- Donald E. Hester
Microsoft Announces New Certification Paths
Microsoft announces new certification paths for MCSA, MCSD, and MCSE certifications at the Ignite conference in Atlanta. The new certification roadmap is available here (PDF). The six-page document includes the necessary exams for each of the MCSA certifications and the electives necessary for the MCSE or MCSD certifications. The Microsoft Learning website has been updated with the new certification paths. You can check the MCSA out here, the MCSD here, and the MCSE here.
Additional changes are also coming to certifications. Like changes to the legacy certifications. I will blog more on that later I just wanted to get this hot off the presses information out! The good news is Microsoft is moving to make the certifications more timely and relevant.
My only criticism is, and if you follow Microsoft certifications, you will realize, this is just another change in what seems to be an ever-changing certification path. I wish they would decide and stick with a certification scheme and not change it every time we get settled with the current certification path.
I think the constant changes just confuse people and hurts the brand more than helps. Many other organizations are moving toward certification plus ongoing continuing education for their certifications. This change might not work with Microsoft since they tie their certifications to products. If Microsoft changes their certifications from being product specific to a more general knowledge level along with required continuing education from partners or academic institutions, it would be more in line with other certifications in the industry like CompTIA. If they did this, the certifications could also become ISO/IEC 17024 certified. This would then limit changes to the certification and require certified persons maintain current knowledge with continuing education. Training partners and Academic institutions would need to increase course offering to keep up with the new demand for continuing education, but the certification would have a greater value to the certified individual.
Side Bar
ISO/IEC 17024 establishes a global benchmark for the certification of personnel. ANSI accredits standards developers, certification bodies and technical advisory groups to both the ISO and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
