Strate SQL

Part of being in the technology industry requires a constant dedication to learning.  The world is a constantly changing place and the things you know today aren’t going to be cutting edge tomorrow.  Those that stay in place and don’t change with the times can sometimes appear to be zombies.  Just drooling along from one project to the next.

If you aren’t feeling the love of being a zombie, there is a great way to break out of this cycle.  That way is through learning.  But how do you know when or how much you’ve learned.  Well if you were a zombie, you’d count the brains you’d eaten.  But since you aren’t, you should get that infection looked at, certifications and exams are a good way to benchmark where you are in the learning curve.

Alas, though, taking those certifications and exams cost time and money.  Well, right now there is a way to remove the cost factor.

Free Brains

Gerry O’Brien announced last week on the Microsoft Certification blog that the Visual Studio 2010 Beta exams have been opened up. From April 4 through April 30 you can register to take any or all of the exams for Visual Studio 2010.  This is a great thing about going out and taking the exams now is that they are free.

The following exams are in beta and available to take for free:

• Exam 71-511, TS: Windows Applications Development with Microsoft .NET Framework 4
• Exam 71-515, TS: Web Applications Development with Microsoft .NET Framework 4
• Exam 71-513: TS: Windows Communication Foundation Development with Microsoft .NET Framework 4
• Exam 71-516: TS: Accessing Data with Microsoft .NET Framework 4
• Exam 71-518: Pro: Designing and Developing Windows Applications Using Microsoft .NET Framework 4
• Exam 71-519: Pro: Designing and Developing Web Applications Using Microsoft .NET Framework 4

I’d encourage everyone that can find the time to pop in and take an exam or six.  With the low cost remember I said free these are worth the attempt.  You may not pass, but you will get a chance to see the exam.  If you’ve never taken a Microsoft exam before, it’s a good way to see how they are and drop some of the fear of the unknown.  And who knows, maybe you’ll pass out of the gate.  You’ll never know unless you try and taking the beta exams is a great opportunity to comment and influence how the exam will look when it goes live.

These Count

Thought I should mention that the beta exams are as valid as the final exams.  So this is counts towards TS and Pro certifications.  Think of it, a little time and the opportunity to get a free certification.

I’ve blogged about certifications a number of times in the past.  One of the certifications that I really want to obtain in the future is the Microsoft Certified Master (MCM) for SQL Server 2008.  This is a great certification that really dives in deep and requires classroom training and labs as part of the certification process.  That classroom training and the labs equates to one great thing and that is knowledge.

Since I haven’t managed to convince anyone to send me to the MCM training yet, I was pleased today to find a list of pre-reading material for the MCM program.  It’s a 4-pages of reading goodness that I encourage everyone else to read.  I really think that this is a gem of a find and with this being so close to the New Year, I think I may have found my first resolution for next year.

Somehow I managed to get through college without ever joining a study group.  None… ever.  I don’t even know how one would put one together properly.  Well, I do know from watching movies that someone is always responsible for bringing brownies or some other treat to share.  But I don’t think that’s the main goal.

My main understanding is that you get a bunch of people together that are motivated toward a common goal and because of the diversity of the group you have immediate resources on hand to answer or bounce questions off of.

So this leaves me with some questions:

1. Does anyone have any experience with putting together study groups for working towards certifications?
2. If so, what are some must-dos and gotchas that are important for success?
3. Would anyone in the Twin Cities metro area be interested in joining a study group?

I like discounts.  Paying full price when I don’t have to sucks.  It’s a waste of resources, and as a person who’s had to tune databases in the past I’ve grown quite fond of resource management.  And the best resource ever to manage is dollars.  Because you can buy stuff.

What About 2nd Chance?

I was a big fan of the 2nd Chance Exam offer that Microsoft used to have.  This offer allowed you to take the exam with an insurance policy that if you failed the first time, it was free to re-take once.  For every exam I took over the past two years, I used that offer.  That is, until it was allowed to expire.  Sad face.

The New Offer

Microsoft is offering a new discount on exams from 15% to 25% off the exam price.  These exam discounts are available for both SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2008.  The offer is available until the December 31, so it is a limited time offer.  Of course, this doesn’t include any guarantee that you’ll pass the exam but you can’t have a chance to pass them if you don’t give it a try.

Get Your Discount

Now that we have a new discount, we should take advantage of it.  Just think, if you take a few exams and save enough bucks and I bet you could justify going out to eat at Fogo.  Bring on the meat!

