MCSA 2003 to MCSE/MCITP 2008

Raekwon

I am an MCSA and in the future I would like to become an MCSE. The problem is that I don't really see a point doing an MCSE for the 2003 track as the new exams are all coming out and it seems like I will be giving myself more work in the long run.

Just checking the exams and I would need 70-648 (upgrade) + 70-620 (Vista) + 70-647 + 70-643 (both Server Exams) to get an MCSE 2008 (or MCITP: Enterprise Administrator as it's now called).

My question is, would it be okay to go from MCSA 2003 straight to MCSE 2008 (MCITP) without completing the 2003 track? Or because the new exams expire, would it be smarter to just do the MCSE 2003 (because that won't ever expire)?

Also why did Microsoft have to screw with the certification system, there seems to be more exams and certificates then there really needs to be!

cance

there were legal limitations, the use of "engineer" in some countries required you to get an engineering degree.

Static M.e.

Raekwon wrote: »

My question is, would it be okay to go from MCSA 2003 straight to MCSE 2008 (MCITP) without completing the 2003 track? Or because the new exams expire, would it be smarter to just do the MCSE 2003 (because that won't ever expire)?

Yes, it would be perfectly fine to straight to WS2008.

The MCSE does expire too but the I wouldn't worry to much about the certs expiring, no one will care for years to come yet.

Raekwon

cance wrote: »

there were legal limitations, the use of "engineer" in some countries required you to get an engineering degree.

Yeah I can totally understand that.

Static M.e. wrote:

Yes, it would be perfectly fine to straight to WS2008.

The MCSE does expire too but the I wouldn't worry to much about the certs expiring, no one will care for years to come yet.

A colleague in work who has an MCSE 2003 told me to just do the MCSE 2003 and then do the upgrade in a few years. But I would need to do 3 more exams to be an MCSE 2003 and then another 3 exams for the upgrade to MCITP - Enterprise Administer, thats 6 exams! (after I've already done 4 - so that would be 10 in total!) :eek: I think it would be easier to just study for 4 of the new exams (Vista is suppose to be easy anyway) and have it done with.

Anyway the whole thought of all that study and all those exams is giving me a nose bleed right now

Thanks for your help.

feylya

Think of it this way - you get the 2008 exams without the MCSE2003. How many companies are using Server 2008 at this stage? The majority of companies will be using 2003 for the next while so I'd think that a MCSE in 2003 is much more useful. Plus, if you do the upgrade exams, you'll still be MCSE 2003 qualified.

Raekwon

Yeah I know that nobody is using 2008 server yet but the fact that it has been officially launched and the exams are now available is swaying my decision slightly as I want to future proof my CV so I won't have to do 6 exams instead of 3. But would I be better off doing the 2003 now then upgrading it in a few years?

I did the Vista exam today and passed it so I have another exam to use for either path I choose (its part of the 2008 track and an elective for 2003). As I said before, the trouble is that I will have to do 3 more exams to become an MCSE 2003 or 3 more exams to become an MCSE/MCITP 2008. I just don't know which path to take

feylya

Personally, I'd do the 6 exams - more exams on paper and another qualification. Microsoft exams are neither expensive nor hard so there's no real reason not to go for the 6.

Raekwon

Yeah you are dead right I'm abit of a lazy bastard so I suppose I would need to stop trying to convince myself that I only need 3 exams when in the long run I'm most likely be doing 6 anyway.

Btw how are you getting on in the DT249 course in Kevin Street? PM me if you like.

feylya

It's worth doing the 6.

Check the DIT forum for my opinion... "Exam timetable" thread.

Raekwon

Yeah you're probably right about the exams.

Will do, nice one!

fyodor666

You have to start somewhere with this certification. 2003 is the current track and meets the needs for most jobs and organisations at the moment.

There will be upgrade options available as usual to upgrade from one track to another. For MCSE/A's on NT and 2000 there were upgrade tracks to 2003.

MCSE doesn't expire (ever) as suggested. But there will come a day when no-one else will be able to sit the exams (exams do retire). You'll remain certified in 2003 if you achieve that.

Upgrade from 2000 MCSE to 2003 involved 2 exams (only). So rather than doing 7 new exams, the upgrade track is there and concentrates on the new stuff.. Doing those two exams made an MCSE in 2000, an MCSE and MCSA in 2003.

So, I recommend going for what's current, and upgrade when it's availble, or relevant to your job!

Static M.e.

My bad, I was sure I had read it somewhere, perhaps it was just refering to the actual exams.

