70-290 Review

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I grew up with a lot of Vietnamese kids. The area of London where I spent my formative years had a huge influx of Vietnamese immigrants in the late seventies/early eighties. They integrated into our community very quickly and, on the whole, I found them to be very intelligent, extremely artistic and sensitive kids.

Twenty years later, most of them are still living in the same area I grew up in - I don't keep in touch with any of them (I don't keep in touch with ANYONE that I went to school with) but still see them occasionally when i go to visit me mum.

That said, I have worked with two more recent immigrants from Vietnam and they were both absolute shite - they didn't know their arses from their elbows, despite both of them being 'MCSA qualified'. I suspect that Vietnam is fast becoming 'the new Bangladesh' for braindump exports.

however, its not all doom and gloom as far as South-East Asia is concerned - there's a Cambodian guy where I'm working at the moment who really knows his stuff.

 

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Yes I am sure there are many brilliant Vietnamese people, my comment was not meant to be a racist pop at him, them or any other Asian country. It was just a reminder that the poster hails from there and his comments reflect a culture where certifications mean something different to the members here.

I am certain that if like me he grew up in Croydon, he would have a different outlook on life, it is the cultural and environmental differences which lead people to a different mind set. It is no reflection on the intelligence or perspicacity of the individual.

 

Yeps - I've actually spoken to braindumpers about why they cheated their way through exams. The stock answers from the English ones have been the usual BS: 'why should I pay Microsoft for my exams', 'I didn't want to study because I know it already but just needed the certification' blah blah blah. This indicates an obvious knowledge of the fact that what they're doing is wrong.

The guys from the subcontinent, however, genuinely don't seem to believe there is anything wrong with braindumping. They are under the impression that getting the MCSE is 'the first step' towards a career in IT - which is what is so frustrating about it all - and is the main reason that the MCSE is so bloody worthless nowadays!

I don't know what its like in Oz pete, but over here now I regularly see FIRST LINE jobs advertised as 'MCSE preferred' and second line jobs as 'MCSE required'. Its insane - what should be the industry gold standard is now so easy to achieve via cheating that it means next to nothing to most employers.

Next week I've got to interview some candidates for a first/second line role (basically my gopher for the next six months) and every single CV from the agency we use - every single one mind - is under 25 and educated in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh. All of them have MCSEs. I'm going to give them my standard test (18 questions, ranging from ridiculously easy to low-medium difficulty) and I don't expect ANY of them to score more than 50%

 

That is sad and it's annoying to say the least. I really thought attaining an MCSE would make people realise that I know some stuff but as you say, it doesn't mean much to anybody apart from myself. Things are not improving over time either, if anything the general perception is getting worse.

I left the electronics industry for the same reason. People coming into the UK from Asia with qualifications galore and prepared to work for peanuts. Were they any good? Hell no, they were crap but that didn't stop people employing them or the level of wages for certain job roles to plummet. Hence after 5 years at college learning my trade I left that sector for more money and re-trained as a copier tech.

I suppose the moral of the story is that you have to go with the flow, be prepared to change and adapt to whatever the market demands. Be prepared to have to switch professions in order to succeed and survive.

Hopefully the new MS certs will re-vitalise peoples confidence but to be honest, I doubt it. Thinking of bolting horses and un-bolted barn doors

 

I passed my 70-270 today and will be heading towards 70-290 now. These bits of information will help me no end and save me money when purchasing study materials.

Thanks

 

...as long as you dont purchase TKs like DK over there, then its all good!

 

ah no more BD or TK's just can we quietly go cause its a 290 review not a BD review!

 

I agree on that part where it does put things in different perspective, but being an adult means having a head on your shoulders and if you are passing exams with braindumps you know that it is wrong no matter where you live, and you know that to be good requires a lot of effort. People turn to braindumps and try to become on of those "get rich quick" skims and fail because they don't possess the right skills, and start saying things like IT is boring, you cant get anywhere, etc. I think that no matter what career you chose and work hard at, no matter what the circumstances are you will always succeed, might not be right away but it will happen.

 

Nice one Zimbo! That AD book should come in handy, already got the MS Exam 290 one.

Looking on Amazon you can buy Mastering Active Directory for as little as £8.46, or for as much as £226.96!!! WTF! Is it Gold leafed or something??

 

Ebay search if you looking for the 1st edition book i used

click here for the new 2nd edition book...

 

Quick update, just did my 290 exam yesterday and Passed however Microsoft no longer test on SUS anymore.
the official 70-290 book has SUS inside it, a whole chapter, however the actual exam is now testing on WSUS.

So if your in the process of studying for it, get some info on SUS in you head then take a look at WSUS.

 

Thanks and Congrats on the pass mate

 

Thanks for the info!

 

Aaaaand the 'Lazarus' award in honour of the oldest thread resurrected this year goes to...

 

HAH!

Well it's now time to look at the 290, I couldn't wait until the new year!!

 

Nice review Zimbo, thanks!

Updated links to the know your functional levels article HERE and HERE

Mercury

 

can anybody else confirm this is the case?

 

Yes I can, took mine recently and it seems Microsoft have updated the exam completely, where as the Microsoft Press material has not been refreshed

 

I've been studying for the 290 for the last 3 months, and am due to take the exam on the 13th of July.
I've just used the MS Press book to study for it, would you recomment be getting one of the other books to study from? as i still have 2 weeks before my exam?

also, what is the pass mark for the exam? is it 700 or 800?

thanks