MCSD - does is really matter?

[kingcobralion]

Hello all, I'm currently a student a tech/vocational school in Bellevue, WA. I'm going to start training and preparation for the MCSD certification. I have no "real world" experience as a dev or a tester. Does having the cert help me getting a job in this scenario? I have a basic understanding of C#/C++ and .Net, but just no professional experience. I figure that somebody has to start from somewhere when they change industies. Any foresight and feedback would be nicely appreciated.

-KingCobraLion

[tain]

Here is some previous discussion on certs. There are more topics in this subforum.

I'd say that without any experience you may not be too attractive as a new hire. If you have the knowledge/ability to pass the tests then perhaps a cert could help you get a job. But some of those tests are tough to pass without real experience.

Good luck on the career change. I'll have to do that eventually and seems very daunting.

[kingcobralion]

Thanks TAiN. I live in the Bellevue, WA area so I dont think getting a job will be to hard (Bellevue is right next to Redmond - which is where Microsoft along with dozens of other software companies are located, in case you were unaware). I was just kinda curious as to what to expect for interview questions? What topics and what not? Thanks again!

[gosh]

You should focus on your target audience. If your future boss puts a lot of weight in certs, then yes it'll help. If your future boss could care less then you're wasting your money. What you need is a plan. Make a choice - cert or no cert - and make a plan how to best leverage this.

-gosh