Let's Talk Microsoft Geek-dom

I told you before that I would tell you all about the big certification I have been working on this year. My supervisor (or was it his boss) got the wild idea that we needed to be certified and started the process. Some of us got the COMPTIA A+ certification. This one was NUTS. (For those that don't know, this certification deals with computer hardware and electronics much more than with how to work them. We're talking about individual chips and circuits, not Operating System commands or other things.) This really didn't reflect what we do. Most of these skills we outsource, so we were back to looking for a new certification (I'm glad I didn't have to learn how to wear strips & plaids, which is part of the prerequisite for this test).

Then we learned about a Microsoft certification (Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician), click to learn more. To make a long story short, we were told that we would be attending a four day long boot camp training (this is when you get to go away and spend ten to twelve hours per day, studying for the required tests). I had originally been scheduled to attend the preparation over the summer, but it was canceled, so instead I got to go to Santa Clara the week before Christmas, and work on this. It takes two tests (the first is a two hour test the second a ninety-minute one).  They are controlled by non-disclosure statements, like most MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional) tests. Two of us went up and were both successful, as the preparations continued, we heard that about half of the people that take the test pass it the first time. This was a bit intimidating, since every body else in our group had been successful in the first attempts... So yeah, I was worried that I'd never get this, but as you can tell, I did it. Granted I had a bunch of help, but I was able to get done.