Mcse

[Spinal]

I've just come back from a 14 day MCSE bootcamp in Oxfordshire, Firebrand Training.

I need to re-sit the CompTIA Security+ which is annoying at £217 (got 83% and the pass mark is 85! ) but the other M$ exam is a free re-sit and I'm all done.

Considering I went there with little experience I'm happy to have accomplished what I did

Congratulations! I've still got WLeg's MCSE book (WLeg, you have p.m.) and am hoping to take that in 2/3 months.... fingers crossed!

 

[Shude]

Congratulations! I've still got WLeg's MCSE book (WLeg, you have p.m.) and am hoping to take that in 2/3 months.... fingers crossed!

If you have any questions then don't hesitate to ask. The MCSE course is pretty challenging and covers a lot of areas.

Have you decided which areas to study or exams to take yet?

 

[Spinal]

If you have any questions then don't hesitate to ask. The MCSE course is pretty challenging and covers a lot of areas.

Have you decided which areas to study or exams to take yet?

I haven't decided, but I'm leaning (heavil) towards Security/Designing security (after all, that's what my degree is in!).

That said, DDM Network solutions seems like an interesting topic; so I'm quite undecided yet...

Any ideas on when the server 2008 exams come out?

 

[WLeg]

End of the year - its 4 exams to update to 2008.

 

[Shude]

End of the year - its 4 exams to update to 2008.

The instructor from my course has just gone to write the material for the 08 course and upgrade

 

[Shude]

Well I just passed the 70-293 exam so I've got one (non MS) exam left to complete my MCSE.

Today's exam wasn't that bad. I also took the exam a month ago but the prometric computer died about 30 mins from the end and they had to reset my account and give me *another* re-sit code!

Just got Sec+ left now.

 

[WLeg]

well done....was the "coursework" usefull - and still current ??
- I've just done the CCNA with the same people....

 

[Shude]

well done....was the "coursework" usefull - and still current ??
- I've just done the CCNA with the same people....

Yep. Shamefully I did basically one full day of revision before the exam. The 293 covers practically everything from the MCSE course as it's a refresher and the first of the MCSE-grade exams, designed for those that are already MCSAs.

It's sad to say that I've seen some of those questions three times now! A lot were new though. They're all variations of the same thing anyway.

Before leaving Firebrand I took a backup of the student info, one folder of which contained a collection of videos of the tutor performing similar jobs to those required by the simulations in the exams. Very handy!

How was the CCNA?

 

[WLeg]

Painful. Arizona in July - 44-48oC.... American cheap (watery) beer......and easy access to Scottsdale Gun Club.........far too many distractions, but if you are a good boy and don't get distracted, not too bad.

CCNP and 2008 upgrade next.....(I haven't updated my qualifactions in 10 years, so it's past due).

 

[columb]

I've got MCSE:S+M
Never attempted CCNA but working with CISCO routers...
Now I'm planning to pass RHCE- it is different league all together (8h exam etc) but I've feeling that I can pass it! Just need to spend more time on SELinux as I'm not using it

Microsoft exams are really easy!

Cheers and good luck guys!
Chris

 

[dsolds]

My MCSE is way too old now. NT3.51 and updated to NT4.0 but about to look at 2008 for a major client. Also had the CNE for Novell. Ah that was a real network operating system.
Went down the infrastructure architecture route so now have:
VMware Certified Professional
Cisco Certified Design Professional
Checkpoint Certified Systems Administrator
Redhat Certified Engineer.
Prince 2 Practitioner - anyone who thinks a MCSE is easy needs to do this. Laughable but clients like it.

And the best of it all.........mostly I work with Sun Solaris Not a qualification in sight for that.

But I am still amazed by how many clients demand a MCSE nowadays so it's a good thing to have since it opens so many doors. Even agencies demand it as a baseline before they even consider putting you forward for contract work although I am guessing that it's because they are too dopey to be able to interview a techie properly. Most seem to be several sandwiches short of a picnic from my last 26 years experience of them.

So yes, the MSCE is worth doing and now we seem to be getting a proper command line version of the MS operating system in 2008 then it will become more credible. The lack of credibility came from MS giving away a free MSCE with every pack of smarties about 5 years ago. This was marketing, nothing more. More qualified people means it becomes more popular in the marketplace and so they sell more product. However, this has changed now as have the exams. They are not so easy to pass these days due to them needing much higher calibre of engineers to gain credibility in the large enterprise arena. MS had no other way of competing with the various *nix platforms.

So yes, in summary, a worthwhile achievement. Well done Sir.

 

[garystu1965]

I am one. I have been on a boot camp MCSE course in Boston. Just passed MCSE (Security) Windows 2003....in 13 non-stop days. :bannana:

I cannot see the point in passing an MCSE in 13 days unless you have all the real world hands-on experience. It tool me nearly 3 years to do my NT4 MCSE. Started early 96 and completed in late 98.

And that was WITHOUT braindumps.

 

[garystu1965]

My MCSE is way too old now. NT3.51 and updated to NT4.0 but about to look at 2008 for a major client. Also had the CNE for Novell. Ah that was a real network operating system.
Went down the infrastructure architecture route so now have:
VMware Certified Professional
Cisco Certified Design Professional
Checkpoint Certified Systems Administrator
Redhat Certified Engineer.
Prince 2 Practitioner - anyone who thinks a MCSE is easy needs to do this. Laughable but clients like it.

