[tkiely]

Caspar,

good luck with your studies. It's true that an MCSE is not the passport to a job like it used to be but you will come out of it with a good grounding in MS tech and a greatly enhanced feeling of confidence.

Personally I gave up the MCP route after my NT4 cert. These days you seem to be always playing catchup, or should that be payup?

I work for an IT security company and have to recruit systems engineers. We always used to insist on an MCSE but have recently found that it doesnt guarantee the best candidates. We now use our own short test which without being rocket science does weed out the weaker candidates. What really hits home is when the guys/gals turn upfor interview with their shiny 2000 MCSE and then display absolutely no idea about either NT or 2003. We develop software for a market where a huge percentage of people still use NT, so we need that knowledge in our people.

If you can, get as much practical experience under your belt as poss while doing the exams. That combination definately will open doors.

Again, good luck and above all, enjoy it while you are learning.

Terry