MCSD....Possible in 11 months?

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Hi all,

As I'm sure most of you know, Microsoft is killing off the MCAD/MCSD in March 2009.

I'd like to hear your opinions on if you think it's possible to pass the MCSD in 11 months.

(I know I should go for the newer courses, but please ignore that as it's a long story!)

 

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This will depend on your experience, knowledge and ability.

If you know most of it then I would say that it was doable. If you haven't done any programming yet than I'd say that you would struggle!

Harry.

 

What he said.

 

Yep...

So if you have experience, review the exam topics to see if you'll be able to pick up the materials you don't know fast enough.

 

Thanks all, I suppose it was a bit of stupid question!

I'm thinking the MCAD might be possible in this timeframe.

?

 

Why?
You still haven't given any reason. Do you already have experience with the topics in the MCAD? I'm not saying you can't do it, just wondering what makes it achievable in 11-months.

 

The answer is entirely dependant on factors which currently only you know...

Do you work full time ?
Do you have a wife and kids ?
How much time can you deadicate to study ?
What level of prior experience do you have in related topics ?
How fast can you learn new concepts ?

I'd go for MCAD first and see how long that takes you then you will have a better idea, you should learn the fundamentals of the language and framework before even considering the certs.

Is it possible to pass in 11 months, almost certainly yes for some people, is it possible for YOU to pass in 11 months, I dont know...

 

Hi Atari

I too have a long story which meant I needed to look at MCSD. Maybe our stories are similar - does Skippy mean anything to you?

Anyway, I decided to do ahead with the MCSD route, knowing its old technology but a means to an end. I have a good grasp of .NET and C# going back about 5 years but haven't applied it in my day-to-day job throughout this time.

I started studying on 17th February this year and managed to achieve MCAD (exams 315, 316 & 320) on Monday this week. I have worked hard at it though and spent over 200 hours on reading (and more reading) and practice tests already; setting myself very aggresive targets to take each exam. The support of my partner has been key in giving it so much time.

I have just started looking at what is considered the hardest one, 70-300, which I give myself six weeks to achieve. Then I will do 70-431, which is the SQL Server 2005 exam which should be a fair bit easier as I work entensively with Databases on my current contract.

I don't see it as lost time though, as I plan to progress through MCPD 2005 and MCPD 2008; but this will be to ensure I have the best possibly opportunities of employment when we emigrate.

What I would say is that you need a basic understanding of .NET and either VB or C# before considering this route - especially with only 10 months before retirement of the exams.

 

Yep, skippy does indeed mean something to me! It sounds as though our stories are very similar indeed except I don't have the 5 years of experience!

 

I wonder how many more people out there are following this path to paradise?

I've been biding my time for about 3 years now in preparation for emigrating, but it was only earlier this year when I thought I had a good shout to be told by my migration agent that I would still have to wait until October before I had enough recongnised experience - he was quoiting 8 years to me.

I decided at that point that I would be proactive and get MCSD behind me to gurantee that ACS would recognise my skills. ACS can be very picky about the skills apparantly.

If you are serious about itemigrating, and need some pointers, I can recommend a migration agent who specialises in IT. He will look over you case and tell you what is needed - he does ask for a small fee of $50 in exchange.