I finally decided that it is time to get some certifications.

While Im not the biggest fan of certifications, because most of them do not measure true ability, a lot of people do find a lot of value in these.

My chosen certification path is the Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer track using C#. I really think I will learn a lot from this. However, I would feel much better about gaining this cert if it was similar to the Java developer’s examination.

With the Java developer certification, you are required to author an application to a given set of specifications and then also are required to talk intelligently about the choices you made regarding architecture and programming techniques.

This type of certification is much more valuable, I think, because not only will you gain an in depth knowledge of the framework, but you will also know how to put this knowledge into practice. I hope that Microsoft ends up offering a similar certification path.

My first exam after I receive my books, 70-135 (Developing and implementing Web Applications with Microsoft Visual C# .NET and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET).

I’ll keep everyone informed of my progress.