MICROSOFT MCDST CERTIFICATION

Many I.T. workers start their careers working in a support environment and more likely than not as a helpdesk technician. While some people prefer to remain within the support industry, a good number of people view such roles as stepping-stones to bigger and greater I.T. challenges. Whatever your motivation, there is now a specialized I.T. certification that focuses solely on personnel working in a Desktop Support role - the MCDST (Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician).

The MCDST is a relatively new, entry-level certification designed for those who have about 6 months or more experience supporting users in an XP environment for a small, medium or large sized organization. At the time of writing (Oct 2004) there are fewer than 2000 people who have this qualification so, for a while at least, gaining the MCDST certification will set you apart from your peers (or other job applicants).

Gaining the MCDST offers a number of potential benefits:
Gives applicants the skills necessary to comfortably perform their day-to-day tasks

Gives notice to your employers that you are serious about improving and possibly advancing your career

If you're trying to get a foot in the door in the I.T. industry, the MCDST might give you an edge over other job candidates

Gets you in the habit of studying for I.T. certifications (especially if you intend to go after more certifications as you progress through the ranks)

On the downside the exams only focus on Windows XP (so if you're on a 2000 or other kind of network you're out of luck) but, on the plus side, once you obtain one of the exams you are also an official MCP. And the MCDST qualification gives you one elective credit toward the MCSA certification. The MCDST certification is somewhat sandwiched between the MOUS (or MOS) and the MCSA / MCSE certification tracks. The more cynical of us might argue that many of the core skills tested with the MCDST would also be covered by those other exams thus rendering the MCDST redundant (or more aptly, superfluous). Microsoft however seem to be making the effort to make the MCDST a recognized and worthy qualification for those who work in support and helpdesk environments. With the emphasis of the MCDST on troubleshooting and resolving Window's-based problems, the MCDST helps to develop skill-sets that will certainly compliment real-world experience in a support environment and, as a stand-alone certification, the MCDST is probably a more suitable introduction to more advanced tracks like the MCSA or MCSE than say the MOUS (or MOS).

The MCDST exams themselves focus entirely on the technical aspects of the support or helpdesk environment and not the delivery of service to the customer. In other words, although customer service skills are a key ingredient of any support position, the Microsoft exams are focused entirely on troubleshooting and resolving Microsoft product problems and therefore only test your technical proficiency, not your customer service skills. If you really want to develop your all-round skills and impress your employers (and customers), you may want to consider complimenting the MCDST with a customer-service orientated certification (like the Help Desk Analyst Certification from the HDI).

The MCDST exams themselves are comprised of mostly multiple-choice questions, but there are a number of scenario-type questions where you'll be presented with an interactive display. All-in-all it's nothing too difficult to master, and certainly if you're already working in a Window's support environment you'll be well used to the kind of scenarios you're likely to face in the exam.

If you've done a Microsoft exam before you'll also be used to the 'fluff' that they like to incorporate in the questions (e.g. 'You're a system administrator working for a large multi-national company with 2000 users blah, blah, blah…').

Many times you'll find the specific wording of the question itself will lead you to the right answer, but you need to sort the wheat from the chaff. Take as many practice exams as you can beforehand so that you can get used to the format and wording of the questions, particularly if this is your first time taking a Microsoft exam.

The MCDST certification does not expire as such but it is tied to the particular flavour of OS that is tested. Thus, when XP becomes redundant and future MCDST candidates are tested on another flavor of OS then your certification becomes effectively outdated. But if you work in a support environment long enough to see upgrades through more than one iteration of Windows then you'll undoubtedly need to update your skills during this time anyhow.

It would be safe to assume that most people would have moved on to more advanced certifications so the need to retake the MCDST would be minimal.

There is no need to go for both exams at once - you can spread them out and concentrate on one at a time and you can take whichever exam you wish to first. You only get certification though once you have successfully passed both of them. The exams can be taken through any Prometric or VUE testing centre that is local to you and the cost is the same for any MCP exam.

To prepare for the exams check out the list of objectives for each of the exams (see the links above) but more importantly (especially if you're already working in a support environment) think about the kind of issues that normally face users and cause them problems - things like e-mail setup and usage, security and browser options to name a few.

If you have good experience working with XP you should have no real problems, but work your way through the exam objectives nevertheless.

There are plenty of training courses out there that you can enrol with to cover the material needed to obtain the MCDST, but you should be able to get by with self-studying the material (recommended reading: Sybex - MCDST Study Guide - look for a cheaper second-hand copy at Amazon's Marketplace or eBay or similar). Don't forget to see if there are any good MCDST vouchers around for a cheaper exam price as well as free training material.

Transcender also offer a good free demo that you can download, but if you can get your employer to pay for the full product (or you are willing to invest in it yourself) then they come highly recommended.

The MCDST isn't for everybody but it does offer a good entry-level alternative to some of the third party, vendor-neutral certifications that are on offer at present, particularly if you intend to go after the MCSA credential later on.

While the MCDST still has some way to go to gain traction with employers, by being one of the first to get this certification under your belt you just might reap the rewards before it becomes yet another mass-produced certification.