Thinking about MCDST

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OK i passed my N+ and A+ and am now thinking what to do next...

Im considering the MCDST as the first step on the MCP, Seems to be easiest way to get the MCp as im using xp all the time and have supported it for people since its release...

However.. is it really worth having? most jobs ask for MSCA/MSCE as thier tailored for networking.. what good is the MCDST unless i get a job in a helpdesk and even then jobs in this field still seem t ask for N+, A+ or MSCA not MCDST.

Plus as i use XP all the time an know it quite well, woul i find the exam hard or easy? im looking for a easy introduction to MS exams so is this the one?

And as i can get the MS trainig books 2nd hand for a £10 each tho they are the old ones pre SP2 what are the differences to the new ones? is it great or could i pick it up seperate without needing the newer versions?

 

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twizzle im not a big fan of the mcdst so my post might sound a little against it. you right about not many people wanting it as a cert for the job (like a+ and n+) but it could be worth you getting if you wanting to continue with mcse evetually as you can use it as electives (im considering it but still not convinced).

What i would do is 70-270 - the MCP for Windows XP on the MCSA/MCSE track, then take it from there to get the MCSDT if you enjoyed the course material.

 

I would say most definately that yes the MCDST is worth having. Why? Because I feel that out of all the cert exams that I have done it is the one with the skills in it that I apply most often.

I was already MCSA and had a few other MCP's under my belt when this one came on the scene and saw it and thought to myself, "I do that every day!" so I went for it. It is the only cert that I have that I actually feel confident enough to say "I know that", because it is skills that are applied everyday in my role at work.

I wouldn't be to worried about what the job ad's say about wanting MCSA, etc. A lot of organisations will simply see 'Microsoft Certified' on your CV. A lot of employers don't know the difference between the certs. Unless it is an IT company that you are going for work at of course.

As for the exams themselves, well if you use XP all of the time then you should be ok with a few weeks study.

 

I agree that most employers would just see the Microsoft Certified status. It seems like a good place for you to start twizzle since you're already confident with XP so this should hopefully be a painless first Microsoft cert for you.

I've just started studying for this (70-271) and so far am finding it easy enough to get to grips with.

~Duckie

 

I would say it's definitely worth having and is an easy way to get on the MCP ladder if you already have experience with XP. Both exams also have content in common so in reality you get 2 MCPs for the price of revising for 1.5 (if you get my drift?).

I just passed the 70-272 using the first edition of the MS Press book. It does have a section on the back about SP2 and the exam did throw around 7-8 SP2 based questions at me (all of which I got right), but as long as you've been using it, it shouldn't pose too much of a problem.

I'm planning on following up the 70-271 with the 70-270 shortly after, which again, have content in common (obviously, as they're both about XP), so with any luck by June I will have three MCPs under my belt with minimal amount of work Further more, if you're an MCDST you don't have to choose an elective exam for the MCSA.

 

Isnt the 70-272 more about XP and Office intergration than just XP tho? I think id be ok for the 70-271 as i know more about setting up XP and it utilities etc.... but i dont know much about Office and its utiles......

 

Not really, no.

Its (from memory) about configuring things like Internet Explorer and Outlook Express. The applications that actually come with XP. There were, I seem to recall, a few basic Office questions on there, but nothing very complex. I think that the questions were more along the lines of what Office Program would you use to import a CSV?

It has been over two years since I sat the exams though, but I don't think that things will have changed that much. Why not get hold of the objectives and see how you feel.

 

I'd say that just under half of it is actually Office specific, and even then it's about troubleshooting the applications rather than the functionality. The rest of it covers subjects such as OE, IE (as Simon already mentioned), permissions and networking. The latter two subjects mentioned there are identical to what you'll find in the 70-271, so once you've got one of the exams under your belt the workload for the next one drops.

 

I must admit when I was thinking about doing some certifications I chose to have a look into the MCDST.

Personally I thought “This will be easy and I will have it done in a month”

As I found this is not the case! Even though I use XP everyday of my life, the depth into what can be done compared to what I actually use is a big gap. So my view is it is worth while doing this exam. Plus, as has been said before, these can be put towards your MCSA/MCSE instead of the elective exam.

I have just purchased the Exam Cram 2 books for the 70-271 and 70-272 (£25.00 for both from Amazon) and I intend to try and get through them in the near future.