I'm not in it for the money...exclusively...

I was talking to the older kids about homework yesterday, and I mentioned that starting this week, I have extra homework, too…I’m studying for my next certification. Now, I’ve been a bit lax on certifications since SQL 2000 (hey, I’ve been busy, okay?)  But it’s definitely time to get back on the wagon.

I already have my MCTS on the Dev track, but I never bothered to get my MCITP. (If this is greek to you, you can check out the SQL Server Certification Paths in this handy-dandy PDF, or on the Microsoft SQL Server Certification site).  Instead of doing that, I’m in the mood to get my Admin MCTS. For the record, I’m working through the MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit for exam 70-432 – Implementation and Maintenance, by Mike Hotek (Twitter).

My daughter asked why I wanted to get my certification, and our exchange student immediately answered: “To make more money!”  I suppose in the long run, that’s part of the goalset, sure.  But it doesn’t exactly work out directly…1 certification is != an extra $5k a year, as far as I’ve seen.  But it’s part of growing, of measuring and increasing my knowledge. It’s part of a career path – I never suspected in my youth that I’d be working on something so uncool as a career path! – that leads to better and brighter things…and yes, in the long run, better pay.  But for right now, I just want to fill in the gaps in what I’m doing, and get another shiny badge to tack to the wall.

Happy days,

Jen McCown
http://www.MidnightDBA.com/Jen