Think beefing up your résumé with Web services credentials would be a good idea right about now? With the recent release of the first two .NET developer certification exams from Microsoft, you can begin doing just that.
The new exams, Developing Windows-based Applications with Visual Basic .NET and Developing Windows-based Applications with Visual C#, are the first of 12 .NET certification exams Microsoft due to release by this fall. Candidates who pass combinations of the exams will receive either the MCAD (Microsoft Certified Application Developer) for .NET certification or the MCSD (Microsoft Certified Solution Developer) for .NET certification. Candidates must pass two exams to receive the MCAD for .NET certification and four to receive the MCSD for .NET certification.
To receive one of the .NET certifications, developers will have to wait for additional exams to be released by Microsoft. The other exams will focus on skills such as developing XML Web services and analyzing requirements and defining .NET architectures. Additional MCAD for .NET exams are due to be released in September. The full slate of exams required for the MCSD for .NET certification wont be released until the first quarter of 2003.
In addition to the two .NET exams, Microsoft released a collection of study guides and other preparation tools.
In other Microsoft certification news, the company said it plans to retire the MOUS (Microsoft Office User Specialist) certification for Office 97 later this summer. Microsoft officials have been quoted as saying demand for the older certification has been low compared with that for MOUS for Office 2000 and MOUS for Office XP.