I was recently asked by a potential SQL MCM candidate if we could share testimonials about the SQL Microsoft Certified Master program from non-Microsoft employees  Out of the 57 MCMs in the world, only 12 are not Microsoft employees  (by the way – the numbers on our Meet the Microsoft Certified Masters and Microsoft Certified Architects page only show SQL MCMs/MCAs that have opted-in to share their status).  Nonetheless, these folks represent 21% of an already small (but growing) community.

So after emailing a few of our non-Microsoft SQL MCMs, we got a few replies that I thought would be great to share with the world (with their permission, of course).

The following quote is from Bob Duffy, a Database Architect for Prodata.  Bob holds both the SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2008 versions of the Microsoft Certified Master certification, as well as being a Microsoft Certified Architect:

“I can 100% recommend the MCM programs. Three weeks to get master level content from some of the best guys in the world is awesome. It really is a chance to solidify knowledge, fill cracks, move up a notch, see different perspectives and get the top most technical certification on the planet for SQL Server. After 18 years in the database industry it was the most I have been  pushed in terms of knowledge and experiences in such a short space of time. Before the MCM I was almost coasting along on knowledge and self-improvement.

 For me there has been tremendous benefit, especially in terms of :

a)    Instant recognition, especially when dealing with Microsoft related customers and projects.

b)           Access to the MCM content and IP as it matures each release.

c)            Nearly lifetime membership to a network of elite experts  in SQL Server.

d)           Moving to the top of the pile on potential candidates for a project.

 As a side note the pressure and challenge are huge too – no one takes it in their stride without some sweat…”

Thanks much to Bob for sharing his experiences - and I'll share more testimonials over time,

Joe

Just getting the labs checked over for the Exchange session which starts Monday and I recently got some new toys...

I think 48 GB of ram, 16 cores and 2TB of disk per candidate server should be enough for a lab or two... don't you? I've got 16 vm's running, and still have 10Gb free. Of course, when we go to Exchange 2010 next year and start creating multi node DAG's and RPC Client Access Arrays... that will soon eat it up... for now, nice speedy labs, here we come.

I sent the below to all of our MCM/MCA communities last night, and thought I'd share it here, too. These programs rock! ...and I'll miss them dearly.

Hi All,

As the subject line says: it’s time for a change. I’m writing to let you know that I’ve accepted a new position within Microsoft (Director, Customer Experience - Xbox LIVE) and my last day in Microsoft Learning will be October 30^th. I know you see these types of emails a lot, I’ve read my share, written a few myself, but none has been as close to my heart as this one. So – apologies for rambling on, feel free to stop reading any time.

For the past 7 years, I’ve been involved with ‘Ranger’ / Master / MCA in some way or another. My hiring interview into Microsoft was basically my application to attend Ranger, a few years later I ran the Exchange program, created the technical MCA certification, added SQL and Directory tracks, and finally debuted the Master certification family while adding SharePoint and OCS and consolidating all MCA certifications in one home. There have been ups, there have been downs, I’m proud of many things that were accomplished, know some things could have been done better, and also know there is still – as always – more work to be done to make these programs as wildly successful as they deserve to be.

These programs are a collective gem; they are so unique. They are like nothing that I’ve ever had the honor of being associated with inside or outside of Microsoft, and it’s very, very tough to let go. The thing that makes them so special is the people. For starters, the people that run them (‘The Master Team’), who are so accomplished in their careers and so motivated to create the highest level of training and certification in the world in order to make a difference for our business groups and ultimately our customers. They are among the best consultants and architects in their fields, and the surrounding team is equally as bright, motivated, and successful. To ‘The Master Team’: thank you for coming on board, several of you moving your family’s across oceans to do so, and thank you for your friendship, passion, intelligence and the ever so critical ‘just getting it’. I will miss working with you all the most.

The instructors. Without the quality of instructors that we have been able to  secure over the years, the programs would be a charade. No one on the outside can truly know, truly appreciate the amount and depth of knowledge one gets from these individuals until they have gone through it themselves.  It’s just not possible. One of the most consistent pieces of feedback from candidates has been, “I had no idea what I didn’t know!”, and that’s all because of our instructors. Thanks to all of you for your excellence, and your personal commitment.

Finally, the community. It’s amazing how many kind, bright, and motivated ‘candidates’ I have met. By virtue of going through these high stakes programs, individuals’ characters come through very quickly and honestly, and the relationships that are built there ring true indefinitely. Being able to be a small part of each person’s journey has been hugely rewarding. Thanks to all of you for your efforts, and the opportunity be a part of your lives in some small way. Here also I’d like to call out the MCA community, and the Advisory Council for our Infrastructure and Solutions tracks: thanks for your continued support.  I’m most appreciative and look forward to keeping tabs on a momentum filled year.

