I think that really depends on your employer (i.e., have others advanced in responsibility/title at your current job?) and whether or not you plan to leave your company as it naturally is better have have an MCSD than to not have one (assuming all other experiences are equal) That said...it really is very contingent. I have worked in organizations where much emphasis was put on Certs (they had a wall of everyones certs...they hired ppl who had certs, and seemed to care less about degrees) -> This was a small company. I now work for a Fortune 100 company, that in my job role (developer, mainly web apps) places very little to no emphasis on certifications (not necessarily across the entire org, but certainly on my team of about 20ppl) I, in fact, have discussed obtaining an MCAD/SD with my boss and he basically said in terms of money, I wouldn't get a increase directly due to having this (or other) certs. That said, I started an MS degree which I feel has a much better chance of helping me with this job and future jobs -> not to mention it does not expire.
hth...
All hail the INTERWEB!
) but yes, the MCSD will expire. I personally wouldnt switch jobs until after the MCSD - and then see how things work out at your current company