- Imagine Cup finals are about to begin!
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Even if you're not traveling to Cairo for the worldwide finals of Imagine Cup 2009, there are plenty of ways you can follow and participate in the competition. A brief list is below, and if you know of other links please leave them in the comments!
In addition, the countdown to Imagine Cup 2010 has begun! The worldwide finals will take place in Poland, and more information will be available when the 2010 site launches at 00:00 GMT on July 8, 2009.
Thanks for following us this year! We'll post a longer recap of the year soon, but in the meantime feel free to let us know how learning resources from the Microsoft IT Academy Program have helped you in the competition or in school. Leave your feedback in the comments, or use the "Email" link in the right sidebar to contact us.
- What's your next step?
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If you're planning to graduate and enter the job market anytime soon, you've probably started thinking about how to launch your career. If that career involves technology (and more careers involve technology each year), Microsoft Certification is a great way to show potential employers that your knowledge of Microsoft technology is up to date.
Our colleages here in Microsoft Learning have produced a short video featuring successful professionals and their stories about how Microsoft certification has helped them accomplish their goals. Enjoy!
Click to Go Further
- What IS this Ramp Up thing, anyway?
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Check out this blog post (which includes the video below) about the Windows Mobile Application Development track recently added to Ramp Up. This track and others are available at http://www.myrampup.com/, and all of the developer materials in the program are free!
- More virtual labs!
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These awesome opportunities just keep coming! Our colleagues in Microsoft Learning want to give participants in IT Challenge Round 2 access to even MORE virtual labs. Even if your participation in the competition has ended, you'll be able to use these Microsoft Official Academic Curriculum (MOAC) Labs Online to test your skills on Windows Server 2008 and more!
If you're registered for IT Challenge Round 2, you should receive an email today from my co-worker Erwin Chan with information on how to access these labs. If you haven't received an email in a couple of days, check your junk folder. If it's not there, contact us. Good luck!
- Even more Ramp Up learning tracks!
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Looks like I jumped the gun on announcing the Windows Mobile 6 learning track--three additional developer tracks have been launched in the past two days! Check out the FOUR new tracks launched this week:
- Web Development with ASP.NET
- Move from ASP to ASP.NET
- Move from PHP to ASP.NET
- Develop Windows Mobile 6 Applications (this is the one we announced on Monday)
Have fun!
- Learn more about developing Windows Mobile 6 applications!
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The Ramp Up program has launched a new, free learning track: Develop Windows Mobile 6 Applications!
The content in this track is provided by subject-matter gurus and is offered in a variety of forms ranging from articles and virtual labs to codecasts and slidecasts. Check out this and other learning tracks at www.MyRampUp.com, and see how Ramp Up can help you become more employable by learning important, marketable skills.
- Ready for Windows 7?
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Erwin, Joanne and I have been running an internal build of Windows 7 for months, and we LOVE it. So I'm thrilled that the Release Candidate is finally being made public! The final, official product won't be out for a while (I don't actually know when--it's a big secret :-D), but if you want to check out some of the coolest new features in our newest OS, Microsoft Learning has released two brand new, FREE e-learning clinics.
Click away! Try one or both, save them to MyLearning so you can finish them whenever you have time, and get excited about Windows 7!
- New free e-book offer? Sign me up!
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Organize your photos, create exciting presentations and make your spreadsheets into something special! In this brand-new offer, you'll get access to full chapters from 8 Microsoft Press books about Office 2007 and Windows Vista. When you sign up using the link below, we'll send you a weekly email with links to download and save these chapters to your computer, and the next time you find yourself itching to try something new with Excel or PowerPoint they'll be right at your fingertips!
No tricks or gimmicks--just sign up here and watch the chapters roll in!
- We're multilingual!
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...well, not really (I'm not, at least), but there's a brand-new widget on this page that will help us speak to you in your language. Erwin's added a "Translate this page" box on the right side of this screen which will let you translate all of the text into one of 13 languages.
How did we do it? We used the Live Search Translator--you can translate specific paragraphs here, or add the same box to your own web site here. Enjoy!
- Book deals for you!
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Huge discounts, free downloads, and a place to hear about these things as they're announced! This post is chock-full of goodness :-)
Save 40% off Microsoft Press IT Professional books: Visit any Barnes & Noble Booksellers or shop online at bn.com from now through May 5, 2009 to SAVE 40% off select Microsoft Press IT Professional guides for Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, Visual Basic 2008, and more.
April Microsoft Press free e-book offer, April 15-22: Until April 22, you'll be able to download Windows Small Business Server 2008 Administrator's Companion (Pro—Administrator's Companion) and Microsoft Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition: Build a Program Now! for free!
How can I hear about these deals as they're announced, not just when you remember to write a blog post about them? Well, that's an easy one. If you have a Twitter account, follow Microsoft Learning (@MSLearning) and watch the deals roll in!
- Whoa! New competition!
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I just returned from vacation (I spent a week in two amazing and beautiful cities--if you live there, I'm jealous!) and while I was gone the Imagine Cup team announced a new competition for YOU to design the 2009 Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals website! This sounds like an amazing opportunity to get really creative and have a ton of fun, and the winner's design will be seen by people around the world!
ANY Imagine Cup registered student is eligible to compete, so form your team and submit your entry by April 30, 2009.
Competition details are here. Good luck!
- Time is running out for Practice Labs!
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If you're in Round 2 of the IT Challenge, your access to the Imagine Cup Practice Labs will end Wednesday, April 1. There's not much time left to test our brand-new learning product!
If you've already tried the labs, thank you! Please help shape our new product by providing feedback using this survey.
If you haven't tried the labs, check them out now (use the access code that was emailed to you directly) and complete the survey.
Questions? Email us.
Good luck with the rest of Round 2!
- Extended E-Reference Library access for IT Challenge Round 2 competitors!
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Great news! If you're competing in Round 2 of the IT Challenge, you should receive an email very soon (if you haven't received it already) providing you with a password to a new 6-month subsciption of E-Reference Libraries! Now you'll have access to a huge library of Microsoft Press books as you work on your case study.
Look out for an email from microsofteref@books24x7.com, and check your junk mail folder if it hasn't reached your inbox. Good luck in the invitational!
- The leader board awaits...
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If you haven't tried Are You Certifiable?, the new free online game testing your tech IQ, go check it out! Here's your chance to show off to the world on the leader board. You'll be going head-to-head against experienced IT experts and seasoned developers, so getting your name in lights will be even sweeter. Test your knowledge, prove that you'd ace a certification exam, and share your score with your friends. Have fun!
- Design for Development Round 1 ends soon!
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If your Software Design solution is accessible from mobile phones via SMS or voice and targets end users who make less than US$8 per day, you are also eligible to enter the Design for Development award! You're allowed--encouraged, even--to submit the same project for both invitationals. It's an extra chance to win!
The grand prize is US$10,000 and an opportunity to intern with Microsoft Research India, and the finalist teams will be provided with transportation to Cairo, Egypt for the worldwide finals. Round 1 submissions are due Sunday, March 15 by 11:59pm GMT (what time is this in my region?). The complete list of Round 1 requirements is here. Good luck!