Across all of the above (and a lot of others that would makes this email even longer were I to mention them), I’m very thankful for the lasting friendships that I look forward to maintaining. I know you will all continue to make these programs prosper, just by being yourselves. MSL will backfill my position, and a job opportunity should be posted shortly on Microsoft’s career site. In the meantime, Greg (who runs the Exchange program today) will guide the ship day to day; you’re in great hands, no doubt about it.

Until we cross paths again, I’ll say it one more time: “Know what you know, know what you don’t know, and never confuse the two.” J

Thank you for everything,

Per

We're in the third and final week of SQL now, OCS starts on Monday (Adrian flying in this weekend so fingers crossed no delays...) and a week from Monday, Exchange, SharePoint and Directory all start. It's a busy month ahead.

If you are coming to one of these rotations, remember, get here nice and early, get ready for a long first week, and whatever you do, don't be late, especially to my program. If you do, you'd better know the words to "I'm a little teapot" because I might ask you stand at the front and sing it, or the whole class gets extra homework. Don't say I didn't warn you....

Looking forward to the learning, a lot. :-)

The seventh SQL Microsoft Certified Masters rotation is almost finished.  It has been a jam packed 24 hours:

• A full day on the topic of SQL Security from Greg Low
• Last night we had a Meet and Greet in Building 35 - where our candidates had a chance to meet several PMs and Devs from the SQL Engine and SQL CAT team.  Fantastic showing and great conversations.
• Kalen Delaney stopped by for the final signature on Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Internals this morning!  She mentioned that these might be the only copies with all five signatures included.  Not sure if we can pull this off for each rotation, but we'll certainly try.
• The rest of today will be about High Availability.

Now it all comes down to Saturday.  8AM they will have a two hour exam.  11AM they will start their six hour qualification lab.

Wish them luck,

Joe

..don't talk about Advanced Infrastructure. Or so at least it was until now.

What am I talking about? I'm talking about our Microsoft Certified Master: Advanced Infrastructure certification. Never heard of it? Well, you're not alone. This was a Master track that we did an alpha and beta for and then decided not to pursue further for the time being. There were many reasons for this, and it is still in the back of our minds how we can perhaps surface that content in a different way and/or when.

But, our choice to not proceed with the program at the time, should not take away from the great accomplishments the individuals who did manage to pass all of the tests achieved. You'll find those folks listed on our newly published MCM/MCA Bio page.

Please join me in congratulating all of them!

 -Per

We have just started publishing a list of people who have earned an MCM and/or MCA certification over at our Microsoft Learning site. Go take a look here.

We'll be adding names as MCM's and MCA's ask us to, it's entirely optional, and we hope this brings them some much deserved publicity. Gaining a cert like this isn't easy...

Greg

I'm pleased to announce that we have three new members of the OCS MCM community after they completed retakes. There are, in no particular order,

• Robert Burnett - Robert works for CXO Global Solutions in the US
• Jim Raymond - Jim works for Dyntek also in the US
• Agus Rachman - Agus works for Microsoft consulting in Indonesia. Agus is one of the ultra rare breed of double MCMs as he holds the Exchange certification also. Impressive stuff.

Congratulations to them all and welcome onboard.

Adrian

We kicked off the seventh rotation of the SQL Server Microsoft Certified Master program on Monday and I have to say how impressed I am with this latest batch of 12 candidates.  The cumulative experience in the room is significant, and the intelligence and skill level is very high.  Even though we have a room full of experts, this is still a very thoughtful and humble group.  This bodes well for the next three weeks.

It is only the third day of the first week – and the journey is just beginning for them.  Over the next three weeks they’ll be getting instruction from luminaries of the SQL world – including Paul Randal, Kimberly Tripp, Adam Machanic, Gert Drapers, and Greg Low.   

At night, they must study.  During the weekends, they must study. 

Study for what?  Three two hour “written” exams and on the last day, a six hour hands on qualification lab. 

They will get a couple of breaks.  Tonight we’re taking a trip to Seattle for a round of darts, pool and beer.  And on the last week, we’ll be taking a trip to Building 35 to meet a few members of the SQL product team. 

But what will they be doing tomorrow night, or the night after, or next Saturday night?  Studying and lab practice.  Wish them luck!

We’re midway through the second week of “Rotation 7” for the SQL Server Microsoft Certified Master program. We tried something new for this rotation, providing a copy of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Internals for each participant. So far we’ve been able to get four signatures on everyone’s copy (Paul Randal, Kimberly Tripp and Adam Machanic are instructors for the program, and Conor Cunningham was kind enough to stop by for a visit this morning.) See the photo below (notice that Adam’s signature rides the fence between attribute-centric and element-centric XML camps).

