Posted on 10/16/2001 7:33:39 AM PDT by JosephW
Microsoft Rescinds Retirement of NT 4.0 MCSE Track (Original Post, with Comments)
In a significant announcement made late Wednesday, Microsoft is no longer retiring the certifications of those who obtained their MCSE title under the NT 4.0 track.
by Michael Domingo
10/10/2001 — Call it listening to customers and partners. In a significant announcement made late Wednesday, Microsoft is no longer retiring the certifications of those who obtained their MCSE title under the Windows NT 4.0 track. At the same time the company publicly announced for the first time just how many people currently hold the MCSE credential under Windows 2000.
In a conference call with Robert Stewart, General Manager of the Microsoft Training and Certification Group, and Anne Marie McSweeney, Microsoft's Director of the Certification and Skills Assessment Group, MCPmag.com learned that the company has reversed itself from a stern policy decision set two years ago to decertify those who hold the NT 4.0 MCSE title by the end of this year.
Microsoft has rewritten how it will look at its certification titles. Historically, Microsoft has periodically retired credentials earned on older versions of its products.
Starting immediately, no longer will Microsoft-certified IT professionals be faced with a decertification process; instead, Microsoft says that it will create version designations of its titles. An MCSE holding the title under the NT 4.0 track will be designated as "MCSE on Windows NT 4.0." MCSEs in Windows 2000 will now be formally referred to as "MCSE on Microsoft Windows 2000."
McSweeney said the updated designations will appear on MCP transcripts probably beginning in April 2002.
The new policy affects titles in the program moving forward. Specifically, it affects those who hold the NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 versions of the MCSE, as well as the MCP+Internet, MCSE+Internet, MCP+Site Building, MCSD, and MCT. However, McSweeney emphasized that the company won't offer new credentials for MCSE+I, MCP+I, or MCP+Site Building under Windows 2000 or Windows .NET Server.
Under the revisions, those candidates who have passed all core exams for the MCSE on Windows NT 4.0 can continue to earn an MCSE credential on Windows NT 4.0 using exams that are currently being offered.
Unaffected by the announcement are MCSDs in the Windows Operating System and Services Architecture track (exams 70-150 and 70-151) and the Windows Architecture track (exams 70-160 and 70-161) and MCSEs certified in Windows NT 3.51. Those who have not upgraded to the current tracks of their respective certifications will remain decertified.
Why the change of heart? Stewart says that since the company made the original decision years ago, the IT climate has become more complex.
"Back then, we tried to hold to a simple, clear message," said Stewart. "But as the industry has moved to a complex and heterogeneous approach to technology, we figured that keeping [the certification program] simple wasn't the best solution. We wanted to do the right thing."
One factor in the decision, he said, was that Microsoft realized the industry could absorb that complexity. Also, Microsoft has realized that it can't predict the appropriate timing for such retirements. The new policy eliminates the need for those predictions. Plus, it allows companies to be able to identify individuals certified on Windows NT 4.0 while the product is still part of their IT environments.
"[Microsoft] had what might be called an identity crisis," added McSweeney. The company said evidence had built up proving NT 4.0 expertise was still needed. Customers and partners only reinforced that conclusion. Microsoft finally decided to reexamine its decertification policy. "We shouldn't be the ones calling the shots; we should let the market decide that."
The policy change will not affect the retirement of the 70-240 Win2K Accelerated Exam, which Stewart maintains will still happen Dec. 31, 2001. (The free voucher for this exam must be ordered by Nov. 1, 2001; see "Free Voucher Offer Ends Nov. 1" in News.)
The news brings a reprieve to those MCTs who have been struggling to achieve certification on Windows 2000. While Microsoft Certified Trainers are still expected to obtain the newer credential or another premium title such as MCSD or MCDBA, the deadline has been pushed back to May 1, 2002 from its original date of December 31, 2001.
In a side note, McSweeney revealed that about 47,000 people worldwide have obtained the MCSE on Microsoft Windows 2000.
Michael Domingo is Web Editor of MCPmag.com. You can contact Michael about "Microsoft Rescinds Retirement of NT 4.0 MCSE Track (Original Post, with Comments)" at mdomingo@101com.com.
Microsoft is finally doing what they should have done in the first place. Keep NT4 people certified, but designate them as NT4.
