MCA (Microsoft Certified Architect)

Who is thinking about going for this? I think they are trying to mimic a CCIE like certification.

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ajs1976

I work on mostly small business networks and I don't have 10 years of experience yet (only eight), so I don't meet the experience requirement. And with the review costing $10,000, this one will have to wait.

NinjaBoy

I'm in the same boat, not enough of the "right" experience that MS require and about $10k short

-ken

Mishra

Oh wow 10K... Microsoft really pulled that off.

ajs1976

Then their is the fee for the MCA: Messaging.

The tuition for enrolling and attending the Microsoft Certified Architect: Messaging Program and training is US$25,000 per individual. All expenses must be paid for by the candidate.

Note that this fee does not guarantee successful completion of the program

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/architect/messaging/tuition_cancel/default.mspx

Mishra

Do you seriously have to prove your 10 years of experience? A lot of certifications give recommendations on experience... Like you should have a year to take the CCNA exam, but they don't really check anything.

ajs1976

Not only do you have to prove, they interview you to make sure you know you stuff.

If you look around the MCA site at the requirements, it is rough.

royal

IMO, this certification is more for marketing. Nobody would spend their own money to get this certificate. It is more for people who have been working with a company for a long time, and their company pays for them to go get it so they can market the person and end up getting more recognition which translates into more revenue.

Mishra

royal wrote:

IMO, this certification is more for marketing. Nobody would spend their own money to get this certificate. It is more for people who have been working with a company for a long time, and their company pays for them to go get it so they can market the person and end up getting more recognition which translates into more revenue.

Microsoft would make more money if they made it worth the money to the general public IMO. Like a CCIE level cert.

Gabe7055

You also have to be or work for a Microsoft Gold certified partner so I can only see this cert going to people that work for huge companies that pay for it for marketing purposes as stated before.

nel

that really is crazy!

how much is the CCIE in comparison?

NinjaBoy

royal wrote:

IMO, this certification is more for marketing. Nobody would spend their own money to get this certificate. It is more for people who have been working with a company for a long time, and their company pays for them to go get it so they can market the person and end up getting more recognition which translates into more revenue.

For marketing and for status, let face it MS is going to make alot of money on the new MS certs (MCITP) as they need to be renewed every 3 years.

-ken

royal

NinjaBoy wrote:

royal wrote:

IMO, this certification is more for marketing. Nobody would spend their own money to get this certificate. It is more for people who have been working with a company for a long time, and their company pays for them to go get it so they can market the person and end up getting more recognition which translates into more revenue.

For marketing and for status, let face it MS is going to make alot of money on the new MS certs (MCITP) as they need to be renewed every 3 years.

-ken

Indeed they are. But when I say marketable, I am not saying Microsoft marketing to others who want to get certified. I am saying a person will be more marketable in the industry in general. If that person is a consultant, that person's bill rate just went up and now if a client needs the best out of the best, they will get an MCA at a very high rate. MCITP is not going to cost $10,000 and doesn't require you to sit in front of a committee. With the MCITP, it seems like you'll still be able to pick up a book, get an evaluation copy, virtualize your environment, and pass the exam; just like with the MCSE exams. MCA requires a lot more, is so much more money, and because of that, a company will only send their gurus to get it so they are "more" marketable than most Joe Schmoes who will just obtain their MCITP.

druid318

So if i understand this right...

W2k had alot MCSE's

W2k3 has alot less MCSE's

now they pull this 10,000 MCA on us, I just can't see anyone doing this. Is there a test that goes along with this or is it just pay 10k and get reviewed?

And what does 10 years experience have to do with anything??? I honestly don't see what having 10 years of experience with microsoft products has to do with anything at all except trying to punish the IT world for looking at other systems for doing things.

Do you guys think all this reformating will hurt the microsoft exams as a whole? It seems like it will make the average employer even more confused than they already have been, after all the old MCSE's and MCSA's are not going away.

doom969

druid318 wrote:

So if i understand this right...

Do you guys think all this reformating will hurt the microsoft exams as a whole? It seems like it will make the average employer even more confused than they already have been, after all the old MCSE's and MCSA's are not going away.

Yes, I do feel that its gonna hurt the value of MS certifications. Combine that with pearson vue not doing ms exams anymore, some people are just not gonna drive X hours more to go to a prometric site. Add to that they retire MCSE and MCSA, wich where more well know and had the ingeneer title.... Most people I talk to are convinced that entreprise admin is somehow a "lesser" certification than certified ingeneer.

Doom969
Sorry for my bad english

sthomas

doom969 wrote:

Do you guys think all this reformating will hurt the microsoft exams as a whole? It seems like it will make the average employer even more confused than they already have been, after all the old MCSE's and MCSA's are not going away.

I think it is going to be a while before a lot of employers are going to understand the MCITP and MCTS exam structure. If you do a search on dice or careerbuilder for MCITP you won't get as many hits as you would by searching for MCSE. Out of the MCITP and MCTS exams I have take so far I have not been all that impressed. In my opinion Microsoft should have changed some things about the MCSA/MCSE exams but left the names the same.

Mishra

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/architect/archcompetencies/default.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/architect/archprocess/default.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/architect/technology/reviewboard/default.mspx

Dunno if people saw this.