Microsoft Certifications

Developer Certification Changes

Gerry O'Brien — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:10:57 GMT

Early information but at this point, it looks as though there will be two new exams for SharePoint developers coming. An MCTS and an MCPD for Office SharePoint Server. Some of you asked for the MCPD at PDC and I indicated at the time that...(read more)

Windows vs WPF

Gerry O'Brien — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:10:27 GMT

Wow, what a lot of feedback on both blogs around the Windows Forms vs WPF debate. All good comments and excellent feedback folks, thanks very much. For those who haven’t read or partaken in the discussions, allow me to provide some background....(read more)

Visual Studio 2010 Exams Are Changing

Gerry O'Brien — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:21:51 GMT

Well, just a little. After much thought, and then some more, along with discussions with the community, the product groups for Visual Studio and .NET 4, our own internal folks and anyone else who wanted to chime in, we have finally decided on most of...(read more)

Certification Update and Small Survey

Gerry O'Brien — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:26:11 GMT

We are almost locked on our Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4.0 certification track. Lots of discussions around this internally and a potential change in the landscape. At this point in time, it’s looking like the MCPD track will change...(read more)

All is Quiet on the Cert Front

Gerry O'Brien — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:55:25 GMT

Too quiet actually. I know a lot of people are waiting to see what the new cert plan will be for Visual Studio 2010 and .NET 4.0. I can’t tell you yet because we are working on it now. The main reason for this post and the title is more related...(read more)

Exam 70-565 Prep Guide

Gerry O'Brien — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:39:33 GMT

Some of you are asking about information on what this exam will cover and the prep guides are not updated on the public pages yet. In the meantime, I have posted the prep guide information here. Target Audience Candidates for this exam work...(read more)

Career Assist

Gerry O'Brien — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:16:18 GMT

The current economic situation leaves many people wondering about their careers and future job prospects. The IT industry is not immune to these conditions. We all face many challenges and decisions in the months ahead on how to best position...(read more)

Keeping Up to Date and Going Backwards at the Same Time

Gerry O'Brien — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:20:32 GMT

Part of my role as a Product Planner is to keep up with technology changes in the industry as they impact the audiences that I focus on. For me, that means developer technologies and SQL Server trends etc. For the most part, this is an enjoyable...(read more)

Status Update on Exam Release Dates

Gerry O'Brien — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:42:51 GMT

A few are asking, so I thought I would post this morning what our current release dates are for the remaining exams. SQL Server 70-433 – February 27, 2009 Visual Studio 70-505 – February 5, 2009 70-563 – February 3, 2009 70-565 – February 23, 2009 70-566...(read more)

Designers Are Next

Gerry O'Brien — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 23:21:46 GMT

Yes that’s right, I will be looking at what to do with some of the Expression Suite of products in my planning for this next fiscal year. I will be meeting with representatives from the Expression Design team this afternoon to discuss training and...(read more)

Quick Update for the New Year

Gerry O'Brien — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 23:52:00 GMT

I know it’s been awhile since I posted and for that I have to say, oh well. I spent two weeks at home over the Christmas holidays and didn’t touch a computer for the purposes of work The break was nice for a change. Since I have been back, things have...(read more)

70-505 Closes on Monday

Gerry O'Brien — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:43:41 GMT

I know lots of you have already registered and like to wait until the later dates of delivery and that is great. Thanks for your interest. For those who haven't, there may still be a chance to take this exam for free. Just visit my previous...(read more)

Exam Centers Charging for Beta Exams

Gerry O'Brien — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 20:16:18 GMT

I hate posting this, but I need to get some information to help resolve these issues. I had a post that was made on the 24th of November where someone gave me the name of a testing center in Bucharest that was charging for beta exams. Unfortunately,...(read more)

How do I Prepare for the Visual Studio 2008 Exams?

Gerry O'Brien — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:35:12 GMT

I am being asked this question quite often lately, and of course it is a perfectly valid question. Where are all the MS Press Training Kits? What can you use to prepare for the exams if you want to take them now? If you visit my post back...(read more)

70-563 - Pro: Designing and Developing Windows® Applications Using the Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.5 Redux

Gerry O'Brien — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:23:33 GMT

That's right, it's back! You can register and take this exam between the dates of November 19 and December 12, 2008. Register online at Prometric using the beta code DW897. Gerry...(read more)