taking 293 after passing 291? good idea?

trackit

Hey guys, im quite new to this forum and wanted to ask some advice.

I finally got around to pursue some MS certificates, in a longer term i decided to go for MCSA 2003 -> MCSE 2003 -> upgrade to 2008 Enterprise admin.

So i was thinking to get MCSA first, then MCSE etc... I have sucessfully passed 70-290 and will be facing the beast next week What i wonder though is this: I heard here and there that 291 and 293 have some overlap and it is good idea to take 293 not long after passing 291. This sounds nice, but that pushes my acquisition of MCSA title further away. So i wonder, how much will i gain by taking 293 after 291, is the overlap sufficent to make a difference for passing 293?

In other words is it better to get MCSA first and then worry about MCSE or shoud i go straight for MCSE ie 290->291->293->294 etc (and effectively get MCSE and MCSA at the same time).

thanks

dynamik

Welcome!

Unless you need your MCSA for a specific reason, go with the path that is most conducive to learning (293 immediately after 291). I did earn my MCSA upon passing 291, but that was only because I had my Security+ from earlier. If I didn't, I certainly wouldn't have made a detour for the MCSA at that point. Just stay focused on your end goal.

Good luck with 291 next week!

bertieb

Yes, its a good idea to take 293 after 291. Focus on the MCSE

meadIT

I think it depends on how bad you want/need MCSA and how fast you can get through whichever material you need to finish your MCSA. I took 291 in early August, then did Security+ at the end of August. I have my 293 scheduled for next Saturday and I'm finding that the items that I studied for Sec+ is really helping on some of the 293 material, particularly the PKI info.

I guess it also depends on how comfortable you are with the 291 stuff. If you are kind of shaky on it, you may want to do it soon while its still in your head. If you're confident with it, then a short break shouldn't cause you to lose too much of it.

trackit

thanks for you advice guys... i think i will try to go straight for MCSE route then, as i have no particular reason for getting MCSA first, other than just fulfillment of reaching mid-objective and getting title that is more than MCP

Daniel333

What is your MCSE elective going to be?

trackit

Daniel333 wrote:

What is your MCSE elective going to be?

I havent made a firm decision yet, but i think i will go for either "TS: Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Configuring" or "Implementing and Administering Security in a Windows Server 2003 Network"

meadIT

trackit wrote:

Daniel333 wrote:

What is your MCSE elective going to be?

I havent made a firm decision yet, but i think i will go for either "TS: Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Configuring" or "Implementing and Administering Security in a Windows Server 2003 Network"

Okay, yeah. Forget what I said above. Go right on to 293. If you decide to do Exchange, 293 & 294 will help you prepare for that.

Slowhand

I'm going to put in another vote to go straight to 70-293. I did 70-291 in late 2006, and these last few months I've had to spend re-learning a lot that I'd forgotten from back then that I haven't been using at work, and it's only now that I'm really digging into the 70-293 topics properly. Do it before you begin to forget all the topics that overlap.

trackit

The beast is taken down!