When we consider Microsoft certifications, we are covering a very broad range. To certain people MS training means learning software programs, and to other people it means gaining more advanced level IT accreditations to work as a professional in the IT industry. It is extremely important, as with all training, to be sure of where you want to get to, and what your reasons are to reach that point, as these can greatly impact what track you take and what learning-method you utilise. Included in your research, discuss your plans with an industry training specialist who will help you to get what you need from your training for the best price and in the most appropriate learning method for you personally.

Proficient user-skills can be developed via selected Microsoft certification tracks, & commercial support skill-sets via others. To learn about 'Office' 2003 (XP) consider MOS - Microsoft Office Specialist. For 'Office' 2007 (Vista) skills choose MCAS - Microsoft Certified Application Specialist. A degree up from MOS & 'MCAS' is MCDST - Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician, which provides you with the skills to support other users in an office.

You may equally be looking at a technical position within the I.T. market, that would mean rather more in depth and technical MS certification study. Microsoft have fairly recently re-vamped their accreditation structure, and whilst you will still find quite a number of tracks based on the 'MCP' accreditations, we are more and more observing the change to MCITP ('Microsoft Certified IT Professional') and 'MCTS' (Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist) packages. MCTS training programs are typically worked on as building-blocks to the 'MCITP'.

To most home PC users, the word Windows comes to mind once they think of Microsoft. To others, it's synonymous with the main 'Office' software used, either in the home or at the office, to accomplish particular everyday functions. The most familiar program is most likely Word, which is an application for word-processing. When we want spread-sheets we use 'Excel', and when we require database software programs we have 'Access'. For giving presentations, 'Office' provides the software program 'PowerPoint', which rounds off the main packages within the suite. In reality Microsoft have taken their Office portfolio a lot further - for instance with Outlook for messaging, calendar formatting & emailing.

Business and global commerce are overpoweringly led by Microsoft Networking & Server Operating Systems. The operating platform for about eight to nine out of ten networked offices is believed to be Windows Server. It started out as NT server but the software has been elevated through time to Server 2000, Server 2003 & more recently Server 2008. A substantial amount of corporations still utilise 'Server 2003' as their standard operating platform, and do not intend to switch. There are businesses with 'NT' or '2000' installations, & they're the organisations that have the biggest need to up-grade to 'Server 2008'. You'll find further information on MS Network & Server Operating Systems in the 'MCSE'/'MCSA' web-pages, including advice on the 'Server 2003' versus 2008 debate.

Over the years, it has to be said, Microsoft have designed more and more professional level certifications - which means that many other players in the sector have been required to enhance their programs. Consequently skilled professional level 'Microsoft' certification is very highly considered throughout the world of I.T. & IT leadership.

The main areas that 'Microsoft' provides certification routes for are generally related to their core systems. So fundamentally we're looking at Programming, Networks & Databases. Every one of these paths has it's own distinctive set of individual certification groups - which can be researched more deeply by browsing through the pertinent web-pages on this site.

Visual Studio is the primary 'Windows' software program development 'environment', and is solely owned by MS. They offer several languages, with 'C#.Net' & VB.Net (Visual Basic) being the most widely used. Information on both 'languages' is covered in the Programming area of this website. Principle qualifications are the MCTS and 'MCPD' (as they have replaced the earlier MCAD & MCSD.)

Structured Query Language or SQL is a specialist 'language' for interrogating Databases. Structured Query Language is key to how data is stored on a database & extracted from it. Therefore knowledge of the 'language' is essential for anybody who is aiming for a professional database career. There are two tracks for database experts - 'Database Administrators' who control and create reports on the data being held, and Database Developers, who are the designers and builders of Databases. Often, a 'DB Developer' may also acquire programming qualifications (either in VB or C#,) in order to hold the complete skill set needed to write Database software, as well as design the storage-structures.

Self-Paced Online PC Courses In IT >>