Microsoft Certified Professional Developer

Last week, I was supposed to take my Microsoft 70-548: Designing and Developing Windows-Based Applications by Using the Microsoft .NET Framework exam. On Monday of last week, I had finished with my exam preparation book. I went online to schedule the exam. I saw that Tuesday was already booked, but Wednesday was free. Since I am currently taking Wednesdays off, I signed up for the 9:30 AM slot. I wish I had paid attention to the date. Apparently, fellow exam takers had filled all the slots for last week and I had inadvertently registered for this week.

I headed off to the LCCC to take my exam. After realizing my mistake, I felt embarrassed and stupid. The staff at the LCCC tried to fit me in but was unable to do so. I get two and a half hours for each of my exam but I am usually done within forty-five minutes. However, they have to block out that time in case it takes me the full exam time.

The good news, of course, is that I eventually took and passed the exam last Wednesday. This means that I am now a Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (Windows Developer on Visual Studio 2005)! I still have at least a half dozen other exams I want to take and certificates I want to earn. I have already started preparing for my Microsoft 70-529: .NET Framework 2.0 – Distributed Application Development exam.

However, just because I have been working on certification does not mean I have neglected my schoolwork. I just completed my “Database Management” and “Advanced Visual Basic” classes. I received a 99.6% in the former and a 100% in the latter.

Next week, I will be attempting three classes: “College Algebra,” “Software Development Leadership,” and “Advanced Visual Basic II.” I know it will be a lot of work, but I want to get my degree as soon as I can. Besides, I want to keep this momentum going for as long as I can.