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Coding Towards Utopia...by Rob Reynolds
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MCSD Certification Retiring March 31, 2009

You know you've had a certification a long time when it's retiring.

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcpexams/status/examstoretire.mspx 

Not sure if I will get another one yet or not.  In the world of programming, I have noticed that certifications really don't seem to mean as much as in other career paths.  Some may disagree with me on that statement and that is fine.  But having the certification doesn't mean I am better at what I do over the next guy, and it certainly isn't a legal requirement for my job by any means.

Print | posted on Thursday, September 4, 2008 10:03 PM | Filed Under [ Personal ]

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# re: MCSD Certification Retiring March 31, 2009

See I'm of two minds. I don't like certifications because it seems to me they are nothing but an excuse to charge you dues for holding the certification. On the other hand since employers (especially in IT) seem to be held in thrall to certifications it gives you justification for asking for more money.

Now that I've left IT and have entered Finance i'm now in one of those careers where certification is an absolute necessity if you want to advance in a corporate environment where your promotions and income are decided by someone else. Personally I've gotten a lot more information out of the CFA program than I did my MBA program. Its been quite the switch to go from despising certifications to working really hard to get one (and I mean REALLY hard).
9/4/2008 10:59 PM | Bob Wakefield
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# re: MCSD Certification Retiring March 31, 2009

I would have to agree and add...I used to find that my MCP's ensure to employers that I knew my stuff, I still think its there to so degree, but employers are less inclined to use them to judge me. I still think they are worth it though, like many qualifications they help just to get you through the door/past step 1!
9/5/2008 1:16 AM | Steve Clements
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# re: MCSD Certification Retiring March 31, 2009

@Bob: Exactly! The IT certs don't seem to have the same weight as in other industries.

@Steve: I agree that they are good for the resume and for getting you into the interview. But what else? That's where I think many of the IT certs downfall because they are not an indicator of quality.

I think some IT certs are a definite indicator of quality (CCIE for example, possibly CISSP), but the list is very small. I just named the two. :D
9/5/2008 1:36 AM | Robz
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# re: MCSD Certification Retiring March 31, 2009

After retairment which exams may come on .Net any Idea???
11/13/2008 1:18 AM | HArish
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# re: MCSD Certification Retiring March 31, 2009

I think certification dont actually retire. This depends on the technology you are working on. They should maybe come up with a different term for it.

For example IT changes quite fast in comparison to other industries and new certifications are required to show that you have the skills in the newer technology but this does not mean your older one are obsolete of companies are still using them.

The newer certification apply to companies which are upgrading to the newer technologies for whatever reason.

Things do change a lot in IT and its a continuous learning process and certifications simply proves you have knowledge of the capability of a certain technology. Remember using it is another ball game - but you do need to understand the rules of the game, who ever you are, before you play!
12/11/2008 4:08 AM | Peter
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