Patrick_Regan: I would expect to put in about six months for a Microsoft certification and three months for the Cisco cert. Of course, this will greatly vary from person to person. One thing that I have learned is if you take courses, take the exams shortly after the completion of the course. I have seen many students spend tons of money, go though the classes but never get certified. Then they forget what they learned in class so they have to start all over again.

Moderator-Keith: PRE-SUBMITTED QUESTION: What's the best way to come up to speed on OCS and other unified communications technologies?

Patrick_Regan: OCS is short for Office Communication Server, which replaced Live Communication Server (LCS). I think the best way is to find a good book, but I tend to be a visual learner. I find that most people are hands-on users. They like to dive right into it. Since this tends to be a more specialized service, finding a training center that offers how to install and configure OCS is an excellent way. Other people who have a good working knowledge of Microsoft products and technology may try to find a good book or research the online documents and other Websites. When you are ready to build, you will need at least one server to get it off the ground. It always seems different when you are reading about something then when you actually implement it. Of course, before you jump right in, you need to learn what it can do and how to design it so that you determine if you want to build it on one server or multiple servers.

Karra: I am graduate student. I do not have a lot of industry experience, but I have a masters in telecommunications and a bachelors in electronics. I am a certified Network Associate from Cisco. What do you think would be the right kind of job for my experience? (I am interested in working in Layer 2 and Layer 3.)

Patrick_Regan: You have a lot education and you can do something with that. You may look at project management. If you can strengthen that and combine it with your technical background and communications major, that is very powerful. Of course, when you learn about project management, you will find that there are unique challenges with IT projects because you often deal with unknowns, which are hard to plan for. Unless you are really strong in the Microsoft environment, you would look for a job to support switches and routers. What will make or break you is how well you interview and how well you show them that you really know your stuff. Expect an entry level job but within a year or so, you will be able to move right up or move on to a better job.

Jthatcher: Are Microsoft and Cisco certifications now targeting IT Job Roles more than their products or technologies? Will this mean they intend to target new customers beyond the traditional certification customer audience? What people, companies, or audiences do they target?

Patrick_Regan: Oh for sure. When you go for the Microsoft certification, they are touting more of the new technology and less emphasis on some of the basics. For example with the new Windows Server 2008 certification, they will be focusing on the new features of terminal services, Sharepoint and IIS 7.0 on the application platform but less emphasis on basics such as NTFS. Cisco is not as bad since they are trying to get the most from their products. While these certifications are job role focused, they are also product focused. When you take a Microsoft exam, you are expected to answer the Microsoft way in order for your answer to be considered correct. And the same can be said about Cisco.

Moderator-Keith: PRE-SUBMITTED QUESTION: What if I need to learn a few technologies for work (like everything there is to know about Exchange), but my job doesn't require me to actually get a certification. Cost isn't an issue (I can get reimbursed). Is it better to just take the spot training for technology classes that I need -- or should I go ahead and get certified?

Patrick_Regan: If your job requires you to work with Microsoft technology, you should always strive for certification. Of course, you need to keep your company happy, so you need to learn the skills that you need to learn to do your job. But if you strive to go for the Microsoft certification, it will only enhance those other skills. While some people may take classes to prepare for Microsoft Exchange, it is essential that you understand disk management, NTFS security, Active Directory and DNS, all of which are focused on in other exams/courses. The MCSE ensures that you have the basics of networking. Therefore, even if you don't actually take these other exams, it will only help you if you learn those skills. And if you plan out your exam preparation and exams, the MCSE certification will only make you more marketable within your own company or elsewhere.