A Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) certification would be one area where you can set yourself about your peers as a Microsoft professional. A variety of IT fields may become available as an individual seeks the schooling and training necessary to obtain a MCP certificate. There are a number of different ways that you can go about obtaining this piece of paper. I know the opinions vary widely when it comes to the subject of certifications and many individuals are under the opinions that certificates do not hold the same value as they once did. My opinion is any education and ultimately a certification that you may obtain is always worth the effort for a few reasons:

1. Demonstrates you’re serious about your career.
2. Typically represents a broader knowledge.
3. A certification may increase your chance at a job.

The cost and time you will incur with obtaining a MCP certification will vary greatly depending upon which courses you decide upon. There are a wide number of training opportunities available from self study, virtual classrooms, in residence training, and more that all provide effective training. You will just have to determine what works best for you and dedicate your efforts in achieving this goal.

If you’re not sure where to begin let me share with you what Microsoft has readily made available. Microsoft Learning Plans and offers help you train to become certified in the most notable and current Microsoft products and technologies, including Windows Server and Windows client technologies, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft Visual Studio, Microsoft .NET Framework, and Microsoft SQL Server. In fact if you are just beginning your journey within the IT field and you’re not sure exactly what area you fall into then take a look at the following chart from Microsoft.

There are a number of training resources that you can use to prepare yourself for certification. One great place to start is the Microsoft Learning Center which offers a wide variety of resources broken down by products, options, and subject matter. There are even a number of free resources if you look for them. There are a great number of third party vendors that provide study material, practice exams, and peer discussions to better prepare you, these are:

• MC MCSE Certification Resources
• Test King
• Pass Guaranteed
• Train Up
• Actual Tests

At the time of the post Microsoft is offering “Second Shot” which is a program that will allow you to retake an exam should you not pass on your first attempt. Now may be a great time to pursue a certification if you have been on the fence. Good luck in your endeavor of obtaining a certification.

eBooks

• Own Your Future: Update Your Skills with Resources and Career Ideas from Microsoft (direct link)
• Understanding Microsoft Virtualization Solutions Second Edition (direct link)
• First Look Microsoft Office 2010 (direct link )
• Windows 7 troubleshooting tips (direct link)
• eBooks.com Buy One, Get One Free!

Study Guides

• The Microsoft Certified Application Specialist Study Guide
• MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Configuration Study Guide: Exam 70-640
• MCPD Self-Paced Training Kit (Exams 70-536, 70-526, 70-548): Microsoft .NET Framework Windows Developer Core Requirements

Test Center

• Prometric (All Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) exams are administered by Prometric)
• Certiport (Microsoft Business Certification exams are administered by Certiport)

If you have any tips from your own personal experience, please feel free to comment and share with others.