Microsoft’s 2008 Certification Shuffle

When it comes to the new certifications from Microsoft, I feel asconfused as
Ricky Ricardo does after Lucy pulls another one ofher shenanigans.



In the beginning, the two main administrator-level certifications from Microsoft
were the Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) and the Microsoft Certified
Systems Engineer (MCSE). While a number of tracks and derivatives have popped up
to confuse the issue, for the past decade or so MCP generally meant that you had
a specialty in one area (i.e., passed a single exam), while MCSE meant you were
more well-rounded (i.e., passed several more exams beyond your MCP).



With the release of the Windows Server 2008 exams, Microsoft is severing the old
certifications and opting for two new ones: Microsoft Certified Technology
Specialist (MCTS) and Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP). You first
take the MCTS exams of your choice
(sounds a lot like the MCP) and then move toward
MCITP Training (sounds a lot like the
MCSE). Note that a brand-new third level, the Microsoft Certified Architect
(MCA), is being added that doesn’t match with

anything currently offered.



While Microsoft has discussed this “new generation” of certifications, it’s
failed to mention why, specifically, it has removed “engineer” from the wording
of the top-level certification. Some people, such as Redmondmag.com columnist
Greg

Shields, have suggested the change is the result of several countries protecting
the title of “engineer.” As Shields writes in his recent “Windows Insider”
column: “One can be called an engineer only after they’ve passed the Order of
Engineers’ Professional Engineer’s Examination.”



I don’t buy it.



Microsoft wasn’t the first company to come up with an IT certification. At the
time it entered the market, Novell was already there with its Certified NetWare
Engineer entry, which was getting a lot of flak for not meeting the requirements
of a true “engineer.” That company has since changed the name of the title to
Certified Novell Engineer — allowing the certification to apply to other
products besides NetWare — and has added Certified Linux Engineer (CLE) and
Novell

Certified Engineer (NCE), to boot. I guess Novell didn’t learn the lesson that
Microsoft did.



Surprisingly, though, the top Red Hat certification is that of engineer. To show
your expertise with PHP, you become a Zend Certified Engineer (ZCE). And what’s
the top level for integration and administration certifications from HP?
Engineer.



And so it goes. “Engineer” is a word that carries a specific connotation that
I’m not sure “professional” does. In fact, wasn’t “professional” the very word
Microsoft used for over 10 years to denote a beginner who passed a single exam?



Before it can make sense to me, Microsoft still has some “splainin” to do.