MCT Success Story: Jonathan Blair
MCP Success Story
On any given day, you might find Jonathan Blair traveling by train through the Scottish countryside, reading a book. Peek at the cover and you'd find he's reading about the Microsoft Solutions Framework or something equally, in his words, "embarrassingly geeky."
Blair is one of the first to earn the Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD) for Microsoft .NET certification. As director of a consulting firm, he finds that studying for certification exams is a good use of time during the inevitable travel that his job requires.
With three certifications under his belt—MCSD for .NET, MCSD, and Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD)—you might expect Blair to rest on his laurels or at least take a vacation. However, shortly after discovering he had passed his MCSD for .NET exams, Blair turned his focus to pursuit of the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification.
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Personal Satisfaction
Clearly, Blair sees value in certification. For one thing, getting certified gives him personal satisfaction. "It's a reward for your hard work, to get the little bit of paper that says that you passed," says Blair. "Certification provides a goal to aim for, and when you get it, it is proof to yourself that you know something. Then you can move on to the next thing."
Blair also finds that preparing for the certification exams gives him a sense of focus. "It is very difficult to learn all the new technologies, especially when you are in a full-time job," he says. "Preparation for certifications requires that you cover all aspects of the product or technology you're studying, and this often means that you cover things that you didn't know existed in the product or technology. For new technologies, it is also often difficult to determine what you should be looking at. This is where the exam guidelines are crucial, because they ensure that you concentrate on the right things."
Good Business Value
Even more than getting personal satisfaction, certification for Blair is crucial to having a successful business.
In 1998, Blair and two coworkers decided they had the skills and experience to start their own consulting firm. "We had all run our own contracting companies before and were not afraid of taking the plunge," Blair notes. Thus Rhana Consulting, a software development consultancy based in Edinburgh, Scotland, came into being.
From the start, the directors knew that Rhana Consulting would benefit from being a Microsoft Certified Partner, so they took the necessary certification exams. (Among other criteria, Microsoft Certified Partners must have Microsoft-certified staff.) Since then, they have continued to earn and maintain their certifications. "The only way to compete in software development is to be the best at the latest," says Blair. "We are committed to maintaining a high standard of technical skill and knowledge."
Keeping that high standard means being well-trained and certified. "We are a proactive company and have implemented a companywide learning scheme that encourages all of us to improve our knowledge and achieve new skills and certifications," says Blair.
Certification gives Rhana's clients a sense of security. Blair explains, "They trust that we know what we're talking about, based on our certifications."
He sees it from the other end, too. "As an employer, I tend to look for the MCSD credential on all resumés that land on my desk," says Blair. "Hiring someone takes a great deal of consideration in many areas. With a candidate who has a Microsoft certification, especially MCSD, we can be confident that he or she has technology skills. From there, we can concentrate more on how the employee fits with our company."
Experience Essential to MCSD for .NET
Because he was staying up to date on the latest technology, Blair was eager to take the beta version of Exam 70-300: Analyzing Requirements and Defining Microsoft .NET Solution Architectures. He found that the exam mapped closely to what he does on a daily basis. "One of my roles at Rhana is solutions architect, which means I design seamless solutions to fit client needs and business goals—basically the theme of the exam," he says.
For Blair, his 10 years of experience in the information technology (IT) field were crucial to doing well on the exam. "The questions in the exam are often based upon your approach to designing or implementing something," he says. "In other words, you have to know how to combine technologies together to produce a solution, not just simply know how to answer a technical question about a specific piece of software. You need to be able to recognize the relevancy of a specific technology in different business scenarios. The skills required for the exam bring in a person's ability to understand requirements from a business and technology perspective."
According to Blair, this aspect of certification exams challenges candidates to really think about a solution. "Software development is becoming increasingly complex. Projects are spanning huge geographies, combining numerous technologies, and encompassing many participants." In order to do well as a developer, Blair feels that one needs to "understand business goals, people, and processes."
Looking Ahead
Now that Blair has achieved the MCSD for .NET certification, he's looking forward to pursuing other certifications, both for his company and himself. A future goal for Rhana is to achieve Gold Certified Partner status.
The directors at Rhana find themselves using the Microsoft Solution Framework (MSF) approach more and more in the development process of their projects. "Having the documentation of the MSF helps us to convey the importance and benefits of having a good process, especially when working with an existing development team," Blair says. "Even at this early stage in our adoption of MSF, it helps us to engage more effectively with our clients."
Because of this increased engagement, Blair might take the MSF exams in the near future, which will give him plenty of reading material for train rides.
Certification Benefits the Employer Too
Birch is not the only one who has benefited from his Microsoft certification. His employers, including his current employer, Macro Enterprises, a Microsoft Certified Partner, have benefited as well. The company mentions Birch's Microsoft certification prominently whenever it bids on a new project, and the credential has been a factor in many of the company's successes. It has also been a factor in the execution of projects, such as a recent case in which Birch used his knowledge of Microsoft Solutions Framework to manage a project to its successful conclusion. To take advantage of Birch's expertise, Macro Enterprises has also promoted him to serve as project manager and project analyst. He now helps to craft the company's proposals to prospective clients.
Birch has attained both financial rewards and accolades because of his MCSD certification, but he's not stopping there. Birch says he's always been comfortable working with databases. Having developed an interest in Microsoft SQL Server, Birch requested opportunities for hands-on experience with the product. That experience, combined with Microsoft self-paced study materials, led him to pass the SQL Server version 6.5 design exam and the SQL Server version 7.0 administration exam.
Birch has become a database administrator who has not only served clients but who has also helped other company consultants with SQL statements, stored procedures, and general knowledge of SQL Server. Working onsite with clients, he's created several logical data and physical designs and administers several databases with regular performance tuning and index maintenance. Birch has used the experience from these assignments to pass the SQL Server 7.0 design and implementation exam.
Birch sees ongoing benefits for himself and his company from Microsoft certification and sees the MCP program as one to commit to. He has recently passed the solutions architecture exam to update his MCSD certification and the Windows 2000 Server exam to become MCDBA certified. The certificates are framed on his office wall so that clients can see them.
Always Willing to Share the Power of Microsoft Certification
"I am very happy to be an MCSD again, but the MCDBA certification demonstrates my knowledge and experience of SQL Server, which is the heart of many applications," says Birch. Birch became a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) in July 2001. His next goal is to begin teaching SQL Server classes at some of the local training centers in Houston.
"I've gained so much through Microsoft certification," Birch sums up. "And I'm pleased that I'm able to share what I've learned not only with my clients but with coworkers and others who are also pursuing certification through the MCP program."