Jobs aren’t a dime a  dozen like they used to be during the dot-com bubble.  These days the unemployment rate is heading to territory that hasn’t been seen in decades.  With some states seeming unemployment rates as high as 15%.  It becomes more important with every interview to differentiate yourself from the pack.

Differentiate Yourself

To help people differentiate themselves from others, Microsoft is introduced a program called Thrive.  This program is designed to help you align your career and goals with your skills and passions.

Part of the focus of the Thrive program is on certifications.  I’ve discussed why I think certifications are important in other posts,  so I won’t go into that here.  But the program also focuses on the soft skills that sometimes more important that the technical skills that you have.

Have you ever wondered-

• Do I sell my strong skills?  Or over sell my weak skills?
• Am I too focused on a specific technology?  Or not focused enough?
• Do I know where I want to be next year?  In 5 years?  In 10 years?
• Am I choosing my career or letting someone else hand it to me?
• Do I know the right people in my career?

All of these questions are important and if you don’t know who you are in your career, you can’t expect recruiters and the person across the table from you in your next interview to know who you are either.

Get An Education

To aid in the all of this, Microsoft is currently hosting three webcasts (one of which already occurred but is available in their online library) that can help provide some great information and direction on building your career.

• Thrive Live! (Part 1 of 3) Create a Personal Marketing Plan for Career Success
• Thrive Live! (Part 2 of 3) Be Lucky! How to Discover Your Next Job
• Thrive Live! (Part 3 of 3) From Dressing to Dollars: Gain Interview and Negotiating Power

These webcasts will help you to develop a personal brand around your career.

But I Have A Job

A good argument against checking out the resources at Thrive is that you may already have a job.  On the other hand nearly 10% of the country is currently unemployed and I bet a lot of them thought that as well.  Becoming a statistic in the unemployment line is probably too late to start thinking about making sure you are a critical resource and in charge of your career.

Maybe you are completely safe in your career and there isn’t any reason at all to worry about losing your job and having to work with recruiters.  Then none of this is for you, right?  Dead wrong.

Everyday is an opportunity to sell yourself to your employer and at least once every year you will have some sort of meeting where you re-interview for your position.  What?!  You don’t do this?  Or do you?!

Every year you will get a chance to re-interview for your job.  Most people call this an annual review.  In this meeting, you talk about what you offer, what the company offers, and if things go well there is some discussion on compensation.  And to me this is an interview.  It’s just one where the chance of having the job is exceptionally high.

So I’ve come across a little doom and gloom here, so I’ll wrap up with one last reason to check out Thrive.

There is Free Stuff!

Not only can you improve your position in the market but there are also some offers for free stuff on the Thrive site.

Enter to win a Microsoft training course worth $2,995(US)

Global Knowledge is a proud sponsor of the free training course giveaway on Microsoft’s Thrive website. At the end of each month, we’ll pick one lucky winner and giveaway one Microsoft Classroom or Virtual course valued at up to $2,995! That’s right, the winner will get to choose the Microsoft course of their choice and get training FOR FREE!

And who doesn’t love free stuff.  Yes, I managed to place a bing search in this.

I was reading the high-availability blog on MSDN today and found a post with some free training mentioned within it.  Here are the details from the blog:

Microsoft is offering some free training for Hyper-V which includes modules on HA and Failover Clustering.

Free eLearning: Exam 70-652: TS: Windows Server Virtualization, Configuring

This collection of five 2-hour courses helps you develop the skills necessary for implementing and managing Hyper-V in an IT environment, as well as, creating and managing virtual machines and hosts in a virtual environment.
Use promo code: 9350-Y2W6-3676
The courses within the collection include the following topics:

· An overview of the Hyper-V technology

· Creating a virtual environment

· Deploying systems in a virtual environment

· Configuring high availability in a virtual environment

· Administering a virtual environment with SCVMM

Details: https://www.microsoftelearning.com/eLearning/offerDetail.aspx?offerPriceId=228779

Exam Details: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exams/70-652.mspx

Free eBook: Understanding Microsoft Virtualization Solutions

This guide will teach you about the benefits of the latest virtualization technologies and how to plan, implement, and manage virtual infrastructure solutions. The technologies covered include: Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008, Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5, Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization, and Microsoft Virtual Desktop Infrastructure.

