Ranger
In addition to Bill Wall and George from MCP, we had Per Farny on the line in this morning's MCP program update. Per talked a little about the Ranger program. If you're interested in the advanced certifications from Microsoft, call in and hear what Per has to say. We're doing another session at 5pm PST.
I'll poast the recording links tomorrow.
Comments
Anonymous
October 31, 2007
Per your request, I will attend. See how I just did that?!? :-) I rock... With a cape.Anonymous
October 31, 2007
The comment has been removedAnonymous
October 31, 2007
Hmm...I will attend too! Too bad it's 1am when the session starts. And tomorrow I even have a Forefront Security training :(...Anonymous
October 31, 2007
One liner: Ranger program is elite certification for consultants at Microsoft or at Partner organizations. Second liner: very cool - very expensive - very cool as.Anonymous
October 31, 2007
lol ok. So between MCITP and MCA ?Anonymous
October 31, 2007
The Ranger program sounds great! Let's hear (in about 3 minutes) what Per has to say about it...Anonymous
October 31, 2007
ah good live meeting works in firef... I mean see you there...Anonymous
October 31, 2007
Ranger IS MCA. Ranger is the former name for the special certification programs which focused (originally) on the Exchange product. Essentially, originally it was really tough to get in, there were something like 5 exams to pass, etc. Now there is all that PLUS the usual board review process which has a really low pass rate, from what I understand, both for Microsoft folks AND those from the outside. Now the "ranger" programs are training for really deep specialization with specific products. The Ranger programs I am aware of are: Exchange Server SQL Server Windows Server The corresponding certification are actually MCA but with designations. So the Exchange Server ranger program culminates in an MCA:Messaging designation.Anonymous
October 31, 2007
I wonder how many people go for an MCA just to get the cool name "Ranger"... ..or is that just me..Anonymous
November 01, 2007
I just realized I left out a VERY key part of the ranger programs: hands on training with internal microsoft technologists and access to the product teams for that product. The ranger courses are extensive multi-week courses in Redmond that concentrate on taking a senior architect who is really competent in the underlying product and making them someone who understands the inner workings of the application stack inside and out.Anonymous
November 01, 2007
Oh, and the part I love (unless things have changed) you can only get the Exchange Ranger if you work for MS or a MS certified (most likely Gold) partner. PS Note my sarcasm if it didn't come through! :)Anonymous
November 01, 2007
@ntpro: Naw, come on, that isn't such a bad restriction. Becoming an MS partner is easy as pie if you're just two people...Anonymous
November 01, 2007
Any word yet on on the Windows Server 2008 betas? Although I certainly value the opportunity to participate in the open beta, I think that at 3 days+ we are passing from the realm of minor annoyance to dogged frusteration as we continue to fall behind those who have taken the exam at release with Prometric recieve thier results daily and continually, we do not. A price of taking the exam for free as beta, perhaps, but personally frusterating, nonetheless.Anonymous
November 01, 2007
@Schandboxen : The last thing I heard is that Prometric & VUE will post the results at last Nov. 2nd. If it's not there by the end of Nov 2nd I think we can e-mail Georgeo or Trika again ;)Anonymous
November 01, 2007
Helmer, that's half a day from now ...Anonymous
November 02, 2007
Re: Naw, come on, that isn't such a bad restriction. Becoming an MS partner is easy as pie if you're just two people... What if I am schizophrenic, but only one of me is certified? :-) You can become a "Registered Partner" if you are a sole proprietor, but not any step higher. BTW: Are there any Gold Partners out there that are willing to pay for my MCA/Ranger certification, including the month pay while I'm in Seattle for training?Anonymous
November 02, 2007
@roel hehe...i know...Anonymous
November 02, 2007
ntpro: During the meeting, they mentioned that they did recently change that, and now you don't have to work for an MS Gold Certified Partner -- you can also qualify if you work at an MS Certified Partner (the level below Gold). For practical purposes, I don't think very many people would be able to afford this anyway if they don't work for a big certified-partner company that would be willing to pay the fees for them.
Larry: I think it is theoretically possible for a one-person business to become a Certified Partner, although not easy. The key requirements are:
- "Obtain at least two exclusive Microsoft Certified Professionals OR at least one tested solution" (get a tested solution, or get a contractor or part-time assistant to associate their MCP ID with you), and
- "Earn 50 Qualifying Partner Points": These can come from having a bunch of certified employees, getting a bunch of customer references, selling a bunch of MS software licenses, and/or from earning one Partner Competency (those generally require a second person associated with your company, but you probably wanted to get one anyway for the first requirement).