SharePoint MCM certification is the topmost technical certification in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007. A little over a week ago I have completed the 3-week training in Redmond. I have yet to get my certification though as I have passed only some of the exams. Fortunately there are retakes available so my challenge is still on. The SharePoint MCM certification training course had 3 exams, each at the end of the corresponding week, plus there was a full-day qualification lab on the very last day.
Was the course useful? It was the most challenging training I have ever taken, it challenged my knowledge, time management skills and ability to keep up with 15 hour working days for 3 weeks. I was fortunate to meet with people who all were very solid SharePoint professionals already (we had 16 students in class), and learn from them. The course instructors were excellent, and also well-known names in SharePoint community. It was exciting to meet them in person with plenty of time for asking any level of depth of technical questions. Some of the course material was simply the best and hard to get anywhere else. Each student was provided with excellent hardware for doing labs. Most of us do not have that level of lab environment at work. And I definitely know much more about the product now, which by the way helps me being better prepared for working with its next version. Lastly, the exams were a challenge – I still have work to do there. So the experience was worth every dollar I’ve spent on it. I’d like to thank the organizers of the MCM training here, and especially James Petrosky who made this course a great experience for years to remember.
I would recommend my colleagues in SharePoint community to go to this course since even during the weak economy the best investment you can make is into your knowledge. You won’t go bankrupt because of this! Even, and especially if you are seasoned, you would be surprised by how much more there is to learn about the product.
