Is it worth it to get MS Certified?

Question

How important is it to get a MCPD, MCTS, etc?

What is the best way to get certified?

Answer 1

I do think its worth the trouble. It shows that something extra between saying you can and proving you can...

Of course, I've also known my share of people who cheat their way through the exams, but they will fail eventually.. (or as we dutch like to say: "door de mand vallen" --> "falling through the basket" :) )

Answer 2

Lance, I'm currently in the middle of an intensive 9-day MCPD course paid for by my employer. It's hard work, but I've learnt a lot more about the .NET Framework and ASP.NET. If you already have a fair amount of experience and you get the chance to do this, I'd recommend going for it.

If you're having to fund yourself, you're probably better off buying the course books and working through them at your own pace. If you're an experienced developer there'll still be a fair amount to learn but you should be able to get through it fairly rapidly.

I'm not sure how useful doing one of these courses would be as a way of learning the material from scratch. If all the material was unfamiliar to you I think it might be too much to take in at once.

As for how useful getting the qualification is, it's hard to say - many job adverts say that Microsoft certification is 'desirable', but not that many require it. Having the qualification certainly won't hurt your career prospects, and I think in some ways they are more useful for getting an entry-level job than a Computer Science degree.

You might be intersted to see how many people already hold each qualification:

Number of Microsoft Certified Professionals Worldwide

Answer 3

In my opinion, the MCPD certification is excellent for getting a broad familiarity with the .NET framework as a whole, but not so much for specializing in a specific field.

Learning from my own experience, as a VB6 developer who learned .NET on the job, the certification helped me get the formal introduction to the framework that I was missing. It also introduced me to aspects of the framework I never encountered at work.

For my certification, I took both the classroom training and read the recommended books. I highly recommend taking the sample exams offered by third party providers such as TestKing and Transcender, their exams are closer to the real thing than Microsoft's samples.

Finally, I'd recommend waiting for the new .NET 3.5 certification exams to come out (including the courseware, sample exams and books) before signing up for the MCPD. Sometimes Microsoft will offer the exam before the materials are out, which makes it hard to study for it.

It's been almost a year since I completed my MCPD: Enterprise Applications Developer and I'm seriously considering upgrading to the new .NET 3.5 certification.

Answer 4

The certification itself is not that useful, but it depends on the country. I remember a time (around the New Economy Bubble) where the German Employment Agency was pushing people to make MCSE, which is why the reputation of them is not really good. IMHO, certifications only show how well people can memorize stuff, not how good they actually are. I've seen people certified at Windows 2000 only to struggle severely on Windows 2003 because they memorized where stuff is in Win2000 without actually understanding the concepts behind it.

On the other hand, the learning material is quite good if you are willing to actually learn it, and the certification looks nice on the wall. Also, there are indeed companies who require certification, regardless how little sense it makes. A proper MCPD Training course can only benefit you as well.

If you have a company paying for the certifications, by all means: GO FOR IT. But if you have to pay it yourself, I would think twice whether or not it's worth the money.

Answer 5

I've never done a Microsoft certification, so I can't comment on its format, but I really believe in certifications where they assess you on actual work done, i.e., has an assignment component, not just a test. I think it's a great way to show you can do and aren't just a know it all (so to speak). :-P

Answer 6

It never hurts to obtain a MS certificate. I usually recommend it to my Junior developers who have little actual experience. It can only make your resume look better and since they have less experience anything that makes their resume stand out a little more from the pack is good.

For senior developers with more actual experience, experience trumps certifications. If I am looking to hire a senior level developer, I am looking for experience not certifications. From a business standpoint, I do need a percentage of my employees to be certified in order to maintain my company's MS Certifications.

I get the most push back from the senior developers, when I try to push MS Certifications for that reason. My company tends to offer bonuses of some sort in an attempt to get them to take the tests when we start to fall below our quota.

Answer 7

Another reason certification is important is in the training or teaching environment. I am a current MCT and to keep my status as one I need to complete all the certification tracks before I am allowed to train any of the MCPD, MCAD or MCTS courses available. This means that the trainers themselves are all certified and have completed the exams. I never considered it an option before but recently made a career change, and the value of certification has become much more important to me.

Answer 8

When I used to do IT, I obtained my MCSE in Windows Server 2003. I did this because my employer implied that I would have a better shot at a higher position (more pay). A lot of it depends on how much weight your employer or future employer puts on the certification.

I will say that Microsoft certifications continue to evolve and be better. I haven't taken any of the new round of certifications, but from what I've read and overheard, they really do expect you to know your stuff. Some of the top level certifications even require examinations give in person, by other professional.

Best way to study for the tests is to go to Microsoft's learning webpage and read up on what is covered on the exam. The site will even reference the classes you should take or the at-your-own-pace kits you should buy.

Avoid brain dumps, they won't help you in the future when you actually need to apply what you learn. There are plenty of practice tests available that test what you've learned and will explain why a certain answer is correct (or more correct) than others.

