Tag Archives: Certification

Where am I?

Only in the blogging world does a subject like “where am I?” get past the most curious of eyes without suspicion of insanity of the author. The truth is I’ve been asked by a couple of people why I haven’t posted anything in the past few days. You can rest assure that I have a slew of articles on various topics coming, but you’ll have to wait for me to start posting them for about another week. I’ve been involved in a couple of ultra super secret Whidbey projects for Microsoft. They keep it so secret I don’t even know what I’m doing for them! OK, in all seriousness, I’ll be flying to Redmond tomorrow and will be spending the rest of the week basking in the clouded downpours, sipping various coffees, and listening to more grunge rock than I can handle, and really, isnbt that about 15 seconds of it? I like visiting the area but every time I go up there I ultimately end up sitting in my hotel room all night after doing my duties at Microsoft. I intend to go out and find something to do or some exquisite place to eat. I even get in my rental go-cart and drive around for a few seconds before stopping at the nearest fast food joint, grabbing a number n and heading back to the hotel. Such is my existence as a non-adventurous kind of guy.

So in case any of you have never been to Redmond, let me share a small piece of it with you. This is where I’ll be. It’s the aerial view of the main campus — albeit 3 years ago.

Microsoft Campus

Wasn’t that thrilling? OK, I’ll see you next week.

Selected for Microsoft Workshop

Today, I received a request from Microsoft and I must say that I am deeply honored. I cannot provide the details just yet other than to say it is to review the content of a workshop. I cannot wait to get started!

While I’m on the topic of Microsoft and content, I wanted to say just how impressed I am with their attitude in the last few years. Many years ago, you could at least make a somewhat convincing argument that Microsoft was a detached organism with a drive and mission much like a honey-bee. They were committed to their task and very efficient at what they did, but if you got in their way or tried to alter their course, they could sting you.

Today, Microsoft has a much friendlier faC’ade. They solicit advice from the community through structured beta programs. They glean information from online groups such as forums and newsgroups. They solicit the help of professionals and reward them for their help with the MVP program. You can drill directly into the psyche of the development teams by viewing their blog, posting comments, or contacting these guys directly. Microsoft is willing to accept your feedback. But much more importantly, the teams at Microsoft attribute value to what you have to say. You can tell that this is an initiative coming straight from the top. You can tell that the employees are following suit.

Microsoft, you’ve done something right. With all of the complaints that get ballied about, and noise that you hear when you clumsily attempt to protect your intellectual property, I wanted to make sure you got your dues when they are deserved. It is here that I start my stand-up-clap-fade-in and hope I can get a few folks to join me in a here-here.

Microsoft Calling For Opinions on Dev Certs

Some time ago, I contacted Microsoft and rather rudely voiced my dismay about developer certification. It’s too easy to get, and doesn’t really provide any value as far as an indication of your skill level. The guys in charge of Microsoft Learning have finally given us the opportunity to weigh in on what we feel should be included in the Whidbey certification exams and how they should be changed to reflect today’s developer and hiring manager needs. Additional feedback on what benefits should and should not be included is also welcome!

I’m desperately calling for your help and the help of any developers you may know. Please get the word out about this. Go to [I’ve removed the forums link] and register your opinion! If you would prefer not to join the public debate, please feel free to email your anonymous opinion to tobin@titus.to

I sincerely thank you in advance for your assistance.