And the best of it all.........mostly I work with Sun Solaris Not a qualification in sight for that.

But I am still amazed by how many clients demand a MCSE nowadays so it's a good thing to have since it opens so many doors. Even agencies demand it as a baseline before they even consider putting you forward for contract work although I am guessing that it's because they are too dopey to be able to interview a techie properly. Most seem to be several sandwiches short of a picnic from my last 26 years experience of them.

So yes, the MSCE is worth doing and now we seem to be getting a proper command line version of the MS operating system in 2008 then it will become more credible. The lack of credibility came from MS giving away a free MSCE with every pack of smarties about 5 years ago. This was marketing, nothing more. More qualified people means it becomes more popular in the marketplace and so they sell more product. However, this has changed now as have the exams. They are not so easy to pass these days due to them needing much higher calibre of engineers to gain credibility in the large enterprise arena. MS had no other way of competing with the various *nix platforms.

So yes, in summary, a worthwhile achievement. Well done Sir.

A good one to go for now is VMWare certification.

 

[Shude]

But I am still amazed by how many clients demand a MCSE nowadays so it's a good thing to have since it opens so many doors. Even agencies demand it as a baseline before they even consider putting you forward for contract work although I am guessing that it's because they are too dopey to be able to interview a techie properly. Most seem to be several sandwiches short of a picnic from my last 26 years experience of them.

So yes, the MSCE is worth doing and now we seem to be getting a proper command line version of the MS operating system in 2008 then it will become more credible. The lack of credibility came from MS giving away a free MSCE with every pack of smarties about 5 years ago. This was marketing, nothing more. More qualified people means it becomes more popular in the marketplace and so they sell more product. However, this has changed now as have the exams. They are not so easy to pass these days due to them needing much higher calibre of engineers to gain credibility in the large enterprise arena. MS had no other way of competing with the various *nix platforms.

So yes, in summary, a worthwhile achievement. Well done Sir.

This is good to read as I have been out of work for nearly 10 months and have seen quite a few jobs slip away because MCSE has been a minimum requirement! As you can imagine I am desperate to get back to work, being unemployed is highly depressing and frustrating.

I only have to pass my Security+ exam to complete now, should get that done in the next couple of weeks.

 

[WLeg]

I cannot see the point in passing an MCSE in 13 days unless you have all the real world hands-on experience. It tool me nearly 3 years to do my NT4 MCSE. Started early 96 and completed in late 98.

And that was WITHOUT braindumps.

I agree. I have one year's experiance for each day it took me.

 

[Shude]

I cannot see the point in passing an MCSE in 13 days unless you have all the real world hands-on experience. It tool me nearly 3 years to do my NT4 MCSE. Started early 96 and completed in late 98.

And that was WITHOUT braindumps.

I had almost no experience of windows 2003 server or vista and fell short of passing all the MCSE exams by 7% in the 293 and 1.8% in Sec+. Dispite having no specific experience in those products I've been in IT since the mid 90s and practically all of my experience is applicable. There are so many parallels that it all clicked into place for me with little problem.

Being able to do the job and being able to pass the exams are separate things. It's very much like learning to drive and passing the test. The exams have not only multiple choice (trickier than you'd think, sometimes all the answers look the same and it's nearly an eye-exam rather than anything else) but you have the drag-and-drop solution builders, applet box-tickers (or whatever they're called) and simulations, which are a flash simulated desktop for you to provide the exact solution on (allegedly zero marks if you make a minor mistake). If you've not actually carried out the procedures - in the MS way, not always the most obvious way - a few times then you won't be able to pass the exams. I think they're pretty thorough.

Anyway the whole point of passing the MCSE in two weeks is that contractors only have to lose a fortnight's pay and come back qualified so they can get on with their engagements!

Can't wait 'til next week, it's Sec+ time!

 

[Shude]

Can't wait 'til next week, it's Sec+ time!

Was more like a couple of weeks but today I took the Sec+ and passed it! The exam was pretty tricky (100 questions in 90 mins with a minimum of 85% to pass) but I got 93% which IMHO is overkill .

Now all I have to do is wait for Prometric to update my result to "pass" from "pending", publish my result to MS, wait for them to manually update my transcript to include the result and I'll be an MCSA and an MCSE as well as being CompTIA Security+ qualified.

Once all the transcripts are up to date it's time to get all the certificates ordered!

 

[pammy]

I think congratulations are in order - but you're all talking jibberish so can't really be sure technobabble is not my first language

Seriously I wish you all the very best of luck - 10 months is a long time to be out of work!

 

[Gollom]

Was more like a couple of weeks but today I took the Sec+ and passed it! The exam was pretty tricky (100 questions in 90 mins with a minimum of 85% to pass) but I got 93% which IMHO is overkill .

Now all I have to do is wait for Prometric to update my result to "pass" from "pending", publish my result to MS, wait for them to manually update my transcript to include the result and I'll be an MCSA and an MCSE as well as being CompTIA Security+ qualified.

Once all the transcripts are up to date it's time to get all the certificates ordered!

Nice one Nick!

 

[Shude]

Nice one Nick!

Cheers!

Last night the exam status changed to "pass", but CompTIA had no knowledge. About an hour ago the certification appeared on their list so I published the results to M$ and ordered my Sec+ certificate and welcome kit (dunno what you get but for an exam that costs £191 I hope it's more than a piece of paper, I suspect I will be disappointed...).

M$ are still showing no knowledge of the result but I guess they're all still in bed atm.