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MCSE or MSCE?

Dan whipped up an article that got a bucketload of responses yesterday – about being a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. I remember when people asked if I was MCSE certified… to which I always responded: “No, but I’m certifiable.” He’s collecting feedback on the post for a followup entry. We’re actually going to be porting Technobabble from MT to WP very soon.

Are you MCSE certified? Thinking about getting certified or in the process? Want to share your MCSE certification stories? We’re considering a series of articles about the MCSE certification process, but it’s all based on reader input. We want to hear your war stories – real names withheld on request. Whether you’ve shouldered through a MCSE boot camp or struggled with training CDs or books, we need to hear from you.

So, you got any MCSE tips floating around?

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2 Comments

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I am an MCSE, but an ancient one (NT4).

“I was into it back before it was cool.”

Seriously, if your goal in life is to become a Windows Administrator you probably want an MCSE. Otherwise there are, in my opinion, far better areas in IT to be in — such as programming and information security.

I think being a Windows admin is fine, but to me it’s a stepping stone rather than a final destination; I guess it just depends on how much ambition you have. I’d shoot for something more advanced and vendor neutral. If you’re heading down the infosec path, by the way, you should have a gander at this:

http://dmiessler.com/writing/infoseccerts

Anyway, if you’re going to go the vendor route, get into networking and go for the CCIE. There are a million people in the world who can run a Windows GUI; don’t spend a small fortune trying to add yourself to the list.

Consider the fact that everyone knows Unix admins can do Windows administration with minimal traning, but not the other way around. I’m not trying to troll here — it’s just reality. So for me, I say no to the MCSE. I have it but don’t even put it on my CV.

-Daniel Miessler, CISSP, CISA, GSEC

What Do You Think?