Are the posted questions getting worse?
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BLOB_EATER (5/12/2016)
GilaMonster (5/12/2016)
BLOB_EATER (5/12/2016)
Is it wrong that I no longer have the desire to do SQL certification exams? Do I need to look in the mirror and slap myself very hard?Don't get me wrong I am super motivated on learning, but, the MCSE doesn't mean much to me anymore....... Oh man where is my mentor! :ermm:
After the slap in the face that was the end of the MCM certs (and the way that MSL did it), no more MS cert exams. I'm done.
How was it done? No pre-engagement/consultation with current MCMs? Or was it an un-announced random email?
A mail sent on the friday evening (end of day Redmond time) right before a long weekend, with the sender email going 'out of office' immediately after.
Consultation? Hahahaha. The first time we were spoken to was over a week later, and it was a conference call with an attendee limit that ensured that only a small portion of the affected people were able to attend, and it had the tone of 'we know what we're doing, now go away.'
http://qa.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Editorial/101894/
p.s. was the MCSM a watered-down version of MCM? Or the same thing?
MCSM = 2012, MCM = 2008. Rebranding a few months before the cancellation.
Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverabilityWe walk in the dark places no others will enter
We stand on the bridge and no one may pass -
GilaMonster (5/12/2016)
BLOB_EATER (5/12/2016)
GilaMonster (5/12/2016)
BLOB_EATER (5/12/2016)
Is it wrong that I no longer have the desire to do SQL certification exams? Do I need to look in the mirror and slap myself very hard?Don't get me wrong I am super motivated on learning, but, the MCSE doesn't mean much to me anymore....... Oh man where is my mentor! :ermm:
After the slap in the face that was the end of the MCM certs (and the way that MSL did it), no more MS cert exams. I'm done.
How was it done? No pre-engagement/consultation with current MCMs? Or was it an un-announced random email?
A mail sent on the friday evening (end of day Redmond time) right before a long weekend, with the sender email going 'out of office' immediately after.
Consultation? Hahahaha. The first time we were spoken to was over a week later, and it was a conference call with an attendee limit that ensured that only a small portion of the affected people were able to attend, and it had the tone of 'we know what we're doing, now go away.'
http://qa.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Editorial/101894/
p.s. was the MCSM a watered-down version of MCM? Or the same thing?
MCSM = 2012, MCM = 2008. Rebranding a few months before the cancellation.
Really enjoying the article and the comments, shame the connect article has now gone. Roll on 3 years still no "advanced" cert..
I cant believe someone said this to you!
"I fondly remember a colleague coming to me one day at the bank (it was about a week after I'd handed in my resignation). He waved a certification result paper in my face and announced loudly 'See, I know SQL better than you do.'" .... what where they thinking :ermm:
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BLOB_EATER (5/12/2016)
Is it wrong that I no longer have the desire to do SQL certification exams? Do I need to look in the mirror and slap myself very hard?Don't get me wrong I am super motivated on learning, but, the MCSE doesn't mean much to me anymore....... Oh man where is my mentor! :ermm:
No, not really. I just wish, to some extent, that I wasn't working someplace that requires the blasted things, and requires that you have a certification that's within 2 versions (might be 1) of the product you're working on / supporting.
Mostly because with the way the exams are now, 1/2 applies to my day-to-day work, and 1/2 doesn't apply.
Ugh. Sadly I think I'm going to have to do the one thing that I don't want to do, to get my certifications up to where the job requires (although I might stall until someone shows up at my desk telling me: "Get this or we can't let you work until you do.") and go to something like a New Horizons "training" course...:(
But, I think that yeah, at least right now, the certifications are:
A) Resume prettifiers
B) HR "They have certs, they must know something" cop-outs
C) Shameless cash grabs by MS (and I almost went to the old Linux world M$ here)
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BLOB_EATER (5/12/2016)
Really enjoying the article and the comments, shame the connect article has now gone.The connect item was taken down by the person who had initially posted it, as it got very, very nasty.
Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverabilityWe walk in the dark places no others will enter
We stand on the bridge and no one may pass -
Just had to post a shout-out about this!
Anyone watching The Today Show this morning? There's a guy who's getting married on the show.
I actually know the guy! He's a friend of mine. I went to high school with him!
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Check out my blog at https://pianorayk.wordpress.com/ -
BLOB_EATER (5/12/2016)
GilaMonster (5/12/2016)
BLOB_EATER (5/12/2016)
GilaMonster (5/12/2016)
BLOB_EATER (5/12/2016)
Is it wrong that I no longer have the desire to do SQL certification exams? Do I need to look in the mirror and slap myself very hard?Don't get me wrong I am super motivated on learning, but, the MCSE doesn't mean much to me anymore....... Oh man where is my mentor! :ermm:
After the slap in the face that was the end of the MCM certs (and the way that MSL did it), no more MS cert exams. I'm done.
