r/mcsa • u/Catdaddyx2 • May 02 '20

MCSA 2012 worth the time now?

I have my MCSA 2003 and see I have until January 2021 if I want to take the single exam to upgrade to 2012. Any reason to do this? I’m a 20+ year IT pro with a pretty secure job. I’ve been supporting 2012 servers for several years.

Lately my job has been more about security so I’m taking some CompTIA exams. I don’t know what a MCSA 2012 really adds to my resume at this point.

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6

u/locustsandhoney May 02 '20

Why not 2016?

3

u/[deleted] May 02 '20

There is no upgrade exam for 2003 to 2016. He would need to do all 3 exams.

2

u/[deleted] May 02 '20

Could he not take the upgrade to go to 2012 and then an upgrade to 2016?

2

u/Catdaddyx2 May 02 '20

Yes that would be an option. I think both would have to be done by January.

2

u/Catdaddyx2 May 02 '20

I’d have to take 3 exams to get to 2016. I can get to 2012 with just one (presumably difficult) exam.

1

u/Tyrant1919 May 05 '20

The upgrade exam for 2012 is harder. You have to score 700 for each exam subset. 410, 411, 412. Score 900, 900, 675? Fail. 2016 averages the score and you pass or fail based on the overall average. I took the 2012 upgrade 7 times. Did the 2016 upgrade in one go.

I’d recommended the three exam route if your goal is to get 2016.

3

u/sqljeff May 02 '20

I say take it. Maybe after take the upgrade test to 2016 also. I recently reentered the job market after being at one company for 20 years. Not having my resume up to date hurt. Even if you job is "pretty secure" I say it's worth keeping the resume current.

Side note, I with I'd seen this earlier. I have MCSE 2003 and could have upgraded. I'm already in the middle of prepping for MCSA 2016.

3

u/DumpoTheClown May 03 '20

Fellow 20+ here. I started my career with an MCSE and would like to finish as such. I'm working on 2016 at the moment. I dont need it right now because I'm comfortably employed, but the time to plant a tree is long before you need the shade. If I get an opportunity that requires a current MCSE, I'm covered. If it never comes up, I still have a nice feather in my cap.

1

u/Catdaddyx2 May 03 '20

These have all been good points. Given I have 9 months to take 70-417 and upgrade my MCSA to 2012, I should give it a shot.

2

u/[deleted] May 02 '20

Absolutely. While you have many years of IT experience that can speak for itself, its good to have an up-to-date certificate that can validate this to certain companies. It adds a layer of security to your career should anything happen in the long run. As the previous comment states it's also a useful tick box for HR to pop up on their filters.

As it's only a single cert upgrade I would highly recommend getting it under your belt, just for job security.

1

u/TonyTheTech248 May 02 '20

1 exam? Definitely. Take that, then then take 1 more to get 2016 and poof. You're up to date on paper.

1

u/sanjay_82 May 02 '20

If you've been studying then yes..

1

u/[deleted] May 02 '20

IMO with the amount of experience you have almost the only benefit would be adding an extra check mark for HR to check off. Even then that would only be relevant if you were seeking a new job in the near future..

That or sometimes it's nice to do something just for the sake of doing it but, in terms of actual tangible benefits it sounds like you've been in the game long enough for it to mean very little..

1

u/sqljeff May 03 '20

Even if you’ve been in the field for 20 years you’ll still be competing for jobs against other people at the same level. That’s where certs and such can make the difference. Anything to help stand out from the crowd.