MCSE - Course Path

Hi everyone,

I am getting ready to start my long journey to becoming a mcse. I would like to know which course path makes the most sense.

Does the 270 exam make the most sense to start with? Which order for the exams is the most logical?

Thanks,

Lunarist

Find more posts tagged with

Comments

RobertKaucher

Lunarist wrote:

Hi everyone,

I am getting ready to start my long journey to becoming a mcse. I would like to know which course path makes the most sense.

Does the 270 exam make the most sense to start with? Which order for the exams is the most logical?

Thanks,

Lunarist

That depends on your experience. HAve you worked with Server 2003 on a regular basis for a while? Do you have a good, general grasp of AD? And if so, are you trying to get a net admin position? If you have answered yes, I would say take the following path:
290, 270, 291, 293, [elective], 294, 297 (for vanilla MCSE).
Taking the 290 first shows potential employers you are serious about working in a net admin/server environment. I suggest following the 291 with 293 due to their similar exam objectives. If you are already in a net admin position, I would say it probably does not matter which one you take first, but I would still suggest following 291 with 293.

dynamik

Also, consider taking 620 instead of 270 since it will count for your MCITP:EA as well.

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcse/windows2003/default.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcitp/windowsserver/2008/enterprise/default.mspx

Just curious Robert, did you put 290 first for a reason? That's actually the path I took, but most people tend to start with the client (I wanted a break from XP). I don't think it really matters either way.

Daniel333

The MCSE can be quite a generic term. But if you are coming from a desktop support background think of this as a good path

70-620 = earns MCTS:Vista, Configuring
70-270 >> 70-290 >> 70-291 = earns MCSA
70-293 >> 70-294 >> 70-297 = earns MCSE

That is the easiest path to get there as far as I know. Best of luck!

Btw, tell us about yourself, why MCSE? What's your current job look like?

Lunarist

Well I currently am a field tech working on pc's running paint software in factories, body shops, etc. These pc's run Win 2k and XP. I have experience with networking but not down to tracking packets, etc.. I don't have much experience using 2003 Server or Vista.

I chose MCSE as I'm trying to broaden my knowledge during these tough economic times.

Is 1.5 years a realistic goal giving my experience?

Thanks,

Lunarist

dynamik

Lunarist wrote:

Is 1.5 years a realistic goal giving my experience?

That was roughly what mine took, and I went to school about 3/4-time while working full-time. It's going to vary based on your previous experience and how hard you're willing to work.