Don't put off taking a test, or you will never take it. I have friends that are still trying to get their MCSE, but won't take a test because they feel they aren't prepared enough. If you've studied for a test for 5 months and aren't prepared for it, go with another industry.

Microsoft typically offers a second-shot offer, so if you fail, you can take the test again for free. If you fail, you can take the second shot as soon as possible. If you fail a second time, you have to wait 2 weeks before you can take it again.

Hope that helps!

Answer 9

I have and have had many certifications in my life... I either got them because my employer needed it for some reason (MS Partner program), or because I was trying to get a different job that required it.

I have taken tests where I knew the material without studying, because I had been working on the product for so long. Somewhere I've taken the formal classes, and then some where I'd been working with the product for a while, but used the brain dumps to pass the test.

After having said all that here's what I think about them...

They aren't worth the trouble... Anyone who thinks you need one doesn't understand how to test you otherwise to prove your competence. That same person also doesn't understand that it would be WAY BETTER (IMHO) to have a person who can Google (or StackOverflow) the problem and come up with an answer, than who just knows the answer on their own.

If you are trying to learn how to be a developer, admin, etc and don't have the base knowledge, then taking some formal class, and using the certification tests to verify (to yourself) that you understand it might be worthwhile. Other than that, they really aren't worth the paper they are printed on.

Answer 10

No employer has ever asked me about my MCSD for .NET.

FWIW, as an employer I wouldn't think much of it, except in the case of someone just-out-of-college or someone with no relevant experience.

Answer 11

I think that everyone’s answers have been spot on. I am currently studying for my MCSD and then MCPD and I have gotten certified in WSS 3.0 and SQL Server. I did this because it helped my employer reach Gold partner status, and it’s just a challenge that I wanted to pursue. Also, I’m a mid level developer who sort of wants to move up.

So my short stump speech is that there are people who are heavily certed who I would not trust to whip my dogs butt. And there are people with no certs who are probably some of the best developers that I will ever know. I do think that it is worth it, because through studying, I have been forced to understand things that I would just dismiss if I wasn’t studying for a cert. It forces me to get a breadth of knowledge on a subject, even if I will forget 80% of the little nuanced things that can easily be looked up on MSDN.

Also, it never hurts a resume. It might get you past certain HR types that would dismiss your resume otherwise. (Yes, you probably don’t want to work at such a company anyway, but it’s just an example.) Also, as noted before, certain companies need a certain amount of certified people to keep their partner status. In addition, consulting companies love them because it gives them credibility. We as developers know that they don’t mean much on their own, but not our non technical clients. It’s like the old saying goes, “No one gets fired for using IBM.” If a company has to choose between a heavily certed consulting company and one with little to no certifications, then they will choose the former almost every time.

Answer 12

I just finished my first MCTS certification (Distributed application development). I think that a major problem with the MS developer certifications is that they focus too much on syntax. To pass an exam you have to memorize method and class names, configuration file structure etc. That knowledge is not very valuable since it is very easy to look it up when you need it. Besides, you will certainly forget most of it after you have passed the test. Therefore a MS certification shows that you are able to memorize a lot of technical details, not that you have a deep understanding of the topic.

Answer 13

I don't think it is very important for an employer.

But I have earned MCPD and I don't regret. I've learned a lot during the preparations.

The certificate itself and the title is just some kind of a motivational thing, like badges on StackOverflow ;-)

Answer 14

I've always learned at least one new thing from each cert I've studied for, so in that sense, it has been worth it. It has also got me promoted ahead of schedule, so that was nice. But I would never, ever, EVER pay out of pocket for these exams. If the certs are valuable to my employer, they can pay for books/classes/exam costs.

Answer 15

The best line I've ever heard in regard to certifications goes something like this:

Certifications are like credit cards. One or two is okay, but any more than that is an indicator of a problem.

That said, as others have stated, certifications hold a real value if you're working at or with a Microsoft certified partner. If you don't have a lot of job-related experience, certifications can also help you get your foot in the door.

Answer 16

Gabriel - I couldn't disagree more with that statement. Firstly, although this wasn't the main point you were making, one or two credit cards is far from okay. Secondly, are you seriously saying that a CV showing more than two qualifications should be looked at suspiciously by a potential employer?

Answer 17

I purposely don't have one as an easy way to filter out employers. If a potential employer were to ask me about any one of those silly certifications, I'd politely ask to be shown the door.

Answer 18

Is it worth it to whom to get MS certified?

is it worth it to me? no, it isn't. My "certification" is decades of experience and lots of happy customers. I see no point in paying someone to take a test on technologies that change every couple of years anyway. The certificate certifies that you paid for and passed a vendor-developed test. As a potential employer - or team member - I'd be much more impressed with a positive testimonial from your last client ;-)

is it worth it to you? how the heck would I know? do you have any relevant experience? if not, then by all means get certified, it can't hurt. If you have relevant experience, that is more impressive - and way more substantial - than any certification could ever be.

Answer 19

I've been programming for 8 years now, and I have 0 certifications. I promote my own company and I guess I don't need certifications to get a job or to pass an interview.

