The World According to Mitch

An acquaintance sent me an e-mail yesterday in which he essentially asked: 'I am interested in becoming an IT Professional.  What certifications should I get and where should I start?'  Here is my answer to him: You are right on the mark… certifications, no matter which one, take...

An interesting post appeared in a newsgroup that I monitor today. A desktop support technician in the United Kingdom lamented a colleague who had attended a two week MCSE boot camp and indeed earned that certification. Unfortunately he later encountered a number of simple issues that he could not resolve...

It is a common misconception that information such as the number of questions on a given cert exam is protected by the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), and it has been repeated so many times by so many people that some people are surprised when I answer the question. That being said, this is not a History...

I recently had the pleasure of meeting with Shon Hong of Microsoft Learning, who has the (to me) fascinating job of hunting down cheaters. Let me explain: Microsoft exams are the basis for the entire Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) program. The exams you pass earn you credentials and credibility...

I have gone on and on about the importance of that first cert exam, but I have read a lot of comments recently that made me realize how important exam selection can be to that successful first exam. If your decision to get certified is based on professional necessity – i.e.: your boss said you need to...