Details: http://csna01.libredigital.com/?urmvs17u33

I was reading Glenn Berry’s blog and found out about an opportunity for free Microsoft Exam vouchers.  This is a great deal that is part of Microsoft’s DreamSpark program.  Through this program, students at accredited academic institutions can take Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist exams for free.

As I mentioned the other day, there are a number of reasons to get certified.  One of these reasons that applies to students is that it helps bridge the experience gap.  Classes at school will help provide a foundation of the theoretical and a foundation to build a career upon.  Certifications provide a place to apply the information gained through school and apply towards the tools in the industry.

Until a student is able to make the move from being a student to having a career and building experience, certifications provide a leg up to help you differentiate yourself from the crowd.  That extra dedication and commitment that may make the difference on your next interview.

I’ve mentioned the 2nd Chance Certification offer that Microsoft provides in the past.  And if you’ve tuned in at the PASS MN meetings, I’ve thrown the plug out there a few times.

2nd Chance offers test takers the opportunity to take a run at an exam with the chance to take it a 2nd time for free if the first attempt isn’t successful.  It’s a great offer that I’ve used quite a few times in the past.  My co-workers reading this probably think I should can it on this offer since I am always bringing it up.  Hello, obsessive compulsive me.

On top of that, right now you can also get an E-Learning Collection with the offer for just $35 more.  That’s a90% discount off the regular price.

So there must be a catch…

The offer expires on June 30th.  As in after next month it will no longer be available.  This offer has been available for quite some time, but don’t take it for granted and miss out on it.

But who cares about certifications?

Will being certified make you an expert in the subject area of the exam?  Not at all, but it does show that you’ve got the determination to spend time studying on the subject.  It also shows that you’re minimally qualified to work with the technology that the exam covers.

Along the same lines, certifications cover a lot of features and functionality on their topics.  Most employers don’t have the opportunity to allow people to use all of those features and functionality in their environments.  When I was working on some of SQL Server 2008 exams last summer, we often talked about how cool it would be to work at an employer that used all of the features of SQL Server 2008 in a single environment.

But unfortunately that environment doesn’t exist.  Or I haven’t found it yet…

Certifications, though, give you a reason to go out and find out about all those features that you don’t currently use, because they might be on the test.  Studying for certifications is one of the greatest benefits that getting certified will offer you.

Another thing to think about with certifications is that with today’s uncertain economic conditions, a certification could be that bit that helps you get in the door for an interview.  Or maybe it’ll be the extra effort that your boss sees you putting in that keeps you in the door.

As Brent mentioned a while back on his blog, certifications are the icing on the cake.

Why go for the 2nd chance?

You’re going to study, study, study, and study.  It takes time.  Time that you could do other things, like enjoying the summer or watching the new Star Trek movie.  Seriously, is anything left as canon anymore now that the timeline is fragged.  Each day only has 24 hours in it and you need to prioritize.  The 2nd chance offer lets you do that.

Suppose you planned to spend 40 hours studying and when life got in the way you only spent 20 hours studying.  Are you ready?  Should you re-schedule?

If you’ve been working with the technology for a few years and you may not need 40 hours to study.  You might already be ready and not know it.  Don’t reschedule.  Take the exam and see how you do.

If you pass, that’s probably another 40 hours of free time that you would have tried to study and a bucket full of stress and guilt between choosing between a certification and your kids, wife, family, etc.  And if you don’t pass, you know exactly where to study versus going back and hitting all areas of the test.  Which might mean you only need to spend 10 hours studying before the next try.  Meaning more free time and less stress and guilt.  A definite win-win situation.

So, are you willing to take your 2nd chance?

Microsoft has announced that the Beta exam for 71-680: TS: Windows 7, Configuring has been opened up.  Beta exams are free to take are if you are planning to take the exam at a later date, now is as good a time as any… well a little studying first might help.

It doesn’t appear that the outline for the exam is up on Microsoft Learning yet, but you can get a lot of information from the Windows 7 – Learning Portal.

The beta exam is open through May 18th and I really recommend taking it to help vet out the exam and… well, it’s free.  Be sure to be as wordy as possible in the exam comment section the people that work on the exam put a lot of time into reading comments and adjusting the exams around those comments.

New exam coaching session on the exam 70-432; Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Implementation and Maintenance Exam.

More details: http://blogs.technet.com/mslcommunity/archive/2009/03/25/exam-coaching-for-70-432.aspx