Certification 101

At the suggestion and example of many of you good people, for example, our friend Wayne, we are hosting a Certification 101 Live Meeting in April.

Certification 101: Getting Started with Microsoft Certification

Audience: IT Professionals, developers who think they might like to get certified, but aren't sure it's right for them and/or aren't sure where to start. People who have never taken a Microsoft exam and work with Microsoft products, or people who will be working with Microsoft in the very near future.

Registration: Join the Microsoft Certified Professional team to learn about the benefits and process of getting certified: choosing a certification path, preparing for your first exam, taking an exam, and what to expect after that. Click to register for:

• April 9, 2008 at 7:30 A.M. Pacific Time (https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?EventID=1032369349&EventCategory=2&culture=en-US&CountryCode=US) (What time is this in my region?) <updated links on March 3>
• April 9, 2008 at 5:00 P.M. Pacific Time https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?EventID=1032369351&EventCategory=2&culture=en-US&CountryCode=US ) (What time is this in my region?)

Here's what we'll talk about, probably. Suggestions?

• what a technical certification* can do for you--what is the goal?
• if that sounds good, then how to choose a certification track that will help you meet your goal
• how do you know when you're ready (expected experience level, time/money involved, etc)
• preparation options (what you need to know, how to learn it)
• the testing experience (registering, during the test, what happens when you're done)

Our hope is to make this less intimidating for new people. Newbies. In related news, Gerry has started a series of posts on getting started in certification for developers. For pwogwammer newbies.

Please send the links around if you have co-workers or user groups who might find this helpful. 

*from Microsoft Corporation, my employer.