About Certifications and More....

Without wasting any time I have begun work on C# and how I can add value to myself. Industry recognized certifications is the way ahead! In case you are unaware about certifications, they are proof of your competence. You may be knowing Java but is there a standard way to test your profiency in the language? Yes there is! Sun Microsystems will test you (for a price of course!) and if you pass the test you will get a certificate from Sun saying that you are a Sun Certified Java Programmer or SCJP as it is popularly known. The test is not a cakewalk by any means, though you wouldnt call it very tough as well. Like any other exam, planned preparation will see you through. Many of my friends have cleared it and some with exceptional scores. And like Sun Microsystems there are a whole range of Companies that provide you with options to get certified in their products. Certifications add value to your resume. Of course there is a lot of difference between certification knowledge and working knowledge. However, a combination of both will really make you the expert in that field. That is why many of the certifications in their "Who should appear for the test?" FAQ tell that the ideal candidate would have worked on the technology for about year or so. However many of us in India take the test even though we have no working knowledge of the particular technology/product. I guess we have been brought up like that.

So much do you have to shell out to appear for the exam? Well that varies from exam to exam but the simple programming ones cost you around $50-100. That is about INR 2000-4000. Not too expensive I would say given the salaries that people are getting these days in the IT sector in India. And if you are already working for a company chances are that your company will refund the amount back to you. So that's pretty cool!

Thomson Prometric is the most popular vendor offering tests in various certifications across the globe.

So while I am still in the learning phase of C# and the .NET framework, I will also start preparing for the certifications. That is because if I got to have the edge in the market I must get certified. In the course of the next few posts I will be posting articles about things you should know about C# and the .NET framework that might help you in the certification exam. My first target is to clear the 70-536 Application Development Foundation and then the 70-528 Web Client Development after which I would be a MCTS in Web Application Development. Lets see how this turns out! Godspeed!

To know more about Microsoft Certifications, please go here.
To know more about Sun Certifications, please go here.