Microsoft's Hook and Sinker

by LeXer

Microsoft offers many certifications out there.

Some for hardware (A+), some for office field processing like Office 2000, some for programming HTML, and a little bit of everything.

This article is about their Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE - network engineering) or MCSE+I (Internet) Certification program, with some questions and connections that I think everyone should consider before taking the courses or exams.

To receive your MCSE for Windows NT 4.0 you have to pass at least three exams and two electives.  The three mandatory exams are Workstation, Server, and Server in the Enterprise.  Now let me tell you some odd information.

First off, the exams cost $100, which is not unreasonable.  But the word games they play on you within the exams makes me wonder whether they're trying to make people fail.  I have taken the Microsoft MCSE+I courses myself and, besides the information that is taught, my instructor (who had written some of the A+ exams himself) had to teach us how to work with the trick word games that Microsoft plays on you during the exams.  He even told the class that Microsoft deliberately plays these word games that have nothing to do with the actual field of study that the exam focuses on.  That and Microsoft's manuals for the exams have been written to not contain all the information that you could be tested on.  That additional information is taught in the courses, yet Microsoft claims that you don't have to take the courses to pass the exams.  Really now.

Mind you, you can take the exams over and over, as many times as you wish at $100 each exam until you pass.  Is this another way to squeeze money out of people - claiming that you do not have to take the courses, hoping that you will take the tests and fail, having to take them again, and then finally spending more money to take the courses also?

It makes Microsoft money and guarantees their Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCT) jobs.  How much money is Microsoft making out of this?  A great deal, and on top of it they don't really have to do anything.  You see, the courses are not taught by Microsoft.  They're taught by MCTs working at places that have to be certified to allow the MCTs to teach there.  And the exams are held at institutions that have to be certified to give the exam.  An exam that is run on a program.  What is needed to be certified to run a program?  All these institutions giving the exams have to worry about are regulations that Microsoft sets for the atmosphere given during the tests, as well as what tests are given.

Note that all of these certifications - for the Microsoft Certified Professional (MCPs) to become MCSEs to become MCTs to work at certified institutions to teach courses to future MCPs so they can take a questionable exam at a place that has to be certified to give the exam - all cost money.  And this is just the bread of the cake.  Let me get to the icing.

With Windows 2000 (NT 5.0) out, there must be a new curriculum for that operating system, since NT 4.0 is the old OS.  The two operate completely differently, right?  No.  All Windows 2000 is is NT 4.0 and Windows 98 put together with a few enhancements.  Knowing and being certified for NT 4.0, you can easily manage and administer Windows 2000.  But Microsoft sees it as an opportunity to take yet more money out of your pocket.  Let's say I am an MCT for NT 4.0 and I want to, as a trainer, update my certification.  Well, I can't really upgrade.  I have to take every single course and exam over again.

Why?  Why can't I just take one upgrade course and exam pertaining to the enhancements instead of having to take everything all over again?  Those were the very concerns of my instructor and he refused to take the courses and exams until Microsoft changed their ways.  He was eventually forced into taking them.  The new curriculum was coming up and he had to be "upgraded" before it arrived, otherwise he would lose his job.  More money for Microsoft for nothing.

Now let's say I am a student completing the MCSE+I certification for NT 4.0 right before the new curriculum for Windows 2000 is set in place.  I should be able to finish my certification and simply upgrade to Windows 2000, right?  That's how Microsoft portrays it.  But let me tell you, it is not that simple.  As mentioned above, to receive your MCSE, you have to pass three mandatory exams (Workstation, Server, and Server in the Enterprise) and two electives.  Now the new curriculum has started in the middle of August, Windows 2000.  During the new curriculum, wouldn't you think it odd for Microsoft to update and make harder the exams of the old curriculum?  Well, that's exactly what they did.  They took the hardest test of the old curriculum (Server In The Enterprise) and updated it, making it harder.

Why?  Why mess with an exam that's in the old curriculum when you currently have a new one going?  Money.  Forcing people to fail.  Now if you've failed an exam, what do you do?  You spend more time studying for the exam before you take it over.  But to complete the old MCSE, you have a limited time now to do it.  So what is Microsoft doing?  Forcing people into Windows 2000?  Precisely, and it's not about refreshing the intellect out there - it's about money.

But let's say you took the exam the day before the update.  You pass and you still have yet to take the upgrade exam.  Well, Microsoft seems to want you to think that they are not after your money because they are giving away a free upgrade-to-2000 exam.  Let me tell you why.  The upgrade test is extremely hard.  So hard that people complained, so they decided to give you one free try at it.  The funny thing about that is if you fail that one free try, you have to take all the exams over again in the Windows 2000 curriculum!  Yet an extra $600.  So sure, Microsoft is gonna make the upgrade exam harder.  If you fail it, they get an extra 600 bucks.  Hook and sinker!  And it doesn't matter if you're an MCSE already or just an MCP working yourself up to an MCSE.  You still have to take all the exams over again to upgrade your certification if you fail that one free try.

Compare that upgrade exam to the regular Windows 2000 curriculum exams.  Do you think the Windows 2000 upgrade exam tests you on details that the regular Windows 2000 exams doesn't?  That's right!  So let's take a per-son like me.  If I fail that upgrade exam, I spend 600 more dollars.  Now that's with at least $300 invested in the mandatory exams that I have to take to take the upgrade exam - that's $900.  Take note - that's not including the $8000 spent on the courses!  So now we're up to $8900 for one certification.

So why get certified?  Microsoft knows exactly what they're doing.  The Windows 2000 operating system, like the Windows NT 4.0 operating system, is designed so that if you want to administer and fully run their OS, you have to be certified or taught by someone who is certified.  You can't simply go out and get the course books because (remember what I told you before) not all the information is in the books.  All the information is in the courses.

By their designing the OS so that only certified people know and understand its quirks and glitches and how to work with them, they are just setting the value of the certifications.  Microsoft is the leader in marketing their OS.  If only certified professionals can use their highly demanded networking technologies, then not only are they making money off of their (monopolized) OS, they are also monopolizing the networking industry by monopolizing the certifications.