I've also never hired anyone based on a certification. I've always looked at the code they've written, the projects they've made, and how seriously they've tried to pursue programming.

I don't think certifications can make anyone a better programmer, and I don't think programming is about memorizing facts. There's a lot of reference available on the net for that.

Programming is about strong logic and good decision making, and no certifications can showcase those skills.

Answer 20

I was once interviewed for a Microsoft position in Redmond, Washington. (I live in CA) No interviewer asked me about anything starting with MC. And, they don't even ask brain-teaser questions anymore, they said, when I specifically asked about if there was going to be one. Meaning "How do you move Mount Fuji?"-type questions are dead. So the conclusion is getting an MCXX won't help you get a Microsoft job.

Answer 21

I did some certification work towards an MCPD. It helped me as I was jumping platforms so to speak, I gained a lot of practical knowledge about ASP.NET development. That said, I think taking more of the tests to cover different technologies that I did not plan to use would have been a waste of my time. After leaving that employer for greener fields I stopped doing certification. Certification was not my motivator for leaving. However, to continue certification it certainly would have been a waste of my time, learning Winforms when I should have been learning WPF.

I would only do certification if it was employer-funded and required. Even then, its the experience working for that company which is really building my skillset and resume, not the certification. If you're on your own, I think its better to watch the job listings for skills required and then study those materials on your own, doing pet projects.

Answer 22

As one who is MS Certified and who has hired in the past, I look at it as a small plus. I'm fully aware that someone could have just read a book or taken an online quiz on the exam to learn what it takes to pass it. However when I see it in combination with a real degree (say a Bachelors in Comp. Sci. or IS) or some good, verifiable work experience I know this person is a programmer at least and not a book memorizer. So then the cert indicates to me that this programmer is relatively current on stuff.

Bottom line, it's a good supplement, but it better not be the only thing on the resume.

Answer 23

It's okay if you don't have much experience, or you're trying to get a job where you haven't got any. For example, my 2nd job required WinForms skills but I only had ASP.NET experience, so I got an MCP in Desktop C#, and that went through ok.

When you're well into your career, these certificates are useful e.g., to show that you got into some new thing faster than other people. For example, having a WPF certificate as soon as it comes out shows that you're an early adopter. Apart from that, there aren't that many benefits.

Answer 24

Experience should always be preferred over certifications. I believe there is no harm in giving certifications as you will learn something new for sure (as was in my case).

Also for employers who consider them necessary you will not let a good opportunity missed.

For experienced people, they can try scoring more to prove their expertise than just getting something above the passing mark.

Answer 25

Say you want a person to write a WPF applications and you can’t find someone with real life experience in WPF, witch of these two would you choose. (All other things being equal, e.g. they have all been using C# for years etc)

• John says he has read a book on WPF but has no real life experience
• James says he has read a book on WPF, passed the Microsoft exam, but has no real life experience.

I think if you only had time to interview one person it would be James.

• But what if Peter comes along and says he has read a WPF, has no real life experience but has helped to an open source WPF project. Hence has not no time to take the exam?

Now it gets a bit harder...

It is clearly better to be James or Peter then it is to be John.

Once you get to the interview, it’s how well you can express what you know that counts, not if you have been certified. (Answering questions on StackOverflow may be good interview practise.) However you must get the interview first and that is not easy in this market.

After saying all that, in the long term it is how well you do your job that effects how happy you are at work and what long term rewards are.

I have found in the past that studying for Microsoft Exams, is a effective way to get a wide breath of understanding of what Microsoft thinks is important about a given piece of technology.

If you start with the aim to learn and understand the technology well that the exam covers, you will again a lot more then just passing the exam....

However if you just aim to pass the exam with the least possible effort, then you will only pass the exam… Now that is a complete waste of time and money!

see also "Is the MeasureUp practice test easier or harder than the actual test?"

Answer 26

Not worth the time and money. Just get the work experience. Take junior positions if you have to, you should be "there" in a few years if you're trying.

I've been in the software industry for three years. My pay has gone from $20K to $80K in nothing flat, and I've met every life goal I've ever set. I'm only 28 and have never been to college nor gotten any certs. Now that I have the experience, I see no point.

Answer 27

I'm starting off with an MCTS because I feel that I have learnt a great deal aboout the .NET framework through doing it. I have about a year's experience in the industry.

I do it in my spare time, and was not encouraged to do it by my boss. I've discussed it with him, and he says that I'm not going to get a pay rise or any official recognition when I do get certified. But we both agree that if it helps me to become a 'better programmer' then I will get recognition for that.

I don't feel like I need it to do my job, not at all. I do feel that I'm gaining a lot from learning more though, and there have been occasions where I know something that others don't, like all the regular expression syntax, and some things about serialisation. Surely that can't be a bad thing?

I guess the question to ask yourself is whether you actually enjoy programming. I like reading up about regular expressions and stuff, if you don't then it will probably be more of a chore for you and you won't get much benefit.