2000 to 2003 upgrade (70-292 and 70-296) 2

[edlcsre]

Hi all

Have just re-surfaced in a new job where I am a lot more involved in support on the Microsoft side than in my previous job, where i did mostly pure Citrix, and i've got to thinking about getting my MCSE updated from 2000 to 2003.

Really, my question is to anyone who has done this themselves, as to whether

a)it was a worthwhile investment of your time/money
b)What materials did you use to try and get your mind back into the Microsoft way of thinking?
c)Do you think it was the right decision.


I ask c) as one of the options I am considering (as well continuing working towards CCIA/CCEA (not sure which yet!) is to try something totally different and see if I can get myself Cisco certified, as I am starting to deal with network issues a lot more and it would be a useful new area to work in.

Will almost certainly be paying for the exams and any study material myself (funny how the interview promises of 2 weeks training a year evaporates after a couple of weeks when you're starting to fix stuff!) and so would ideally be looking to do this as cheaply as possible.

Any recommendations for study guides/sources of information very much appreciated, but more interested to hear whether you W2K MCSE's have bothered to upgrade or not!

many thanks,

Chris

 

[aftertaf]

i am mcsa 2000 and am aiming for mcse.

i upgraded by mcsa to 2003 with the 292 exam (which really wasn't hard at all, imho)

296, can't tell you though, cos not yet mcse in either track.

i've got one design exam left before getting mcse 2003 directly.

for b)
the MS press books for the 2003 track are really very good.

for c)
it can't hurt..

keep us posted on what you decide

Aftertaf

"Solutions are not the answer." - Richard Nixon

 

[mrmoneymatters]

I have my MCSE on 2000 and currently working on the Cisco stuff. I got the book for 70-292 and 70-296 the other day and plan to start working through it. I am a net admin and support about 6 servers so I do this everyday. I am also going to upgrade my network to 2003 next year.

As for you, if you think it would come in handy why not do it. It is only 2 tests and you are showing your employer you are staying current. If you don't think you would ever use the knowledge then don't waste your time.

Network Admin
A+, Network+, MCSA 2000, MCSE 2000

 

[setnaffa]

just remember that 292 is tough and 296 is a bit like 216...

Setnaffa is an MCSA-2k3 (working on MCSE-2k3) with a few other certs, too...

 

[setnaffa]

in fact, the only thing that really helped on 296 was hands-on and knowing the OS and how to recover from the mistakes I made while setting it up...

whodathunkit? the very screwups I made by being careless forced me into learning how to recover from that and gave me the answers to at least 5 questions on the test I got...

let's just say DNS, GPO, PKI are three of the most important topics... but don't forget there are probably at least 50 questions...

Passing score is 700. And they give you "bars" to indicate how well you did in each of the 10 areas tested...

Setnaffa is an MCSA-2k3 (working on MCSE-2k3) with a few other certs, too...

 

[jtb]

those M$ guys are starting to figure it out... over 270,000 MCSE 2000s, less than 23,000 MCSE 2003s... even though there's only two exams to upgrade...

the only M$ tests I've failed were 70-240 and 70-296 (tho' I passed '296 on the rebound)... those upgrade tests are a lot tougher than they used to be...

JTB
Have Certs, Will Travel
"A knight without armour in a [cyber] land."

 

[NickFerrar]

I just did an Exchange bootcamp (yay me on MCSE:Messaging ) and the instructor there said in December MS made the 2000 to 2003 upgrade exams a LOT tougher. The same training company does a 2000 to 2003 7 day upgrade bootcamp and everyone failed the first exam apparently (I can't remember if it was 292 or 296 though), that's never happened before. Good luck to anyone doing them and don't be too stressed if you fail first time - lots of other people are now.

 

[jtb]

wouldn't be much of a test if everyone passed, eh wot?

JTB
Have Certs, Will Travel
"A knight without armour in a [cyber] land."

 

[edlcsre]

thanks everyone for the input, sounds like i'd be better off focussing my study time on areas i'm not qualified in (Cisco) or areas I could gain further qualifications in (Citrix CCA to CCEA) than spending the time and money on an MCSE I've already got.

Interesting to hear the exam is supposed to have got a lot harder, wonder why they'd do that if there are so few 2003 MCSE's.

I'm using most of this technology almost every day in my new job, so they'd all be useful. Time to ask what courses/exams the company are prepared to pay for and see if they offer one of the paths I am already considering i guess.

Thanks again,

Chris

 

[Jarvo100]

Hi Chris

Sorry to re-open the thread but thought I might let you know (if you haven't heard already) that MS have a deal on at the moment that is, if you fail any exam then you have a free second shot.
I have recently thrown myself into study mode again after a few years off (MCSE 2K in 2002) and have bought Mastering Windows Server 2003 (sybex) by Mark Minassi and Upgrading your certification to Windows Server 2003 (MS PRess) which covers both 292 and 296.
I am vying for my company to pay for the exams as I am studying in my own time and am not after a training course but considering the 2nd free shot offer would have more peace of mind if was paying myself.
My own personal opinion but I think that if you keep up your certs you keep yourself more employable than others as you never know what will happen a year on from now, believe me I have had a funny few years and having the certs definitely have helped.

Sorry to droan on, good luck in your endeavours

Jarvo

 

[geekdawg]

Hey All,
I'm a Net Admin for a consulting firm (was a Net Engineer B 4 this job), currently have my MCSA 2000. I've been trying to finish my MCSE b4 I upgrade. I have to do 221 and an elective.
I agree with Jarvo100. I just tried 227 (ISA Server), failed unfortunately but I'm not too stressed about it because of M's retake policy they just started. So, I just rescheduled the test for free and have a better idea of what the questions are really like (hopefully will pass this time and ironically this is the only one I've ever failed, but I really did not study like I normally do).

Anyway, I don't know about you guys, but doesn't it seem like you never get a break from studying? In between nailing down some certs (so MCSA, CCNA, A+, Net+), I've been attending college just got my Associates in February and now I'm in a BIT program which I won't complete until June of next year. Just seems like a vicious cycle almost. I have to say, as much as I love what we do, I can't stop thinking about what is next career wise. Is anyone else out there thinking about Upper Management? Like PM or Manager/Director of IT or someday CIO. I just think I'm getting to a point where as much as I like to stay on top of this stuff, when is enough enough? When do I start going after the higher level positions? When do I leave the tech stuff (pretty much everything I love about the biz) to someone else while I handle the bigger picture? Also, does that mean I need to start studying for PM certification or what? Or does this become a debate of ultimately what we want to do career wise? I guess what I'm getting at is that alot of my motivation for getting into IT was to have a challenging career that paid well and supported my lifestyle. I am happy with the jobs I've been able to obtain and the salaries that I've been able to achieve, but I'm still not living the lifestyle I want and I am starting to see that I am at the top of most the average competitive salaries out there... I just realized I went of on a tangent somewhat from the main subject here. So I guess I'll quit venting/my cryin', but if anyone agrees or has had similar thoughts, holla' back, because I really would like to hear some of the views or career strategies that you guys have (just want to keep making good career decisions). It can be another thread if it is too far of the current topic... thanks...

geekdawg

 

[jtb]

never stop learning... technology keeps changing...

JTB
Have Certs, Will Travel
"A knight without armour in a [cyber] land."