294 and MCSA

trackit

Im preparing for 294 exam and just wanted to say that im actually surprised that MCSA dont have any AD exams in it. IMO 294 is very good introductory to AD and related topics. I mean how good certified system administrator can you be if you dont know stuff that is required in 294.

I recommend that even if you dont want to pursue MCSE then you should still go through material for 294.

dynamik

I agree. I think there's a lot of important things in 293 as well. That's why I encourage everyone to go on to the MCSE. The MCSA really leaves you in the dark for some important things.

undomiel

Pretty much all the core exams would be good material for an MCSA to know so I will second Dynamik on this one. Maybe if more people took the 293 well they wouldn't be so afraid of clustering.

hustlin_moe20

I wish they had 294 on MCSA then I wouldn't be taking it now lol.

sprkymrk

It's just a seperation of what MS considers "Design" exams vs. "Administration" exams. Yes, it's helpful to know how to build something from scratch if you're going to be administrating it, but not entirely necessary. I doubt very many maintenance men that keep a building running (electical, plumbing, HVAC, etc) need to know how to build it from scratch. Likewise many engineers of those same buildings couldn't turn a wrench the the right direction if they had to fix something after it was built.

dynamik wrote:

The MCSA really leaves you in the dark for some important things.

This is assuming the person only learns what he is certified in. This is akin to saying many without the A+ are in the dark when it comes to building or repairing computers. The bad analogies could go on and on with other certifications.

trackit wrote:

I recommend that even if you dont want to pursue MCSE then you should still go through material for 294.

Despite what I said above, I do agree with this.