Learning it All: Microsoft Certifications
It is getting close to 23 years since I first passed a Microsoft Certified Professional exam. And I can still remember how intimidated I was taking that first exam, not sure if I had reviewed enough material, still trying things out on my workstation before heading to the test center, to see if I can validate some of the steps in my mammoth study guides (back when I preferred having the actual books).
And here I am, 47+ exams later, still trying to figure out how I can make time to learn it all when there is just so much out there! While most of my work these days is focused on the cloud, there were a lot of concepts from the on-prem world that still remained relevant as I learned their cloud counterparts, esp. from an infrastructure perspective. Once I worked my way up to the top of the stack on-prem, that's where I focused online for newer certs, until I could work my way back down.
In other words, my path on-prem looked like: (1) MCSE in 1998 to (2) MCDBA in 1999 to (3) MCSD in 2001 to (4) MCTS/MCITP for SQL Server in 2007/2008 to (5) Dynamics Specialist in 2011. As my work has been split between Dynamics 365 and Power Platform more recently, that has given me the opportunity to focus on updating my certs from the top down: (1) MCSA/MCSE for Dynamics 365 & Business Applications in 2017 to (2) Dynamics 365 + Power Platform Solution Architect in 2020, to (3) Azure + (4) Power Platform Developer, (5) DevOps Engineer and (6) Data Analyst with Power BI in 2021. Along the way, I wanted to cover at least the fundamentals in the other solution areas I did not have more advanced certs in, like Microsoft 365 and Security, Compliance, and Identity.
I've highlighted my progress so far on the July 2021 Cert Poster below, and as you can see, even though I've covered a lot of ground, there's still more out there to learn!
You can download the latest certification poster via aka.ms/TrainCertPoster along with decks for each of the solution areas at aka.ms/TrainCertDeck.
Fortunately, there are a lot of training and readiness resources available through the Microsoft Learn platform, including role-based content and learning paths that can get you started on your next certification journey at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/
Just choose your role, product(s), and skill level to get recommended content right away. Or if you know which certification you want to get, just look for the recommended training available at the bottom of the certification or exam info page. Sample below from Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Solution Architect Expert - Learn | Microsoft Docs
Not only do I still see the value of certification after all these years, but our customers and partners do, too! You can learn more from this recent study at Value of IT Certification // Pearson VUE, but it helps validate what I've seen working with customers and partners over the years: certified professionals have more confidence, job satisfaction and opportunities.
Also keep in mind, for Microsoft Partners, cloud competencies and advanced specializations usually require multiple certified professionals on staff familiar with the selected area of specialization. See Competency partners (microsoft.com) and Advanced Specialization (microsoft.com) for more information. Sample below shows how certifications contribute to Silver and Gold Cloud Business Applications competency. Learn more at Cloud Business Applications Competency (microsoft.com)
And this is where I like to refer back to some of the ADKAR concepts I've written about before - going through the training to learn it all is really just the prerequisite to being able to apply that knowledge in a meaningful way wherever you are working. If you don't make time to do the latter - and do it well - you won't really get the full benefit of all that training now will you?
Looking forward to seeing more new certification badges in my LinkedIn network soon!
#ProudToBeCertified #MicrosoftCertified #LearningItAll #MSFTAdvocate
Reference
- Microsoft Certification Overview: Microsoft Certifications | Microsoft Docs
- Microsoft Certification Poster: aka.ms/TrainCertPoster
- Microsoft Certification Deck: aka.ms/TrainCertDeck
- Microsoft Learn: microsoft.com/learn on LinkedIn: Microsoft Learn: Overview | LinkedIn
- Microsoft Partner Network: Competency partners (microsoft.com), Cloud Business Applications Competency (microsoft.com) and Advanced Specialization (microsoft.com)
- Pearson VUE, Value of IT Certification: Value of IT Certification // Pearson VUE
- ADKAR: Knowledge v Ability: Managing Change: Knowledge v. Ability | LinkedIn