So there I was teaching a security class not so long ago with a group of interesting students.  This started out as your average, everyday class, a few quiet students a few not so quiet students with the bulk of the students somewhere in the middle.  What made this class so interesting was the direct application of so many issues of security in such a small setting.  Normally you get some feedback and some examples from their own environment - but this was different.

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Just as society and the people within a society evolve, so does the IT field- I know, a truly remarkable observation - bear with me for a few though as I expand upon this theme.  As anyone who has been in the IT field any length of time is more than aware, our environments can change rapidly based on new technologies, new concepts and even new legal requirements.  The same holds true with IT certifications as well.  Certifications must evolve to meet these new demands placed upon the IT field to remain relevant.

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At what point do you say to yourself have been an instructor too long?  Are there peculiar portents visible only to trainers that tell them they have been behind the podium too long?  If you get a second generation student -then yes, you have been an IT Instructor too long! I haven't had that happen to me - yet.  But there are other signs out there that clue you in to the "you-have-been-a-trainer-for-too-long syndrome".

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All of you remember the first certification test you ever took - the fear and trepidation that went with taking that first test.  Not knowing what was going to be asked or even knowing HOW it was going to be asked.  Taking your first certification test can be quite the harrowing experience.  I know it was for me and I had been in the industry a number of years before taking my first certification test.

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The same group of students I had a few weeks ago asked this very question.  This subject came up when talking about the certification test that was applicable to the class.  There was quite a lively debate on this subject and much of it was generated from students whose employers would not pay for the certification test (these comments came from students in both government and private industry). 

The students whose companies were going to pay for the certification test were not nearly as contentious a bunch as the students whose companies or agencies would not pay for the test.  The arg

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I had another interesting certification question the other day - a student asked me what he could do to persuade his manager to pay for more training classes and tests.  This is a subject that is going to be brought often as the economy slows down and costs need to be trimmed.  Unlike the dot com crises 7-8 years ago - the IT field is actually looking ok - for right now!  But the problem at hand is how to persuade this recalcitrant manager that training is a worthwhile investment for not only this student, but for the other IT personnel in the company?

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I stated in an earlier blog that I would cover certifications and exams from other areas besides just the IT Pro side.  There are a number of other certification tracks and exams (and more on the way as well!) besides the in addition to the Windows Operating System certifications and exams.  The first series I am going to cover is the Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA) on SQL 2000 (in later blogs I will cover the newer releases of SQL).

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I had this discussion with a student recently - well - many students actually.

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I was a teaching a class recently - a Microsoft class - in which 10 of the 11 students had never taken a Microsoft certification test.  In fact, of the eleven students, 7 had never taken a Microsoft class before!  Most of these students had over 10+ years experience in the IT world (mainly telephony - which with the release of Office Communications Server 2007 we will probably see more of in the future).  What amazed me about this class was the sheer number of students who had never attended a Microsoft class and who, obviously, had never taken a Microsoft certification test.  Don't ge

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Once upon a time - trainers actually had to "sit" the classes they were going to train. This way the new trainer could see how the class was delivered, the material, go through the labs, etc.

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And growing...and this is a good thing.  There are those who thrive on having a huge number of certifications and then there are those who only take tests if they are "encouraged" to do such and even then they will only enter the test booth kicking and screaming. 

There are a large number of MCTS and MCITP tests out now with even more on the horizon.  This means there are more opportunities to earn certifications (and get those cool certificates to put on your "I love me wall" - you know, the wall you hang everything you have earned or received over the years).  But

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According to a very informal poll from students in a recent class, Microsoft is heading in the right direction with performance-based testing.  One of the students has over 10 years of both Microsoft and Novell certifications and he applauded the new testing methodologies.   Several of the students were only certified on Windows 2003 - so really had no comparison with older tests, but they did think that the concept of performance based testing was good.  But the one gentleman who has been in the industry for a long time thought the idea was, in his own words &qu

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Based on my own experiences and the experience of others, I would say yes.  While it is not a genetic requirement that you are a packrat prior to entering to the IT field, but it certainly helps!  Ours is field where old and new technologies intermingle on a daily basis.  You might have to support machines that are based technologies that are 10+ years old and yet, at the same time, start preparing for the next generation.  We are in a dilemma - just as we have space limitations on a hard-drive,  we have space limitations at the office where we can store manuals for older programs, hardwa

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Well - at least a real test that will requires hands-on vs. theoretical knowledge of a product.

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Or as one person aptly phrased it - "How not to teach a class".  I read something about a similar situation in a newsgroup not so long ago, but dismissed it, not actually believing that a trainer would actually stoop so low as to do such a thing - but I did indeed see this occur.

How can a trainer teach a class from or lecture from a certification test software preparation package?  I saw this incident recently and was amazed to say the very least.

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I have spent quite a bit of time talking about the IT Pro field.  I have discussed their certifications, various tests and other areas, but to the detriment of other Microsoft certifications.  I shall now remedy this, ahem, slight oversight on my part.

