How much was MCSE worth to you?

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For those of you that have a high end cert i ask this question, not in terms of how much you earn, and understanding that different certs in different areas are worth more or less depending on the expectations of employers. Especially as someone looking to spend a great deal of time working towards an MCSE and MCITP.

1) How much would you say that such a qualification as your MCSE made to your salary?
2) Did you stay with the same employer or move on to obtain a pay rise?
3) Would you say that this has been a continuing benefit to you? (are you moving up the ladder faster because of it?) (did you really get a £20K pay rise, i think not?)

Just to note that i have several years experience in IT and am only really interested in responses from people that have had a good bit of prior experience, not MCSE with 6 months of experience as its not really that relevant.

 

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Directly , zero. But it likely helped me get jobs that were otherwise unavailable to me. Thus, it likely made a HUGE indirect contribution to my salary.

Typically, I moved on. But that's normal in IT... rarely do you stay in one company your entire IT career. A company that largely employs entry-level techs won't be able to offer you anything in the realms of server administration or network administration, can they?

Absolutely. But no, not to the tune of a pay rise. They've certainly made me a more knowledgeable tech, and they've helped me gain employment.

 

Wearing my Microsoft MCSE polo shirt gives me a little buzz and maybe helps inspire a little more confidence in me from my customers. in truth it hasn't helped me earn more money, as i am now working for myself and actually earning less than i used to. But, i'm glad i did it and have no regrets at all. The knowledge was the most useful and rewarding thing by far.

 

In truth, probably not that much. I never did plain old sys admin work - I've been a DBA, Network Admin and Security Admin and, whilst all those roles have also had a healthy element of Sys Admin work involved in them I don't think the MCSE itself made that much difference to my salary. Maybe about 5-10% if I'm honest.

This doesn't really apply to me - I've only ever had two IT jobs that were for more than 18 months - and neither of those was for more than 2 and a half years. I move around not to get extra money (I've always been happy with my salary level) but because I have either 'gone stale' in a role, or because it no longer challenges/inspires me. That said, I've never moved anywhere for less money - but I think that's more as a result of gaining the requisite experience along the way and impressing at interviews than because of any certification I've attained.

Again, this would probably be a 'no' for me. I know this will come as a disappointment to anyone starting out in IT, but by far the most important aspect of anyone's CV is the column marked 'experience'. Having sat on the other side of the table plenty of times I can smell bull**** a mile off on a CV - so no amount of glossing over the cracks on a CV will persuade me to even bother interviewing an MCSE with little or no real world experience. I don't think I'll bother with any more MS certs. I've had my MCSE for nearly eight years now, its expired and I won't bother renweing it. I'll just study for certs that interest me in the future.

 

Unlike the MCTS or MCITP, the MCSE doesn't expire... once you're an MCSE, you're an MCSE for life.

 

Thanks all of you.

Just to let you know, i was hoping for these sorts of responses, i am an IT Admin, when i say admin, i can tell you that i demoted 3 DCs and uninstalled an exchange box this week (the IT manager was promoted last year and wont be replaced). i have several years experience in "admin" through a couple of jobs. I guess you would say i "manage" a multi site pan European domain for a medium sized business. I pretty much decide on the hardware / storage / software / backup /power and spend pretty much all the IT budget give or take a few £k. (basically i always step up to a task or anything new). Now i am looking to put something more than a long list of things i can do on my CV, so i am looking to get certified (lol). (ive actually had an IT Manager tell me he didn’t believe all the stuff i had on my CV a number of years back, only to pick up on my former web development days and say prove it (needless to say i did but it was still quite shocking) but that’s the way it should be). Ironically I’m looking more for proof of capability than $$$$$, i spent a number of years in Africa doing IT / Satellite comms and wish to join a large development org doing IT, only i wish to move to management in the next 10 years and would not want to be under qualified when i go for it.

oh my present project is a 2000 to 2008 domain migration, exchange 2000 to 2007, onto new hardware (inc virtulisation) so im staying put untill that is all said and done.

Respect Ken (i left a Big Blue a number of years ago not long after kicking a project manager out of my office on a Sunday afternoon, after he told me it was his sons birthday today, when i asked him the last time he had seen his son, he said 2 weeks ago! almost everyone i worked with was divorced or heading that way, stupid stupid stupid)

 

Man i want one of those shirts!