From Trika in relation to the New Certs & Lifecycles

fyodor666

I suppose it amounts to the same thing... the exams will be retired, and no new certifications will be possible, but the certs remain valid for those who got them in time.. There is still a small use for retired exams, for example, you can use the NT MCSE as an elective towards 2003 certification. It can reduce the number of exams you have to do )

Retirement for NT and W2K?
When the Windows 2000 MCSE certification path was announced, Microsoft publicized the retirement date of the Windows NT MCSE. Certification holders were granted a limited time in which to upgrade; if they didn't, they'd lose their MCSE status. The NT-to-2000 MCSE upgrade process offered two options: take a single exam (70-240) or take all seven required exams. Fortunately, Microsoft eventually repealed the Windows NT MCSE retirement plan, but the 70-240 single upgrade exam was retired after being active for less than a year. Although the Windows NT MCSE is still a valid certification today—even in Microsoft's eyes—all of the exams required to obtain Windows NT MCSE have been long retired.

Raekwon

fyodor666 wrote: »

You have to start somewhere with this certification. 2003 is the current track and meets the needs for most jobs and organisations at the moment.

There will be upgrade options available as usual to upgrade from one track to another. For MCSE/A's on NT and 2000 there were upgrade tracks to 2003.

MCSE doesn't expire (ever) as suggested. But there will come a day when no-one else will be able to sit the exams (exams do retire). You'll remain certified in 2003 if you achieve that.

Upgrade from 2000 MCSE to 2003 involved 2 exams (only). So rather than doing 7 new exams, the upgrade track is there and concentrates on the new stuff.. Doing those two exams made an MCSE in 2000, an MCSE and MCSA in 2003.

So, I recommend going for what's current, and upgrade when it's availble, or relevant to your job!

Yeah I know the MCSE 2003 doesn't expire (I mentioned that in my first post), they do retire though, but you will remain an MCSE forever, so that is why the 2003 track appeals to me.

The think was, I was thinking along the lines of doing the new exams now so I would cover myself for the future and save myself alot of time and money by only sitting 3 exams (actually 4 if you count the elective), instead of the 7 that I would need to become MCSE 2003/MCITP (MSCE 2008).

But after thinking about I have decided to finish the MCSE 2003 and do then 3 upgrade exams in a few years when companies start to migrate to Server 2008.

fyodor666

I think that's a good decision.. Certification is only part of what you need to do a job. So my advice is to do what's current, you'll have forever to upgrade and stay current then. So, a job that provides training and certification is a must...

Raekwon

That's all very true.

Now if I could only find a job that would pay for my training then I would be laughing (current crowd have a crap training budget!)

Ginger

No one reads stickies do they.. think our training budget per person is about 4K in courses and all exams are covered as well as materials..

Raekwon

Ginger wrote: »

No one reads stickies do they.. think our training budget per person is about 4K in courses and all exams are covered as well as materials..

Ginger stop rubbing our noses in how good you have it up there in Norway

Ginger

Raekwon wrote: »

Ginger stop rubbing our noses in how good you have it up there in Norway

Ah well its not like i havent been trying to get you all up here! As i said we have openings for a lot of different skills. Big one at the moment is wise msi and application management.

Raekwon

Ginger wrote: »

Ah well its not like i havent been trying to get you all up here! As i said we have openings for a lot of different skills. Big one at the moment is wise msi and application management.

Yeah I noticed the mini recruitment drive Trouble is I'm only a System Admin who is learning abit of SQL. Blokes like me probably grow on trees up there

Durban.Poison34

Hi There

I am planning to start my qualification for an MCSE 2003 but have been informed by one of the colleges that they no longer provide the MCSE 2003 track and only provide the MCITP Enterprise 2008. Now I'm stuck in a dilemma.... which to study as I will beginning with Network+ and studying part time so I will be only qualifying in about a year. So which would you suggest to start? I understand that the MCSE will be recognised as its more well the know then the the new MCITP (basically the new name for MCSE as I understand it, why do they need to change the name??). But where will it lie 1 year from now?

The other question I have is if I do the MCITP Enterprise track will I still have the knowledge equivalent to an MCSE 2003, in other words will I still be able to work with the 2003 OS? I understand that I will have to explain to recruiters that the MCITP is basically a MCSE 2008, but will I still have the skills to be employable to companies running the 2003 OS?

adeery

Form my experiece so far (I am just getting used to the new MCITP track) the core skills are similar, Client OS, Active Directory, Network infrastructure and you can apply a lot of it to Server 2003.

THe main differances I can see is with the MCITP EA there is Application Infrastructure which is new and has some additional designing courses than there where in the MCSE 2003.

Also MCITP does not have any electives so you do not get choose SBS, Exchange or other electives and same for the Cleint OS there are 2 Vista coruses to choose from and not XP and Vista like the MCSE.

If you where going to do the MCSE 2003 I would suggest doing the Vista exam as either your client OS elective or as your course elective as this will save you having to do this later if you choose to upgrade to Server 2008 MCITP Enterprise Administrator.

NullZer0

Ginger wrote: »

Ah well its not like i havent been trying to get you all up here! As i said we have openings for a lot of different skills. Big one at the moment is wise msi and application management.

Don't suppose there would be anything for MCSE2003 & CCNA working towards CCNP and CCIE within 2 years?