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Microsoft Certificate TrainingMicrosoft Certificate Training - Get MS certified and enhance your career options.
Trust me- hang on to your money and don’t believe the hype about intensive MCSE courses leading straight into high paying jobs. The training companies are aggressively marketing 'fast track certs' and making a lot of cash out of it. At entry level a high level Microsoft certificate training course is no substitute for experience. To make yourself more in-demand you'll be much better off with Microsoft Office certification and desktop support qualifications. If you are considering one of these tempting ‘quick MCSE’ courses should read this (opens in new window) before parting with any money. It is very easy to study for and pass your exams spending very little money and economising on your time by working smart. Read on and I’ll tell you how I do it. Microsoft Certificate Training – Bite Size ChunksThe most effective way to approach Microsoft certificate training is to take each module one at a time and really digest the information. Don’t try and rush it – your true objective is to learn the stuff not just pass the exam. I spend as long as it takes until I am completely comfortable with what I’ve learnt – it's a pain to have to cover the material again except for revision. I’ve tried to rush over it before and it’s only resulted in wasted time and expensive exam retakes which can cost a fair amount even if you use discount vouchers. I hate taking exams anyway so I really don’t want to have to go through it twice. Also when everyone you’ve told about it asks you how it went (are we celebrating?) and you say – “no missed it by 5 points” – that’s no party at all! The moral of the story is – only take the exam when you are 150% confident you will pass. So take a chunk at a time, enjoy learning it – ask questions, play around with configs, really know your subject matter to the point where you can answer other people’s questions in forums – become a guru of unattended installs or active directory schemas or excel formulas or SQL databases. Microsoft Certificate Training – Set yourself a timetable and stick to itIn the self study route it’s vital that you structure your Microsoft certificate training around a timetable that leads up to an exam date. when going it alone with self study you need to keep your focus on your goal and not allow yourself to put it off because ‘you don’t have time’. All training materials are divided up into the relevant modules and geared around the exam objectives. I will typically look at how many modules there are, decide on how long I might need on each one, assess how much time per day I can devote to studying and then book the exam for the timeframe I want to have it done by. Wanna try some Free IT certification tests?Test your skills and readiness for that new job - Click here for FREE training!There are two things I use to keep me focused on Microsoft certificate training that I know work very well – they are the first action steps I always take to ensure I stick to my schedule and meet my exam deadline – every time:
Exams cost money to take - even with discount vouchers so you only want to have to take them once. Don’t worry too much if you don’t think you’ll meet your deadline, you can always postpone the exam up to 24 hours before you are due to take it. Try and avoid having to do that if you can by making realistic deadlines and study timetables. If you’re on a budget (who likes spending more than they have to anyway?!) I seriously recommend the self study route– get the visual motivators (I usually get these from a Google image search) and book the exam. Microsoft Certificate Training – Training methodsDifferent people prefer different methods of training, I can only really tell you what works for me which is a combination of books, online streaming training videos, practice tests and asking/answering questions in forums.
When doing Microsoft certificate training books are essential. Most certification books are huge great thick volumes that can be quite intimidating to look at but they are rarely intended to be read cover to cover from beginning to end. The better books almost always include some learning software with practice tests which are a must. There is some debate on which books are better and everyone has their different preferences. Some people swear by vendor specific books, I personally prefer Sybex. Online Training and CBT I’m a visual person and I like to study early in the morning as opposed to late at night after a day’s work, my brain is more receptive in the morning and I get to digest the information throughout the day as well. Watching streaming video with my coffee and cornflakes is by far my preferred method of study. I’ll take notes as I go along and if something stumps me I’ll ask about it in a forum. For learning visually I use Preplogic because they're very '5:30 am friendly'– which , given my preferred study times is very important! I like to listen to the audio lessons in the car going to work and back - it's nice when sitting in traffic still gets you where you want to go! If you're looking for quality self-study training through manuals, videos, audios and a 100% money back guarantee if you don't pass 1st time I seriously recommend Preplogic, just search on any certification forum and you'll see that they are a very popular choice for Microsoft certificate traiing. Ahh yes - forums, free mentorship! Learning the art of 'help and be helped' is key to learning from the best. Forums Forums are great because you have access to very knowledgeable people who are willing to help out. Having mentors is a must if you get stuck on something – rather than reading the same sentence over and over just ask for clarity in a forum and you’ll get expert advice relatively quickly – for free! One word of advice for forums though - Use the search function before asking your question, 99.99% of the time someone will have asked the exact same question before you (more than once) and using search before asking will show that you're prepared to do as much leg work as you can before 'having to resort to asking for help'. Check FAQ and sticky posts at the top of forums as well - respect people's time and they will give you thier time. All your Microsoft certificate training questions can be answered for nothing with a bit of 'netiquette'. I’m a member of these three forums, if you want free help with your training questions I highly recommend joining all three: Microsoft Certificate Training – Conclusion Getting a Microsoft certificate can really help your job search, coupled with relevant experience your ‘price tag’ goes up as well. Because of this many training companies are aggressively marketing fast track courses promoting false hope that these expensive high level certifications will lead you straight into highly paid jobs administering networks at high level. Imagine you are a company director, would you let someone with an MCSE (crammed in 2 weeks) but no experience anywhere near your company servers? Thanks - but no thanks! But how about someone applying for a helpdesk role who’s got certifications in A+ hardware/OS, Windows XP Professional and Microsoft Office certification?
I wish you the best of luck in your Microsoft certificate training, a competitive edge is a wise investment, just please don't become another 'paper MCSE' - get a useful certification for you and your employer. Don't rush it - really learn the material inside out so you can demonstrate what you know when the time comes. To pass the exam first time an investment in top quality training materials and exam simulations is better than scrimping and having to retake (or miss it by 0.5%). When you pass one exam you can take another then another then another.
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Microsoft certificate training is a wise move for anyone wanting to enhance their resume and become more attractive to prospective employers. At entry level it’s essential you make sure you study the right courses for the roles you are aiming at and not be tempted by expensive courses for high level qualifications that are irrelevant to your experience. 
1. Visual motivators – I find a picture of a reward for my efforts, be it a car, a holiday, house, big screen TV etc. This/these go around my study area to remind me why I’m giving up my free time to study. 
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