However, many people (myself included) spend considerable time, effort and money to upgrade our certifications to Win2K. We have been told for over a year that our old cert(s) would become void at the end of this year, and many of us have jobs that require we maintain certification. Others of us went after Win2K certification due to its increased value (few MCSEs should give greater value) in light of the decertification of NT4 MCSEs.
It's one thing to upgrade believing (due to the multitude of MS's announcments) that NT4 certs will be history. It is quite another to perpetrate fraud on the industry the way that MS did. As I wrote earlier, this is what MS should have done in the first place, but since they didn't they should stand by their decision.
Is there anything that MS can do in your eyes that would compensate those for whom this fraud was perpetrated against. I don't mean myself for the most part, as I would probably have upgraded at near the same pace anyway - however, I don't like having my W2K cert devalued in this way.
JosephW
MCSE+I (NT), MCSE (NT/2K), CNA, CCNA, A+, N+, i-Net+, Server+, misc certs
E. Pluribus Unum, A+, Network+, Oracle8 DBA.
Exactly. A BS in chemistry doesn't mean much if you want to switch over to computers. I thought certification could at least get my foot in the door. I was wrong.
And those funny little beards ("Van Dykes").
Getting started in this field is tough. Sometimes you have to start on help desk / call center. I've found that a degree is important for moving up in the field, but certifications are now the barrier to entry. You can skip the certs if you have tons of experience (I've been in the I.T. field for 20 years - first ten as a programmer, but I got better).
I highly recommend that a person who want to work in this field start at a help desk / call center while working on a premium cert (MCSE / CNE / RHCE). This will give you the needed experience (time in the field), plus what is viewed as the requisite knowledge of current subject matter (certification). You'll be able to get a job as a jr. Admin, or mid-level, but will need a degree to move forward from there. For those that are interested, I have a degree in Computer Science, and a J.D. in law (never took the bar so I must have done well in my ethics class). I'm about to start a PhD program for Infomation Systems (notice how the name has changed over the years).
Anyway, I think it is ideal to have a degree in computer science from a good school. However, my son and I both have jobs without completing a degree. I think the key issue is skill. I like certifications because they provide proof of having acquired some knowledge. Since I switched careers I did not have time to go back for a BS or MIS. I did the CCNA first, then A+, N+, and i-Net+. I am a college teacher and technical writer/editor. I plan on more certifications because they are fun and provide motivation to learn more.
My son got his job because he switched over to Linux early and became adept in that area. He started as a Unix applictions guy. He taught himself Perl, taught others Perl, and became known at work through those classes. Then he got into networking.
I encourage people to get as much training as possible and to keep learning. I am currently meeting people who WERE very well paid in one highly-specialized area. Then they found themselves unemployed with that one skill.
I was going to get into the MS certification marathon when the NT4 was being phased out. I have seen Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, W2K, and now XP - all in a few years. First of all, I find MS certification boring. I decided not to pursue it. Also, I do not like the way they treat people. The arbitrary changes and revisions are ridiculous.
Linux/Unix - a great future for those who want to be in computer science. Relatively few know this operating system. I think it is a lot more interesting than Micro$oft.
I heard a MSCE joke about that and I said my hair was long because I had no time to get it cut. I was too busy porting projects that had cratered on NT/W2K :-)
Now I can wait a year or two to get certified on Windows 2000. By then, I will have worked with it enough to breeze through the certification process.
I do have an evening job by choice. I'm the I.S. dept head for a local university with campuses in both Kansas and Missouri. The only person in my dept with a pony tail (just beginning to grow it now) is a former Green Beret / Ranger who leans towards Linux / Web development. He is one of the few exceptions I would make in the negative stereotype above. The guy is real good, one of the best web developers that I have ever met.
I do have an evening job by choice. I'm the I.S. dept head for a local university with campuses in both Kansas and Missouri. The only person in my dept with a pony tail (just beginning to grow it now) is a former Green Beret / Ranger who leans towards Linux / Web development. He is one of the few exceptions I would make in the negative stereotype above. The guy is real good, one of the best web developers that I have ever met.
MickeySoft will get what it deserves, no more, no less!
Linux Rules(for now)!
I suspect that XP Server is not going to ship on time. If it ships in 2002, then I would expect MS to expire the NT Certs EOY 2002 or very soon there after.
Given the possible timeing with the economy you may see many companies jump over Win2K to XP Server within six months of XP's ship date. IMHO.
Worked for me. I did a mid-life career change, got my MCSE which got my foot in the door as a Systems Operator. Now I'm the Network Admin and I'm working toward my degree at night.
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