** Update! Kalen Delaney dropped by for a visit and signed everyone’s books!  Below is a photo will all five signatures.  ** 

Over the last few weeks we've added a few more people to our growing community, so I delighted to be able to publically congratulate:

• Dwight Jesseman - Dwight is a Senior Systems Engineer for Unified Communications at the University of Florida and attended MCM Rotation 1, in October 2008. Welcome to the community Dwight!
• Dan Julot - Dan is a Senior PFE working for Microsoft in the US and is also an MCM 2003 from rotation 17 (about 3 years ago back in the old days of 'Ranger')
• Allen Mock - Allen is again a Senior PFE, working for Microsoft in the US and was in rotation 16 so he adds MCM 2007 to his MCM in 2003
• John Rodriguez - John is Senior PFE for Microsoft in the US, is an X-Box addict, was also in my class (the awesome rotation 15) four years ago, and oh, and he's an instructor on the MCM Program too! He also does very bad impressions of Brits. I know. But I don't tell him to his face.  
• Dave Barnett - Dave is another Senior PFE working for Microsoft in the US and is also an MCM 2003 from rotation 9. Single digits. He's therefore old school.

Well done guys, really proud of you all.

Ade Famoti, an Architect for Microsoft in Africa recently added MCA 2007 to his MCA in Exchange 2003! One of only 7 people worldwide to hold both those certs. There are some more MCA upgrades in the pipeline, but for now, Ade is lucky number 7!

Trivia note: Ade taught transport to the class I was in, four years ago. He blew the minds of everyone in the room on Exchange 2003 routing. I still to this day have no idea what a RAT is in relation to Exchange, but he does. Still, I passed the exam, so I guess I learned what I needed to! Thanks Ade!

Hi All,

Please join me in welcoming Brett Geoffroy to ‘The Master Team’! Brett will be driving our SharePoint MCM and MCA programs for us full time in FY10. He has been pulling double duty for a few months already while working with James to get up to speed and to ensure a smooth hand-off. James got this program off the ground in this last year, and did an excellent, excellent job starting from scratch and building a highly respected program in a very short amount of time. A big thank you to you, James!

I’m very excited to continue the momentum we’ve been able to achieve with Brett now at the helm. A few words from him:

Greetings all! I’m a Senior Consultant with Microsoft Consulting Services based in the San Francisco Bay Area. I’ve been in the IT consulting field for 13 years and have been working in the portal/WCM/search space since late 2000. In early 2005, I left behind my work with competing platforms and technologies by making the leap to MCS. Since then, I’ve focused exclusively on SharePoint products & technologies and have worked in architect and developer roles for large, long-running enterprise projects in the professional services, manufacturing, and finance industries in the US and the Netherlands. Prior to my professional career, I earned my B.S. in Management Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

It’s a true honor to assume stewardship for the program in FY10. I achieved my SharePoint MCM in April after completing R2 and have been working closely with James to transition into the role over the past five months. The SharePoint MCM program remains one of the defining experiences of my career and I look forward to working with the instructor team and the greater MCM community to deliver a similarly fantastic experience to many more candidates in the coming year.

Welcome Brett!

-Per

Hi All,

I'm happy to share a little retrospective from another one of our Directory MCM's, Rob Silver, who wrote us the following just the other day. It's a great example of ROI / benefits from investing in the program that I hope more and more people are seeing out there.

Hi Per/Ryan,

Some inspiring news I think:

I hadn’t actually being paying attention to something which has just dawned on me after 6 months of receiving the MCM Certification on DS.  It’s sort of a hidden benefit which perhaps some of the other independent consultants may be experiencing.

After gaining the MCM, I have not increased my daily rate to my customers.  Some of my colleagues and friends have asked me why not, and the answer is pretty simple – I am still Rob who just happens to have an MCM.

1.       However, here is the good bit!  I have just realised that although I am charging the same rate, my customers aren’t trying to haggle me down on price anymore.  They just accept it.  Great!

2.       RFQs are now being directed to me alone as the customers know that the rate is still pretty much the same as always.  This has eliminated a lot of competition and it is pleasurable to write proposals knowing that the chances of acceptance of the proposals is 90%.

3.       Also – I realised that my sales cycles have come down significantly.  No more meetings about previous meetings etc.  Without sounding arrogant or anything, I have seen significant benefits in my sales cycles (in terms of both duration and probable hit rate). 

4.       Finally, my designs and blueprints for customers are rarely challenged.  This means I can do more work.

So in summary, the MCM DS is still the most valuable education experience of my life in terms of the returns on investment.  Thanks a $million!

Thanks for sharing, Rob!

 -Per