Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Microsoft Certification Courses
The field of information technology has become increasingly competitive. No longer is it enough to simply have an associate's degree or even a bachelor's degree from a recognized school, but one must also have the skills required to operate, repair and upgrade certain components. One of the few ways that businesses can ensure a potential employee has these skills is by looking to see if they have acquired a certificate from one of the many Microsoft certification courses available.
Understanding how these courses work, what skills they teach, and how they influence the way prospective employers look at new hires is paramount to understanding just how important these types of training are in the modern workforce.
How Does a Microsoft Certification Exam Work?
Most courses from Microsoft work in the following way: a person registers for the course, they study, then they take an exam at an approved testing center using the Pearson VUE online application.
The test is specialized to the respective program a person seeks to complete..
For example, someone may be testing for their Microsoft Office certification. The test will cover all the information that an individual should know before knowing how to efficiently operate every component of the Office line of products. They may be required to enter Excel formulas, answer questions about formatting in Word, or to even go through the installation process for the Office software suite.
What Skills Do Microsoft Courses Teach?
The skills a training course teaches are highly dependent upon the purpose of the course. There are currently five different certifications available: Desktop Support, Technology, Professional, Master and Architect.
Desktop Support includes the skills required to not only use the Office suite of products, but also to install and repair any installations. The Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) and Microsoft Certified Application Professional (MCAP) certifications are designed to cover different versions of Office to a greater degree than the Desktop Support certification.
The Technology category of courses offers certifications that specialize in a certain area of IT. One can obtain a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) in one of 30 different areas, which includes everything from .NET Framework, SQL usage, SharePoint services and Windows Server maintenance and repair. These certifications are intended for individuals whom configure, maintain, or troubleshoot these various systems.
The Professional series of certifications carries two specializations with it: Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) and Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD). These specializations are intended for individuals whom intend to develop using specific technologies such as Visual Studio and .NET Framework.
The Microsoft Certified Master (MC) certification allows for an individual to become recognized as an expert in their respective field. recognized staff must directly train the individual before this certification can be acquired. The specific areas available are: Exchange Server, Office Communications Server, Office Sharepoint Server, SQL Server and Windows Server.
The last certification available is the Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA). It is the highest level of certification available, and it requires a large number of years working in a field. A separate review board must approve any candidates, which makes it one of the most desirable courses to complete.
How do Microsoft Certifications Influence Potential Employers?
Due to the specific skills they teach, each of the Microsoft Certification courses completed becomes a badge of proof and, in certain cases, experience in a field of information technology. This proves to businesses that an individual has the experience, knowledge and skills required to perform certain jobs.
This can make a prospective employee stand out among a crowd of many others. Businesses are more prone to hire such an employee due to the fact that they no longer need to spend time or money training them, which means that they can start working right away.
About the Author
Knowledge Center(KCI) is a computer training school with computer training facilites based in Ashburn, VA. KCI is leading provider of hands on classroom IT training courses. Certification courses include CompTIA, Cisco, ITIL, CISSP and Microsoft certfication courses. Computer training classes are held throughout the week with flexible class schedule including evenings and week-ends.For more information visit http://www.knowledgecenterinc.com
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