Getting Certified

Microsoft has offered attractive certification programs for a long time, as a way of proving and ensuring your skills for certain technologies.

With the launch of Visual Studio 2005 and the .NET 2.0 framework Microsoft upgraded their certification structure for developers to make it more customizable for your actual job function. The number of required tests for reaching a certifications have grown while they have become easier to pass.

I have decided to pursue one of the tracks for getting a .NET 2.0 certification, to complete my knowledge of the .NET technology. A certification involves a big investment in time and also money, since the tracks span a wide and deep subject. To study the subject you are best off purchasing one of the available self-study books or taking any of the e-learning courses Microsoft is offering. Other options range from free MSDN-studying to intensive classroom training. Then we have the actual tests, which are not cheap either. My plan is to buy one of the self-study books, which I have good experience from after studying for one of the older Visual Studio 6/MFC certifications.

What is the purpose of certifying yourself? Well, as I mentioned above it is a great way of proving and/or ensuring your knowledge for yourself or others. Beside this obvious advantage, a certified professional will get additional benefits, like discount on various Microsoft products, access to some special content, invitations to conferences and some logos to use on web sites or business card.