Re: MCAD Resources and advice. help please?
From: UAError (null_at_null.null)
Date: 01/17/05
- Next message: Lina Vuppala: "Passed 70-315"
- Previous message: Poorman: "MS Press 70-306 Book"
- In reply to: Rogers: "Re: MCAD Resources and advice. help please?"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ]
Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2005 09:51:39 -0500
"Rogers" <me@mymail.com> wrote:
>Thank you for the thoughtful and detailed reply.
>
>I think you got me confused here. Im doing an undergrad degree, so i have no
>thesis to complete in my 4th year.
>
Maybe they just call it something less menacing like "fourth
year project".
>I will infact have a lower than normal
>courseload because i did summer school.
Hmm, no co-op or internship - that could have been useful in
more ways than one - though I do realize how difficult it
can be to obtain a viable placement.
>But I understand and appreciate the
>fact that this demands a considerable amount of time.
>I did google around for material, the reason i asked here was because I read
>some of the discussions and clearly many of you are very knowledgeable about
>the subject. just wanted to know what you, from personal experience. think
>is the best book to prepare from.
For the C# track Kalani gets the most vocal votes.
>also, what are "braindumps"? I googled it and came across sites with
>questions that they claim will help in the exam. I'm a little confused
>though. where did they get these questions from? why is it so looked down
>upon? is it illegal to read those questions? and how would someone be "found
>out" and what are the "consequences"?
Braindumps are (sometimes bad) copies of the actual exam
questions acquired in violation of the Microsoft
non-disclosure agreement that all certification participants
have to sign.
The existence of the these have severely undermined any
value that a Microsoft certification may have had (in the
end the exams "only" have multiple choice questions).
Furthermore Microsoft retains the right to withdraw your
certification - a right they can exercise in case they
suspect that braindumps were used during the acquisition of
the certification.
Braindumps have the same unethical (and unprofessional)
element as "buying" previous year's midterm questions from a
follow student when it is known that the instructor does not
change his or her exams - and its almost certain that the
practice is not condoned by any academic institution.
Any halfway decent interviewing process will detect
individuals who obtained the certification through
braindumps as they invariably will not stand up to a
technical interview. The same type of interview process
could even discount a legitimate holder of the certification
as a "Paper MCAD" - as it may detect the total lack of
"real" development experience with the product.
Even if a braindump MCAD can bluff past a poor interviewing
process, the total lack of in-depth knowledge will quickly
betray him or her in the work place - possibly ending
employment altogether.
>
>the MS academy route you suggested sure lets me take the exams cheap, but
>membership itself costs over $1000, totally defeating my purpose. thanks
>anyway though.
>
There's always a catch...
>I have managed to procure the official microsoft guides for the exams ill be
>taking for the MCAD, do you reckon that oreilly c# book, some actual
>practice on visual studio .NET and the MS guides are enough? do i need amit
>kalanis books then?
>
There are a number of "O'Reilly C# books" - I used (and
liked) Jesse Liberty's "Programming C#, 3rd ed" to learn C#
and some .NET tidbits. Someone with a Java background
shouldn't have any trouble with that book. But it simply
gives you the basics - it doesn't prepare you for any of the
exams as such.
Some people have become certified only using the Microsoft
guides - but check out the reviews on amazon
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0735619271
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0735619263
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0735615861
(Also take note that these are already in the 2nd edition)
Now take a look at the reviews for the Kalani books:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0789728222
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0789728230
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0789728249
With the Microsoft guides you'll be spending even more time
in the MSDN and keeping a close eye on:
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/exams/70-315.asp#SKILLS
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/exams/70-316.asp#SKILLS
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/exams/70-320.asp#SKILLS
especially if you don't want to risk failing an exam (losing
your us$125).
So currently the Kalani's seem to be the most effective
solution.
'Any fool can write code that a computer can understand.
Good programmers write code that humans can understand.'
Martin Fowler,
'Refactoring: improving the design of existing code', p.15
- Next message: Lina Vuppala: "Passed 70-315"
- Previous message: Poorman: "MS Press 70-306 Book"
- In reply to: Rogers: "Re: MCAD Resources and advice. help please?"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ]
Relevant Pages
|
