Premium Certifications
Since the introduction of the MCSA certification, Microsoft has been attempting to reposition the MCSE as a premium-level of certification -- as I see it, almost as a replacement for the now-obsolete MCSE+I. The MCSE+I never really caught on, appealing mainly to folks who had already taken more exams than was necessary for the MCSE. (As I've said before, I only completed it because I needed one more exam to get an introductory bonus TechNet subscription after my original subscription expired).

Yes, the Windows 2000 MCSE exams are much harder than those in the old NT 4.0 program; however, I don't believe that the MCSE will be truly accepted as a premium-level certification until it contains a hands-on lab component. No matter how hard Microsoft makes their exams and how closely they say they map exam objectives to skills required in the real world, only when the exams can verify that the test-taker can actually do the tasks will it be really accepted as a peer of certifications like Cisco's CCIE. If Microsoft continues down its current path, the exams are going to become more and more like tests of your English reading and comprehension skills, although no doubt they will still test your Windows knowledge.

Let's move on to Novell and the temporary lowering of requirements for its Master Certified Novell Engineer (MCNE) title. I don't get Ñovell's thinking on this. By allowing CNEs to become Master CNEs with only two exams, it devalues all those who already have their MCNE. Even worse, by making all current MCNEs complete the same two exams to maintain their certification, it sends a message that their current certification has no additional value above a CNE. (In the interests of disclosure, I should say here that I received my MCNE via the upgrade path from the original ECNE certification when the MCNE was first established. But I still had to complete many more than two exams to get the title!). The only motivation I can think of is perhaps this is an ill-considered ploy to get CNEs certified on NetWare 6 without going through the controversy and pain of yet another continuing certification requirement, as was recently done with NetWare 5.x.

In my own team, I need more and more advanced Citrix staff, so I am encouraging folks who already significant exposure to Citrix MetaFrame to upgrade their CCA certification to the higher-level CCEA. I'm interested to see what ranking, if any, you gentle readers assign to it in CertCities.com's upcoming Hot Certs for 2003 article. (Editor's Note: The article will be published in early December, and reader interest will be a major factor in if and where certifications make the list).

Formal Education WITH Certifications
One of the questions I'm always asked is whether people should complete a degree or a certification. (If you're interested in this topic and haven't yet read Steve Crandall's CertCities.com article "College vs. Certification," I suggest you check it out.)

One interesting development I'm seeing in this area is universities offering undergraduate and graduate degrees that include compulsory components for vendor certifications. For example, a program called "Master of Network and System Administration" available at an Australian university consists of Win2K MCSE as half the course requirements. The other half consists of courses in general networking, security theory, ethics, etc. This seems to be a good compromise, and perhaps one day may end the idea of having to make the choice between a certification or a degree.

As someone who intends to complete a Master's degree in IT during the next few years, I guess the real test for me is whether I would consider enrolling on such a program myself. I've only just become aware of these kinds of programs, so I'm still not sure. Perhaps my biggest fear would be in future years in discussing the contents of my Masters program with others and having to explain what an MCSE was! (Not that I'm suggesting that certifications today are worthless, but I believe that as our profession matures we will likely move to implementing published bodies of knowledge and certification exams that are vendor-neutral, in the same way PMI does for project managers. Although CompTIA today would be the logical cross-industry body to do something like this, unfortunately their focus is in providing certification for entry-level staff, rather than at the practicing professional level). I'm interested to hear your take on this topic -- do part-certification, part-traditional education degrees appeal to you? How do you think they'll hold up over time?

This will be my last column for 2002. Over the next few weeks I have a few exams myself to prepare for (certification and otherwise!) and hopefully still some find time to enjoy summer here in Australia. In the meantime, have a great holiday season with your families, and I'll see you all back here in 2003.

Comments on the above topics? Questions for Greg? Post them below!