I haven't had a chance to write a blog entry for a couple weeks.  I've been busy studying for Microsoft certification exams.  I had been running the Madison .NET User Group for two years and developing in .NET for ten years with never taking any certification exams.  I thought it was time for a change.  I decided that this year I was going to take some exams to improve my skills and marketability.  Hey, I've got a wife and four kids to provide for...

 I was first studying for Exam 70-536 .NET Framework Application Development Foundation.  I realized how much in the .NET Framework I didn't know details on.  I rely very heavily on the MSDN documentation.  I believe that work is not about how much you can remember the details on classes, methods, etc...  But it's about how well you can find the information and quickly make it work for you.  I finally scheduled the exam and passed it....  Hooray...  It's the base exam that you need for any of the MCTS certs...  So now I'm officially an MCP.

The next exams I'm studying for are 70-540 Windows Mobile and 70-562 ASP.NET 3.5.  Both fit real well with the experience I have on projects over the last ten years.  I scheduled the next exam for two weeks from now to force myself to study.  I also used the free Second Shot offer from Microsoft.  That makes it less stressful knowing that I can take it again from free if I don't pass it.