Where do i start ??

Sandeep · Guest

hi,
I'm currently a Australian student and i just finished
school (HSC). I'm about to enter university to do a either
a computing science or soft. engineering degree.

I've created software solutions for many clients for
over 3 years - right now i'm creating software based on
Visual Studio 6 (VB 6.0) for a respectable company -->
basically i've had some experience in the field. With the
introduction of Vis. Stud. .NET i need to upgrade my
skills and move on to .NET.

1) The MCSD req. include 2 yrs experience as a lead
programmer ... am i applicable for this?

2) I've bought the "Exam Prep" book series for the
MCSD/MCAD certification ... is it enough if i read these
books and go for the exams?

3) How long does it take (on average) to complete these
exams and get certified? (take into consideration that i
already know how to program in VB proficiently and have a
knowledge of OOP)

Thankyou for answering my queries! You guys are great!

Saga · Guest

Sandeep,

From reading posts in this ng I see that some people have taken
and passed the exams with minimal experience using only book
as training material, so it is "technically" possible, but personally
I would rather base my preparation on books as guides and
experience.

I understand that you want to upgrade your skills, but what are
your plans for using VS .NET?

At this point you might want to consider going for the MCAD
certification. Choose exams that are counted towards the MCSD.
It is impossible to say how long it will take you to prepare for each
exam. This depends on your ability and the time that you have
available.

Get your feet wet with .NET. Select a track, VB or C# and
start using that language. Use certification books as a guide to
keep you on the right track, but never trust them to teach you
everything you need to know.

Next you need to ask yourself why you want or need this certification.
Is it really important to get it in the short term? Personally, I am
preparing for this cert because I want to upgrade my skill set and
getting this cert is a milestone that indicates that at least I
know -something-
about the technology <g>

Good luck to you
Saga

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Cindy Winegarden · Guest

Hi Sandeep,

I don't know where you read this. Microsoft "expects" a certain amount of
experience but there are no requirements.
(http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcsd/faq.asp, third question)

Also, Saga said "At this point you might want to consider going for the MCAD
certification. Choose exams that are counted towards the MCSD." In fact, all
of the exams required for MCAD fulfill MCSD requirements also.

--
Cindy Winegarden MCSD, Microsoft Visual FoxPro MVP
cindy_winegarden@msn.com www.cindywinegarden.com

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sandeep · Guest

Hi,

Thanks for replies ...

Currently i'm using VB6 and i've seen the advanced feature set for VB.Net
and realised that its much more powerful than VB6 - eg. the full
implementation of the OOP framework!

Secondly i like to keep up with the industry as much as possible as i'm very
passionate about IT.

Thankyou for your advice guys! -- I decided i'll go for the MCAD exams
(since i already have the books from the MCSD pack!) and then get some
experience in tth field (the more the better!) and then attempt the MCSD.

I appreciate your input.

Cheers! - Sandeep

Tod1d · Guest

Hi Sandeep,

I would highly recommend the Exam Cram series of exam prep books. I
recently passed three of the MCSD required exams using a combination
of both the Exam Cram book and the corresponding TranscenderCert. I
just posted an article
on my blog related to my MCSD study method :
http://tod1d.blogspot.com/2004/10/mcsd-certification-path.html

Let me know if you have any questions.

Tod Birdsall
http://tod1d.blogspot.com

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