Shh! I’ve Got My MCPD…
13
October
I previously wrote about upgrading my Microsoft MCSD Certification to a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) and Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD):
I am a Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD.) Seeing as some of the folks at work are looking to get their certifications, I spent some time today reviewing possible tracks to upgrade my credential to Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) or Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD.) I was happy to discover that I am eligible to upgrade my MCSD credential with the option of one or two exams.
After further review, I opted down a different path. Rather than working towards a non-specialized MCPD: Enterprise Applications Developer on Visual Studio 2005, this month, I took the Web Developer track and became a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) by passing Exam 70-536 and 70-528 and then a Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) by passing Exam 70-547. I took the Web Developer track since it provided some level of specialization and it was basically the path of least resistance for me.
Though I am proud of my recent accomplishment, I have mixed feelings as I recognize “being certified” comes with some negative connotations.
Primarily, there’s talk about the value of the exams. Simply put, is it really possible to determine a developer’s competency/worth via their ability to pass a multiple-choice exam? After all, in a field where problems can be solved dozens and dozens of ways, it seems likely that any real-world problem can have only one correct answer. So, doesn’t that mean the exams would be limited to only the most trivial or obscure questions?
I think basic opinions have already been formed already. Some feel (due to the point above) that the certification exams are worthless and thus only an unreasonable developer would waste their time and money pursuing certification. For some, it is not too big of a stretch to think, “If you are certified, you are a developer who makes bad decisions.”
Finally, as you know, the “M” in MCTS and MCPD stands for Microsoft. Though I work with a good deal of Microsoft products and technologies, I am not Microsoft-Only. However, I think my certifications could be interpreted as such. I also think the mere mention of “Microsoft” puts a bad taste in the mouths of some…
At this point, you may be asking, “So, why did you pursue your certification then?” Three reasons:
- The company I work for is pursuing membership in the Microsoft Partner Program. To become a partner, a company needs to demonstrate competency through such things as customer references and employment of Certified Professionals. Since my company picked up the cost of the exams/study materials, allotted time to study and was very encouraging, I had to jump at the opportunity as offers like that don’t come up very often. As I see it, both the company and I won.
- I made a shift from development manager to full-time developer about a year ago. As manager, I simply was unable to keep up with the ins and outs of .NET. Over the last year, I have played a lot of catch up and I merely wanted to formally prove to myself that I am back on track. Of course, the tests focused on .NET 2.0 whereas I had been working with .NET 3* for the past 6 months, but I still feel validated.
- I’ve been sitting on a MCSD in VB/SQL since 2001. As you can imagine, the dated certification was starting to smell really bad.
Again, I am proud of my accomplishment. If I could do it all again, I would without hesitation, but we’ll just have to see if the certifications do me more harm than good in the future.
I’m happy to hear your thoughts. And if you have any questions, feel free to ping me.



