Rising Tide Floats All Microsoft Certifications, Including MCDST

Published September 28, 2005
By Ed Tittel

It could be next year's pending release of Longhorn desktop, with server to follow another year later, or it could be Microsoft's mass customer mailings earlier this summer, warning users that Windows 2000 was transitioning from mainstream to extended support, but something has seriously picked up interest in new MCP exams of all kinds starting around May, 2005. Sources inside VUE and Prometric confirm that Windows 2003 and MCDST exams have enjoyed a big uptick since then. My publishers (Que and Wiley, now that the latter has purchased Sybex Books) also tell me that sales of related certification books have also picked up. And just to round out the picture, this phenomenon is greeted with affirmation and relief by practice test vendors and training companies as well, who also report an upsurge in MCDST and Windows 2003 MCSA/MCSE related offerings.

Where the Microsoft Certified Desktop Technician (MCDST) is concerned, it looks like this Microsoft program is finally getting some attention from enterprise employers and technical or customer support and help desk operations of all kinds--albeit nearly two years after it made its debut. Whereas the MCDST didn't raise much of a blip on job search sites such as careerbuilder.com, dice.com, hotjobs.com, and so forth as recently as a year ago, you can indeed find job postings on these and other sites nowadays by searching on MCDST as a keyword or criterion. All this tells me that Microsoft is finally getting the message across that help desk or tech support professionals who work with users of Windows XP and related applications can benefit from related training, and from developing the knowledge and skills that the two exams involved (70-271 and 70-272) cultivate.

Most experts still contend that the MCDST is best supplemented with an A+ or other desktop certification (like HP's Accredited Platform Specialist: HP Commercial Desktops, Workstations and Notebooks) certification. That's because while the MCDST does a good job of addressing Windows XP and desktop applications, services, and so forth, it doesn't address the hardware side of the typical help desk or tech support situation. And as anybody who's worked in such operations can tell you, troubleshooting hardware is every bit as important as troubleshooting the operating systems and applications it supports.

Nor should MCDST holders expect that simple possession of the cert will be enough to waltz into an entry-level job, with or without an accompanying hardware credential. Most successful help desk and tech support job seekers report that employers continue to put strong weight on prior experience and knowledge as well as certifications. Thus, aspiring IT workers who plan to take the ever-so-traditional help desk or tech support route into the field should look for ways to gain experience through part-time or volunteer work before seeking full-time employment in the field. Traditional sources for such experience include computer training labs, churches and schools, or the many charities now so hard at work after a busy hurricane season (the Red Cross needs IT-savvy volunteers, among many other organizations).

But the MCDST appears at last to have gotten past the "Huh?" stage, and is now taking on some value in the eyes of hiring managers and HR staffers, in addition to an increasing degree of name recognition. Check this program out.