How was it done? No pre-engagement/consultation with current MCMs? Or was it an un-announced random email?
A mail sent on the friday evening (end of day Redmond time) right before a long weekend, with the sender email going 'out of office' immediately after.
Consultation? Hahahaha. The first time we were spoken to was over a week later, and it was a conference call with an attendee limit that ensured that only a small portion of the affected people were able to attend, and it had the tone of 'we know what we're doing, now go away.'
http://qa.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Editorial/101894/
p.s. was the MCSM a watered-down version of MCM? Or the same thing?
MCSM = 2012, MCM = 2008. Rebranding a few months before the cancellation.
Really enjoying the article and the comments, shame the connect article has now gone. Roll on 3 years still no "advanced" cert..
I cant believe someone said this to you!
"I fondly remember a colleague coming to me one day at the bank (it was about a week after I'd handed in my resignation). He waved a certification result paper in my face and announced loudly 'See, I know SQL better than you do.'" .... what where they thinking :ermm:
I went to a two-week MCAD bootcamp years ago, and absolutely hated it. I got nothing out of it -- basically intensive "this is how you take the tests" training. Nothing substantive. They trained you to take the test, you took the test, and if you passed -- poof, you're certified!
I have MCAD shirts that I refuse to wear to work. It just doesn't feel right to proclaim my certification when I know there are people in the office who can blow me away.
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Check out my blog at https://pianorayk.wordpress.com/ -
@SET RANT ON;
I read the article, read the comments and was nearly floored by the assumption that any DBA could afford the $20k to sit the lab exam. Granted, MS was getting rid of that barrier, but just the thought of destroying my nice tight budget with that much credit card debt (it would have to be because I don't have that much liquid cash running around anytime) gives me nightmares.
And given how little some companies pay DBAs around where I live (Robert Half, when I contracted with them back in the day, only paid me $15 an hour) I don't see how it's reasonable to assume these people could dump that much money in one shot on something like this.
Investing in training is necessary, yes, but that's a lot of money all at once for people who don't make six digit salaries and have other expenses to consider.
Sorry, but those few comments made my head explode. I've experienced the transition from "near poverty-level income" to "almost comfortable middle class," including the budget decisions and woes that me want to pay everything in cash and keep my credit cards as low as possible. Three thousand dollar master's degree classes are making my wallet wince. Twenty thousand would put me back in the poor house.
@SET RANT OFF;
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I seem to have misplaced the crystal ball. Anyone want to look at this: http://qa.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1785774-392-1.aspx#bm1785786
"I cant stress enough the importance of switching from a sequential files mindset to set-based thinking. After you make the switch, you can spend your time tuning and optimizing your queries instead of maintaining lengthy, poor-performing code."-- Itzik Ben-Gan 2001
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BLOB_EATER (5/12/2016)
Is it wrong that I no longer have the desire to do SQL certification exams? Do I need to look in the mirror and slap myself very hard?Don't get me wrong I am super motivated on learning, but, the MCSE doesn't mean much to me anymore....... Oh man where is my mentor! :ermm:
I have a somewhat different opinion than the others that have been expressed, so I guess I'll chime in. I enjoy working on the certifications and feel that they do have benefit. For me, it provides the structure to ensure that I understand the breadth of what SQL Server has to offer, rather than just rehashing the pieces I'm responsible for and use on a daily basis. Studying for and passing the exams doesn't make me an expert in every area, but if someone comes with an architecture question I have enough of a grasp of what is possible that I can tell them "XXXXX may be a solution, let me do some research and experimentation to be sure and get back with you".
When reviewing candidates for a position, I think of certifications as one leg on a four legged stool. The other three legs are experience, education and community (blog/forum/twitter/etc.). If you only have one of the four, I can't be certain what you can really do until I get to know you better. If you have 10 year’s experience, it could be that those 10 years are "1 year repeated 10 times" and you really don't know much. If you only have the cert... well, anyone can pass a test and if you don't have experience to lend it credibility it may be that you don't know the material well. If you have a master's degree but no experience, there's a chance you have no idea how to actually implement the things you've learned in the real world. If you have two of the four, it lends some credibility to both - for example it's harder to conclude that you don't know anything if you have both experience and an education or a wealth of good blog posts and a certification. If you have three of the four I still may not have a good handle on what you can do, but I know that you must have at least some skill to have successfully put them all together. When people ask me about certification I encourage them to go for it, but I also teach them that they need to be working on the other legs at the same time to lend it credibility.
Now as a counterpoint, I have a former coworker who stated that he automatically roundfiles (throws away) any resume that has a cert listed on it. That's his viewpoint and he is entitled to it. I disagree and he respects that... at least a little bit :-).
My cert expires at the end of the year and I plan to renew during Q3.
