Bell Tolls for Microsoft's MCSA, MCSD, MCSE Certs
The writing has been on the wall for a while, but now the axe has finally fallen. Microsoft Learning, the certification and training arm of software giant Microsoft, announced this week that "all remaining exams associated with Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA), Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD), (and) Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) will retire on June 30, 2020." It's the end of an era for Microsoft, or at least the final period at end of what has been a somewhat drawn-out death sentence. Microsoft began signaling its transition to role-based certifications a few years back, and formally launched its first role-based certs at the Microsoft Ignite conference in September 2018. There has been a gradual ushering of certs not beneath the role-based umbrella into retirement ever since, and now it's time to pull the plug.
MCSA, MCSD, and MCSE certifications that are completed before the June 30 exam retirement deadline will remain active for two years after the curtain closes; thereafter they will be officially deemed inactive. So if you've been working on one of the 10 remaining MCSA certs, or the one (1) remaining MCSD cert, or one of the four remaining MCSE certs, well, all is not lost. Some of the soon-to-vanish credentials align with existing role-based certs, so if you want to transition to the new Microsoft certification ecosystem, there are some options available. The Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) and Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) credentials remain in full force; an FAQ accompanying the announcement states that both programs will be unaffected by the MCSA/MCSD/MCSE mass retirement.
ISACA Blogger Advises Rethinking the Cybersecurity Skills Gap
There are not enough skilled cybersecurity professionals to go around. Over and over again, the message from all corners of the cybersecurity sector is that more people are needed now. A post this week to the ISACA Now Blog of cybersecurity and governance association ISACA, however, suggests that there may be a golden opportunity in the midst of the well-chronicled scarcity. Blogger Kurt John, chief cybersecurity officer for the U.S. operations of global automation firm Siemens, says that companies should focus on both retaining and developing cybersecurity professionals from among the ranks of existing employees. XYZ Firm's new cybersecurity team, in other words, may already be on the premises – management just needs to find the people who have the capacity to grow into those roles, and start training them.
Certification Magazine Identifies Top U.S. States for IT Job Seekers
Where you, as a skilled IT professional, decide to look for work is a complicated decision. There are many different factors that determine why people end up working in the cities, states, and nations where they are ultimately employed. If you're currently weighing a job offer, however, or navigating some other career transition that involves a potential relocation, then there's some advice available in the pages of the most recent issue of Certification Magazine. A magazine article that appeared this week at CertMag.com identifies the six U.S. states deemed most desirable to IT employment seekers. Even if you're happy living and working where you are, there's no reason not to click over and have a look-see at the choices. Sometimes it's just fun to look at another list and see whether (and to what extent) you agree with what it suggests, right?
CompTIA Identifies 10 Emerging Tech Trends
Technology changes at the speed of, well, something fast. Everyone who works in IT knows that continual learning and adaptation is required to keep pace in whatever area of specialization you're in. Well, maybe unless you're, say, a COBOL expert. At any rate, IT types are constantly on the lookout for changes to existing Big Things, as well as signs of the emergence of Next Big Things. This week, a post to the blog of tech industry association CompTIA shines a spotlight on 10 technologies that are on the leading edge of the evolutionary curve. The usual suspects are all present and accounted for, including the likes of AI, blockchain, edge computing, quantum computing, the Internet of Things, and virtual/augmented reality. The other four entries to the list are not new or surprising, exactly, but they are items (three technologies and one trend) that don't automatically appear on every list of this type that gets written up: 5G, drones, 3D printing and "cybersecurity as critical business function." So what's your take on CompTIA's picks? Which, if any of these areas, will be a focus of attention and education for you in coming months?
That's all for this edition of Certification Watch. Please keep your certification news and tips coming to the GoCertify News Editor.
