. Here's the math on the exams, from what I've noticed and been told. The number might not be correct but they are close as each exam is a little unique in there numbers. There is a total of 600 questions they can ask you for the exams, so say there is only six topics that divides up into 100 selectable questions for each topic. Now in each topic there is 10 questions. So each time you do the exam you get a 1/10 chances of seeing the same question. The point is, if you can read and remember 600 questions and assume that braindump has all those questions and all the questions are correct.. Then all the power to you. The real reason any MCP exam is worth anything, is to get your foot into the job interview. Seeing a MCSE 2000 or even a MCSE 2003 certification means they are serious about working in the IT field and they are not just some joe who likes computers and spends all his spare time talking on IM with people he will never meet and thinks he knows it all about computers. Any REAL computer/network experince comes from doing it and not READing about it.+
Unfortunately, yes, that is the best use for them. Today, to get a job in many places, these worthless certs are required. So why NOT cheat with testing aids? If these things are worthless as skill indicators but still needed to land a PAYING gig, than there is still value in having them.
"Who are in control, they are not in control of anything - they don't even control themselves!" - Glen Beck
/.er's make fun of Microsoft because the MCSE is only helpful in getting a job and not really learning about computers.
This has been true for a long time, and has nothing to do with "outdated knowledge." By all means get certified if it gets your foot in the door. But if you want to enjoy using computers, use un*x when you can.
Anyone who doesn't know this already should not be entering the field at all, not debating what kind of certifications to get.
In an ideal world, yes. But if the primary goal of obtaining a cert is to get a better position with a company that for whatever reason requires MS certs, than I see no problem at all with braindumps and cramming.
Everyone around here says that MS certs are worthless as indicators of practical knowledge, so why mess around with anything that is not designed to help you pass in the quickest possible way? Of course knowing what you are doing is a good idea, but that's not why most people study for MS certs, and I'm not even sure it's why companies require MS certs.
"Who are in control, they are not in control of anything - they don't even control themselves!" - Glen Beck
When hiring contractors or staff, if there is mention of MCSE, I file the resume into /dev/null.
When taking on clients, if they ask me for MCSE, I file them into...you guessed it.../dev/null.