What path should I take.

WilliamMGary

I currently hold a MCDST I currently work in a help desk position over the phone I would like to upgrade or become Windows 7 certified by the middle of next year but not sure if I should take the upgrade your MCDST test to Enterprise Support tech and go for the Enterprise 7 certification which is what I want or to take the MCT: Windows Vista test and then take the MCT Windows 7.

I really want to position myself to enter into the enterprise side of IT Support but also keep my options open on the consumer side as well. My question is which cert should I take. MCT: Vista or Upgrade yours MCDST to IT Enterprise Tech?

eserfeliz

WilliamMGary wrote: »

I currently hold a MCDST I currently work in a help desk position over the phone I would like to upgrade or become Windows 7 certified by the middle of next year but not sure if I should take the upgrade your MCDST test to Enterprise Support tech and go for the Enterprise 7 certification which is what I want or to take the MCT: Windows Vista test and then take the MCT Windows 7.

I really want to position myself to enter into the enterprise side of IT Support but also keep my options open on the consumer side as well. My question is which cert should I take. MCT: Vista or Upgrade yours MCDST to IT Enterprise Tech?

It depends on what sort of job role you'd like to position yourself for in the future. Within the next 6-9 months, organizations (including yours) will probably start the migration to Windows 7 in earnest. If you're in an XP environment right now, I would probably recommend taking the time to get familiar with the Win7 technology. Windows 7/Server 2008 is a major technology upgrade over Windows XP, and the tests reflect that fact.

If you're in a Vista environment, consider taking 70-621 and receiving two new certifications: MCTS: Microsoft Windows Vista, Configuration and MCITP - Enterprise Support Technician. Your organization will probably not be in as much of a rush to upgrade to Windows 7, and you can put those certifications to bear on your career almost immediately. From there, you only have two or three more tests to take to become an MCSA. It is a legacy certification; personally, I still see a little upside value in it. I don't know if this will be the case six months from now, however.

I spoke with a Microsoft Learning representative about Exam 70-682 Upgrade to Windows 7 MCITP Enterprise Desktop Support Technician, and I was told that its future was in question, which surprised me a little. It was supposed to be released late 2009, the date was pushed back to early 2010 and then I was presented with that. It may be possible for you to get a direct upgrade from MCDST to MCITP: EDST7, but nothing is certain. There is another vendor certification required for MCITP: EDST7, the name of the vendor is Help Desk Institute (HDI). I currently have their HDI-Support Center Analyst designation, but when I called to have my credentials forwarded to Microsoft, I was told that they don't have the ability to do so yet. Keep in mind that this partnership was announced almost eight months ago. Combined with what I heard from the MSLearning rep, it doesn't give me confidence in an easy upgrade to EDST7.

I hope I've helped in some way. I'm MCDST and currently looking over the 70-621 exam, not because I use or will use Vista. I'm a student, and Microsoft Learning has quite a few exams with student pricing. I'm told that the 70-621 exam would be $60 and I'd receive two certifications (if I pass). On the off chance that you're a thirty year old student, as I am, here's the link for the free 55% off student voucher for select Microsoft exams (link goes to the Prometric site).

Prometric: Microsoft Student Certification Exam Offer