Question: If I have already earned my MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) Certification, is there anything else I need to learn?
The IT Guy says:
No, you have learned it all. You can sit back, relax, and rest easy for the remainder of your life, for you truly have reached the pinnacle of all computer knowledge.
Seriously—the above comment is a joke, but the question is real. It is quite interesting to check the Emailbag for the “IT Guy†and read all the amazing messages people submit. One of the most popular (doubtlessly submitted from students) is “how can I bypass Fortres or Deep Freeze security on my school computer?†Generally I don’t even pen an answer to those, but I thought I would respond to this question from a MCSE certification completer.
Is there a need for more learning after MCSE certification? Is the sky blue during the day when there aren’t any clouds to be seen? Of course there is more to learn, for that is the nature of our 21st Century, information overloaded society and culture. I would like to think that as technology advances further, it becomes increasingly easy to use as well as more powerful and less expensive. In the area of IT and specifically network security, however, this seems to sadly not be the case. The Microsoft security training seminars I have attended have left me amazed at how complicated, arcane, and even more jargon-filled than I expected our present and future IT world is and will be. In an effort to make computing systems and networks more secure, and enable administrators to have ever increasing levels of control (if desired) over the behavior and potential actions of computer users on their network, most computing companies involved in network security and IT seem to be part of a grand conspiracy to further complicate the lives of system engineers (even certified ones) as they keep driving income streams that fuel corporate technology profits.
Next Tip: Intermittent, unrequested laptop screen scrolling
