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On October 11th I was reading my email as usual when I opened one whichstated something so unbelievable that I had to read it three times. I willadmit the news was nothing compared to the events going on in the rest ofthe world (the September 11th terrorist attack and aftermath). However, itwas very welcome nonetheless.Microsoft has changed their policy on retiring certifications.If you will remember, over a year ago Microsoft had announced that theWindows NT 4.0 certifications were being retired on December 31st, 2001.This meant that everyone who had slaved for months or even years to passtheir exams had to rush to take the new exams for the newest operatingsystem (Windows 2000).Needless to say, this announcement caused quite a stir in much of thecomputer industry. There were hundreds of thousands of MCSE's, and all ofthem were effected by this decision. What made it even worse was the factthat most of us were not even upgrading to Windows 2000 anytime in the nearfuture. Thus, we had to get certified yet we didn't really need to getcertified to do our jobs.There were quite a few annoucements. The two regarding MCSE's state exactlywhat I had suggested in a previous article "Microsoft's ^@&^#&@ W2K MCSEPolicy", so I was very happy indeed. http://www.internet-tips.net/Microsoft/W2KMCSEcertification.htm...on Windows NT 4.0, which designates the related certification as based onWindows NT 4.0. This designation applies to the following certifications:MCP, MCSE, MCSE+I, MCP+I, and MCP+Site Building. Thus, this MCSE wouldformally be called "MCSE on Windows NT 4.0."...on Microsoft Windows 2000, which designates the related certification asbased on Windows 2000, Windows XP Professional, or Windows Server .NET. Thisdesignation applies to the following certifications: MCP, MCSE, MCSA, andMCDBA (except for the latter, it's called "MCDBA on SQL Server 2000"instead). Here, this MCSE would formally be called "MCSE on MicrosoftWindows 2000."The bottom line is simple. Those of us who have the MCSE certification donot need to worry about losing it at the end of the year. It also makesthings much easier for me as an employer - now I will be able to look at acertification and get a little more information. Instead of just finding outsomeone is an expert on Microsoft operating systems, I will now find outexactly which operating system.Microsoft also added a new certification, called MCSA, or MicrosoftCertified Systems Administrator. This certification is great news, as itprovides something between MCP and MCSE. Why is this necessary? The new MCSEfor Windows 2000 is a very tough exam and it might take someone (especiallythose of us who work for a living) quite some time to get it done.The MCSA certification requires three core exams and one elective. Thecertification is actually very well designed, and should serve as a usefulguide for employers.Why the change? Well, I think there are a number of reasons. The biggestreason? The terrorist attack and it's effect on the economy.My peers and I have seen, in just a month, our budgets disappear, especiallyfor things like upgrades and certifications. My boss put it very well to melast week, "if you have the choice between upgrading and laying people off,what are you going to do?" The answer is obvious. At my company, we havepostponed upgrading until next year at least, which means we do not need toget certified.Another big reason is that MCSE's have jobs, and I don't know about you, butI have trouble finding time to take the classes and tests to continuecertification. It's hard enough just to keep the wife happy, write somearticles, and maintain the job. So the certification, testing and learningwill wait.On top of that, Microsoft has been very unsuccessful in trying to force thecomputer industry to upgrade to Windows 2000 and beyond. Yes, my company didinstall Windows 2000 on all of our laptops, but we've found Windows NT 4.0works very well on our other servers and workstations. We have no intentionor need to upgrade our hundreds of systems for the next several years,unless their is a valid business reason.Even more importantly, even though we may upgrade our systems to Windows2000, we have no intention of installing Active Directory anytime soon. Whynot? This is a huge change and we simply don't want to support it at thistime.Finally, the industry backlash on Microsoft has been huge, and the power of400,000+ MCSE's and their supervisors should not be underestimated.Personally, I am happy that Microsoft has made this change. Now I canconcentrate on important issues like polishing our disaster site, upgradingour security measures, ensuring our backups work properly and making oursystems work better for our users. Article Tags: Windows 2000, Very Well