Microsoft, like many other vendors who offer technical solutions in IT, offers a wide certification program for technology specialists (not only developers, but also administrators). As each certification is obtained by passing the more or less demanding exam (or even few exams), it’s a supposed to be a certain proof of true proficiency in given technology. I’m not going to elaborate on all profits you (as a person) gain thanks to certificates, as they’re quite obvious. I just want to mention two valid points:
- Take advantage of your knowledge - if you’ve worked with some technology for a long period of time, most likely you don’t have to make big effort to prepare yourself for examination. It makes sense to work a bit more and reward yourself with formal proof of ability (before you forget what you’ve learned…). Trust me, I’ve went through that personally - I’ve reforged 11 years of .NET experience (since beta of .NET 1.0) into 12 certifications obtained within 13 months. It wouldn’t be possible without all this past experience and I still had to do some work to make it done, but it was worth the effort.
- Make sure your employer knows about your certification. Make use of MPN - register your Microsoft Certified Professional number withing our organization on Microsoft Partner Network. This way - your company will be able to see your certificates (and that’s important if they aim for silver / gold partnership), as well as Microsoft.