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So there I was, talking with a group of students about what they used to help pass the 70-236, Configuring Exchange Server 2007.  Given that this was a largish group of students and that there was a lot of senior management "interest" in the performance of this group of students, I fully expected to see several braindumps - and yet, there weren't any in evidence. 

I was surprised at this on several accounts.  As I had said earlier, there was much interest from senior management in how well these students did on their tests (most of them passed on their first attempt, with the remaining passing on their second attempt).  In response to this, I expected there to be "study guides" about - and there weren't. The students were very conscientious in preparing for this test.   They worked in excess of twelve hours a day going through various legitimate test preparation software packages and reviewing course material.  They also had several review sessions with different instructors to help prepare them for the test. They also quizzed each other as well from several different sources.

I mention all these different preparation measures to show that there is not one way that has to be used (or that can be used) to prepare for a test as evidenced with this group.  Each student found what worked for them - for some it was pure self-study, for others it was reading and reviewing material while for a select few it was a combination of all the methods.  In the end it did not matter what was use - only the outcome.  For most of the group, it was a "good" day, others had a "good day" a week later, but most of them ended up passing with none of them using any "alternate study guides."

Recent posts...

The Unheralded Trainers.

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Yes, Microsoft is indeed going to greater extents to reign in potential cheaters and/or "braindumpers".  I had mentioned in an earlier blog that Microsoft was in the process of implementing new measures to detect cheating on certification tests.  These measures, as described, would be able to tell whether a person had "braindumped" (if one can go garagesaling or scrapbooking, then certainly a test can be braindumped J) a test or not.  I guess by how long it takes them to answer a question, click-time for a selection and overall time to take a test.  If you have ever taken a certification test, you know what all of these mean - so I am not revealing any secrets here (not that I had any to reveal mind you).

At any rate, I had a student in class recently who was taking a number of tests (not for the class I was teaching but for other classes).  He was taking them at a prodigious rate and doing really, I mean REALLY, well on all of them.  He was one of those people who had a phenomenal memory.  He also had an amazing grasp of the principles presented in class.  He also asked many interesting questions (as in make the instructor think type questions) throughout the class.  What made his situation so unique is that he was actually contacted by Microsoft.  He wasn't able to disclose the details of his conversation, but apparently he was asked a number detailed, technical questions to, in his own words, "see if I really knew the subject".  Again, he wasn't able to elaborate very much, but it seems that there really is checking done on test-takers who do too well (sad we have to think that way - if we get a 100 on a test at school, you are congratulated, if you get a 1000 on a Microsoft test, you are viewed with suspicion.

I applaud Microsoft for actually checking a tester, but am saddened that they must assume the tester has cheated for doing well.

Recent Posts:

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In the past I have talked a lot about IT Pros, their certifications, training etc, but now is the time to discuss another IT trainer, an unsung hero of IT world and IT training- the Applications Trainers.  Teaching application classes is not an easy thing to instruct for a variety of reasons, time constraints, different class each day, class setups, remembering what new and possibly removed features are in each variant of a product, time constraints - did I mention that I already?

Application Instructors just do not have much, if any, flexibility in their class schedule. They usually have but one day to get through their book and little time for veering off-topic or spending too much time with a difficult student.  They must also be more diligent about breaks and lunches - when class starts at 1pm - it starts at 1pm, there just isn't the time available to wait for tardy students.  As a result, I believe there is much that can be learned from observing their teaching style.  I have taught 1-day classes before - it is not easy when you are used to having the flexibility to catch-up the next day - you just don't have the luxury of time with one day classes. For those of who train regularly and teach multi-classes we are used to have some flexibility in our timing and can accommodate diversions in class discussion.  We also have the flexibility in going into greater detail on some topics and spending time with individual students and their questions.

I have the upmost respect for applications instructors - theirs is not an easy world of training at all having taught a few 1-day classes. I used to work with an outstanding applications instructor - that is all she taught and I was amazed at her ability to switch between different subjects on a daily basis and her ability to develop a rapport with her students in such a short period of time.  It is also a totally different teaching style from those of us teach multi-day classes.

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I ran across a reference to this the other day that some companies may require incoming IT personnel to take a "skills" test.  This wouldn't be so bad if ALL personnel, regardless of their field of endeavor, were subjected to the a "skills" test.  Just imagine - an incoming attorney being required to take a "skills" test -insulting for them and insulting for IT Pros as well.

I can understand the genesis of this - the paper MCSE's.  Many companies were deceived as to the technical competency of the new hire.  But if the person they are bringing in has years of experience, solid references AND certifications - then there is no real need to subject them to a "skills" test.  If a new person walks in, says they have all of these certifications, but no work record to support the certification claims, then I would be suspicious.  But the crux of the matter is that if you ONLY test IT personnel, then aren't you discriminating against them?  Can't someone "earn" a degree through various on-line degree-mills - send the "school" XX dollars and poof - now you have a degree in computer science?  Once when I was searching for a new job, I was asked to take a skills test and told them I wasn't interested in their job if this was required only for the IT staff - just as well, company has gone downhill since.

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