The Information Technology (IT) Vocabulary Builder series aims to deliver a very concise summary of a currently relevant topic to Information Professionals.  It is done mostly by collecting a small number of highly relevant web links to save you the time of combing through search results yourself.  It differs from sites such as Wikipedia because it includes opinions, forecasts, and detractions in addition to just facts.

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Depending on what part of the Information Technology Professional field you are in and what you customer base looks like (federal, public, private, or small company) you either have tons of Microsoft Certified Professionals running all around you or you may have never met one.  What exactly does this term mean and is it a standard, a term or art, or one of science?

This is how Wikipedia defines it:

Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) broadly refers to all Microsoft certifications. But it can also refer to an individual who completes any exam within the program (subject to some exclusions).

 

The MCP program offers multiple certifications, based on different areas of technical expertise. To attain these certifications, a candidate must pass a series of exams within the program. The current generation of certifications are Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS), Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD), Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP), the Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA), Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE).

Basically, if you have ever earned a single Microsoft certificate for any product or service, then you are permitted to call yourself a Microsoft Certified Professional.  The Term itself does not tell you what the person is certified for or what their expertise is.  It also does not convey a level of expertise – journeyman or master.

Most of the entry level Microsoft Certifications are earned by successfully passing an examination.  Most people need to complete an associated training course in order to get enough level of knowledge to successfully pass the exam, though some can do it just by purchasing written or audio study manuals and using them.  In some cases, the higher level certs also have experience requirements and prerequisite certs.

New Horizons is one of the premier education centers providing full service training and examination for this program.  Here is how they define it:

Microsoft Certified Professional Description

Individuals with expertise in a particular Microsoft® product can pursue the Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) credential. MCPs have demonstrated in-depth knowledge of at least one Microsoft product. The MCP credential provides a helpful first step on the way to other Microsoft technical certifications.

Microsoft itself has a wonderful site dedicated to the program.

Certifications are available for most Microsoft technologies and skill levels from business workers to IT professionals, developers, technology trainers, and system architects. Pursuing a certification, provides you with up-to-date, relevant skills that can not only lead to a more fulfilling career, but offer valuable Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) benefits, including access to the MCP member site and a vast, global network of other certified professionals.

There is also a magazine dedicated to this group, The Microsoft Certified Professional Magazine.  They highlight the top reason to obtain the title: salary, in a recent article.

A looming recession should affect salaries. So should reports of IT budgets being slashed for the rest of 2008. And so should global economies going crazy with every dollar fluctuation, mortgage crisis or the closing down of another subprime-laden bank or brokerage.

 

But get this: Those events haven’t made any such visible impact on IT compensation — at least, so far — as this year’s joint Redmond/MCPmag.com 2008 Salary Survey indicates. For a fourth year in a row salaries have risen, as have raises, bonuses and job stability, sidestepping any rising recessionary tide.

There are many many more IT certifications than just Microsoft’s, but there are no more widely accepted or understood ones.  If you were not familiar with this program, hopefully I gave you enough to get started.  If you are one of the many IT Pros who have them swarming around you…. you already know all that you will ever need about their value.

That is my Information Technology Thought of the Day (ITTOD) for December 14, 2009 ©Scott Coughlin.

Image Credit: Microsoft

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