When I first started out one of the things that I did to get real world understanding (as opposed to at an Academic institution which is invaluable too but very different) was to get stuck into getting Microsoft Certified.  Back then MCSE was my goal and I did it entirely through self study, reading and doing.  That was on NT4 and I upgraded everything to 2000 through a single (and really hard!) exam.  Since then I’ve been doing BETA exams, 254 questions in one sitting was a bit much though, and kept things current.  Things have changed a bit now but getting certified is really valuable. 

The videos we’ve produced and put up on landthegig.com are very extreme but I’m pretty sure I’ve interviewed a couple of these guys….

Microsoft Certification Can Open Doors

How do you view certs?  Nice to have, essential or something entirely different…