Chad
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BLOB_EATER (5/12/2016)
Is it wrong that I no longer have the desire to do SQL certification exams? Do I need to look in the mirror and slap myself very hard?Don't get me wrong I am super motivated on learning, but, the MCSE doesn't mean much to me anymore....... Oh man where is my mentor! :ermm:
The MCSE is completely meaningless and irrelevant in my not so humble opinion on that topic.
I really enjoy conversations with MCSEs or MCDBAs who do the whole chest thumping thing and say " I am a certified DBA!" when they want to sound authoritative and make you believe they are correct.
You may be certified, but you are still wrong.
I just had one of those conversations earlier this week with a new hire dba hired by a client. This person had a hard time connecting to the client vpn, navigating ssms, was a certified dba (even had the whole alphabet soup for SQL and Oracle), connected to the wrong servers over and over again. But oh no, he wasn't wrong in any of that.
Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
_______________________________________________
I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
SQL RNNR
Posting Performance Based Questions - Gail Shaw[/url]
Learn Extended Events -
Brandie Tarvin (5/12/2016)
I read the article, read the comments and was nearly floored by the assumption that any DBA could afford the $20k to sit the lab exam.1) It wasn't aimed at 'any DBA'. The target audience for the MCM was architects, senior consultants, etc. It was never intended to be something everyone gets.
2) The lab exam wasn't ever $20 000. The $20 000 cost was for 3 weeks of full time (6 days a week, 12 hours a day), in-person training in Redmond and three attempts at both exams, and it was being changed. (and the assumption was that the training and certification benefited the company, and the company was the one that paid. I don't know anyone who paid for the MCM in-person training out of their own pocket)
3) At the point it was cancelled, it was $2500 total, and had been that way for over 3 years. The cost wasn't a barrier that MS was 'getting rid of', it had been long-since removed for SQL (the others were still in the process of switching away from the Redmond-based training)
Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverabilityWe walk in the dark places no others will enter
We stand on the bridge and no one may pass -
SQLRNNR (5/12/2016)
BLOB_EATER (5/12/2016)
Is it wrong that I no longer have the desire to do SQL certification exams? Do I need to look in the mirror and slap myself very hard?Don't get me wrong I am super motivated on learning, but, the MCSE doesn't mean much to me anymore....... Oh man where is my mentor! :ermm:
The MCSE is completely meaningless and irrelevant in my not so humble opinion on that topic.
I really enjoy conversations with MCSEs or MCDBAs who do the whole chest thumping thing and say " I am a certified DBA!" when they want to sound authoritative and make you believe they are correct.
You may be certified, but you are still wrong.
I just had one of those conversations earlier this week with a new hire dba hired by a client. This person had a hard time connecting to the client vpn, navigating ssms, was a certified dba (even had the whole alphabet soup for SQL and Oracle), connected to the wrong servers over and over again. But oh no, he wasn't wrong in any of that.
Did he have on the requisite cape and "C" logo on his shirt?
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Chad Crawford (5/12/2016)
I think of certifications as one leg on a four legged stool. The other three legs are experience, education and community (blog/forum/twitter/etc.). If you only have one of the four, I can't be certain what you can really do until I get to know you better.Well put and a good way to explain a certification's place. For those of us without certs I think we just work harder at our experience, education and community, so much so those three hold up the stool just fine. 🙂
"I cant stress enough the importance of switching from a sequential files mindset to set-based thinking. After you make the switch, you can spend your time tuning and optimizing your queries instead of maintaining lengthy, poor-performing code."-- Itzik Ben-Gan 2001
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SQLRNNR (5/12/2016)
You may be certified, but you are still wrong.Um, no. I happen to be certified AND certifiable!
There's a difference. @=)
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GilaMonster (5/12/2016)
Brandie Tarvin (5/12/2016)
I read the article, read the comments and was nearly floored by the assumption that any DBA could afford the $20k to sit the lab exam.1) It wasn't aimed at 'any DBA'. The target audience for the MCM was architects, senior consultants, etc. It was never intended to be something everyone gets.
2) The lab exam wasn't ever $20 000. The $20 000 cost was for 3 weeks of full time (6 days a week, 12 hours a day), in-person training in Redmond and three attempts at both exams, and it was being changed. (and the assumption was that the training and certification benefited the company, and the company was the one that paid. I don't know anyone who paid for the MCM in-person training out of their own pocket)
3) At the point it was cancelled, it was $2500 total, and had been that way for over 3 years. The cost wasn't a barrier that MS was 'getting rid of', it had been long-since removed for SQL (the others were still in the process of switching away from the Redmond-based training)
I get that Microsoft was fixing the money and that this was an elite certi. I just got set off by a comment Steve made about people spending money on training.
And my rant wasn't meant to be directed at a specific person or this specific certification. Just the attitude in general that tech people are rich and can do this sort of stuff. There are a number of people I know who think I can just drop money on STUFF and get mad when I don't.
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