Value of these certs
I just wanted to make a clarifying comment in regards to the particular certification program that was cancelled. Please don't confuse the MCM, etc. with general purpose Microsoft certs such as MCSE and MCITP.
The one was highly valuable and genuine to those that took it and the customers that cared (generally very large enterprises).
I took the training in 2006 at a cost of $50,000 to the company. It was $25,000 in tuition to attend the 6 week course in Redmond and the rest was the cost was allocated to my time to be there plus expenses. I was one of the top Exchange consultant for one of the world's largest tech firms....I really thought I knew my stuff going in having designed systems for hundreds of thousands of users. I was immediately humbled. Everyone in that class was an expert. They all seemed to know far more than I did. The content went right to the heart of the software...For example, we not only learned the nature of the B+ tree in the enormous Exchange database scheme, the caching mechanisms, etc...but we also spoke extensively with the product team to understand the rationale behind their design choices, the impacts of various external factors to performance & reliability, etc.
When I was done, I had a whole new understanding of the product and also came away with knowing key people inside of MS on a first name basis. So...for my particular job - it was well worth it.
Regarding the exams...this program had both written and lab based examinations. The final 'qual-lab' is an all day affair. Most candidates do not pass on their first attempt.
David
Biting the hand that feeds IT
