MCSE Certification question....

[buck]

I signed up and paid for mcse nt4.0 training in september not knowing that the tests would be expiring so soon. Then i found out that the certification would be void at the end of 2001.
Does anyone here have the nt4.0 certification? Are you still working on it? What should i do, stop nt4.0 and go for the 2000 mcse?
Absolutely any thoughts would be helping me out tremendously.
I feel like this company didnt inform me and they ripped me off. Thanks so much.

 

[Shadow07]

How experienced are you with Windows NT 4?

If you have no experience with NT 4, then I would take the Windows NT 4 Workstation class at least; then move to the Windows 2000 courses. If you have experience with Windows NT 4, then go back to the training facility and demand to be put in the Windows 2000 course.

Any further questions, let me know.

 

[Norssak]

I'm not the most informed person on this topic, but I'll throw you my 2 cents.
I completed MCSE 4.0 about a year ago. The fact that Microsoft will "expire" the certification will not prevent me from keeping it on my resume, after all I still know my way around NT 4.0. Two things I've been told about 2000 MCSE: It will be much harder, they are trying to substantially reduce the number of MCSEs. Also, if you have a 4.0 MCSE there will be an "upgrade" test that you can take rather than going through the entire curriculum. The catch is you only get one shot at it, fail and you have to go the long route.

Maybe it's just me, but no-one seems to care about my MCSE. When I get a job it's experience they were looking for. I have yet to have some one look at my resume and say "Wow, you got an MCSE". I'd blame Microsoft, then again no-one cares about my CCNA either.

 

[Shadow07]

I agree to a certain point. Check out my article here.

 

[goldboyd]

if you work with nt, go for nt4. if you work with 2k, go for 2k. if you dont work with either, try to break into the biz without certs you're better off that way, or try to get some lower level, more generic certs, a+, n+, or even mcp.

 

[Cable God]

the NT4 is all but over now I think. I would go the 2000 route.

 

[Neoplasia]

<< the NT4 is all but over now I think. I would go the 2000 route. >>



If you mean getting certified then yes. If you mean industry then no way. If companies move over to 2000 now I think that'd be a mistake, it's so young and full of bugs. NT4 is a good OS, personally I think it's stupid to get rid of the NT4 track.

 

[kyoshozx]

I have my MCSE, and my advice would be take the 2000 MCSE. Especially since it's expiring in a year. Also it probably would be easier to take the 7 win2k exams now than to take the 6 NT 4.0, then take one upgrade and one on AD. First you only get one shot at the upgrade and the upgrade exam has to cover alot of work.

Norssak is totally right, experience counts the most, but if there was someone competing with you for a job, and both of you have the same experience but he has a MCSE certification they probably go for him. I've been studying for the upgrade exam and it is definately harder than the NT 4.0 exams, but not EXTREMELY hard.

 

[jsm]

I believe I read an article on ZDNet that reported that MS may extend NT certs.

Check it out here.

On a more personal note, I'd say that having an MCSE is not a big a deal as it used to be. Back in the mid 90s, it meant something, much like having a CNE was something back in the early 90s. But, with such a huge amount of paper MCSEs and CNEs, the certs become something almost to shy away from.

Here in Silicon Valley, there are tons of MCSEs from a very bad school called Masters Institute. I have attempted to interview a couple back when I had some positions open in my group, but they proved to be so inadequate in real world skills. With such hype and ads proclaiming the riches that can be achieved by passing a few tests, you tend to get lots of losers with paper MCSEs who make the rest look bad.

On that note, if you are going to obtain the MCSE, make sure that you have actually put together an NT domain and really know how to administer it. Break it, rebuild it and do it over and over again until you have dreams - no nitemares about it.

 

[Shadow07]

<<If you mean industry then no way. If companies move over to 2000 now I think that'd be a mistake, it's so young and full of bugs>>

I have to disagree with you on that. Yes, Windows 2000 does have some bugs, but not as much as Windows NT 4. I know for a fact that most Tier 1 companies (like Cisco) are moving to Windows 2000 and Active Directory. But I am not going to argue with you. If Windows NT 4 is working for you, then don't make the change unless you want the power and stability of Windows 2000.

 

[WholeMIlk]

Existing Windows NT 4.0 Exams Offered Through February

 

[outlamd]

I agree on the paper MCSE thing. But that's exactly what MS is trying to avoid now with the 2000 track. Furthermore I agree that having the NT MCSE will still be a good cert to have, because most companies out there are still using it, and will be for a few more years atleast. Win2K adoption has been a little slow but gradually gaining momentum.

 

[Cable God]

Neoplasia,



<< If you mean getting certified then yes. If you mean industry then no way. >>



That's what I meant. I know NT 4.0 will still be around probably forever. I was just saying that the exams are history. I know we're not pushing to 2000 much except for on the desktop right now. The server and AD will come later on.

 

[puritan]

I have my NT 4.0 MCSE. The NT 4.0 Cert is a meaningless waste of time. I personally took all of the tests with a total of about 12 hours of studying. It doesn't mean squat because of all of the paper MCSE's out there. I personally know a guy who's an MCSE who has never even loaded the OS. And guess what else... You cannot help a company upgrade to a newer, better OS if you don't know it first. These big companies are not spending a lot of time evaluating their current Win NT arcitectures because 90% of them are screwed up anyway. It's the common issue, they put in the technology wrong, completely intended to fix it someday, now they've created a project to fix it in their next major infrastructure migration.

NT is dead. Go 2K smiply for the fact that it is tougher, and there won't be as many so you'll be able to get more $$

 

[warcleric]

Well I guess I have to get in on this. Drop it all go get your CNE like a real man Windows 2000 may be &quot;more stable&quot; than NT4 but it still isnt half as stable as Novell! What moron thought that the server should be admin'ed from the server, the server shouldnt even need a keyboard for chrissakes