As your research has brought you here it's probable that either you're considering a career change into IT and you've heard good things about MCSE's, or you're already in a networking related industry and you've realised that you need the MCSE certification.

We'd recommend you confirm that the training company you use is educating you on the latest version from Microsoft. A lot of students have come unstuck when it turns out they have been studying for an old version of MCSE which will have to be revised. Steer clear of providers who're just out to sell you anything. You should be given detailed advice to verify that you're on the right course for you. Resist being forced into a standard product by some pushy sales person.

These days, you'll find hardly any 'Windows' 'NT' server installations remaining, yet there are still a fair few remaining at Server 2000. By far the most prolific is Server '2003', with server 2008 still in its early days. As Server 2003 remains the most prevalent in commercial environments, the company's major qualifications are still based around this. While the Microsoft MCSA and MCSE qualifications have been around for some years now, (following Windows Server through it's progressions,) the MCSA 2003 and 'MCSE' 2003 remain the main-stay of present day Microsoft Network certification. Since upgrade training for Server '08 is also out there however, it really is advantageous to bolt this on too.

Even though the MCSA & the MCSE are regularly mentioned in the same career-track, they're genuinely quite different. Training to be a 'Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator' (MCSA) is designed for networking & senior-support jobs and server-administration. Anybody looking for technical-systems work, managing the activities of a mid-sized or smaller business network could select the 'MCSA'. You should derive a lot from this kind of work if you're a well organised problem solver who enjoys a really good technical-challenge. You'll get a high degree of interaction with colleagues, (since a lot of what you will be doing will involve helping and supporting the network users,) & a diverse working day.

The 'MCSE', however, is aimed at planning, design and project-management; in other words a more senior amount of responsibility. This particular qualification ought to be seriously considered if you have ambitions to become a network-manager, a project-manager, a technical or senior administrator, or a Senior IT Security professional. Creative, personal and leadership expertise will also be included within this training program, as good 'MCSE' specialists typically take care of an array of personnel and resource management responsibilities.

Commercially accredited qualifications are now, very visibly, taking over from the older academic routes into the IT sector - so why is this happening? Accreditation-based training (as it's known in the industry) is more effective in the commercial field. Industry has become aware that a specialist skill-set is necessary to meet the requirements of an acceleratingly technical commercial environment. Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe are the key players in this arena. In essence, the learning just focuses on what's actually required. Actually, it's not quite as pared down as that, but the most important function is always to cover the precise skills needed (alongside some required background) - without overdoing the detail in everything else (as academia often does).

If an employer knows what they're looking for, then they simply need to advertise for someone with a specific qualification. Syllabuses are set to meet an exact requirement and can't change from one establishment to the next (in the way that degree courses can).

Many students come unstuck over a single courseware aspect which doesn't even occur to them: The method used to 'segment' the courseware before being delivered to your home. A release of your materials piece by piece, according to your exam schedule is the typical way that your program will arrive. This sounds sensible, but you should take these factors into account: What would their reaction be if you find it difficult to do each and every exam within the time limits imposed? And maybe you'll find their order of completion won't fit you as well as an alternative path could be.

For future safety and flexibility, it's not unusual for students to make sure that every element of their training is delivered immediately, and not in stages. It's then your own choice at what speed and in which order you'd like to take your exams.