MCT Certification? Not Right Now, the Roadblock to Success. During each IT Professionals life, you will come to a crossroad. This can happen early, in the middle or later in your career. For the IT Professional that’s early in their career path. They are building confidence, yet not completely sure of their newly developed skills. Are they really ready for the big time? For the IT Professional that’s in the middle of their career, they have experienced victories and set back. They may have watched how markets change rapidly and vowed to never get caught in a down market again. Then there is the well established Professional. They have seen it all and have a wealth of experience. They are nearing the end and think about what they would like to leave to a profession that has served them well.
Each of these professionals, for different reasons have considered at some point during the journey to become Microsoft Certified Trainers. Up to this point in their respective careers none has followed through. The new IT Professional who is still hunger for growth keeps putting it off thinking he/she needs to gain more experience. The IT Professional in the middle of his/her career may feel they just do not have the time or maybe the money with a growing family and other personal activity to pursue another certification, though they know it will rapidly increase the trajectory of his/her career. The seasoned professional has always wanted to give back but is still trying to figure out how to find the time and is wondering how much effort they want to put into a new phase of their career.
They each have the best intentions but now is just not the right time. They keep putting becoming a Microsoft Certified Trainer on the back burner, always thinking in the back their minds, they will get to it. They just need to learn a bit more about the MCT Program and how it works.
The Elephant in the room
The elephant in the room may not have time, money, effort or some other yet discovered reason. The truth may be that becoming a Microsoft Certified Trainer seems a little challenging. They would need to move out of their comfort zones.
They have heard about a few of the perks of MCT Certification. They even have friends, colleagues, and associates that have taken the plunge. They have been advised that the rewards are incredible on the other side.
The idea of speaking to a group of other IT professionals about technical issues may seem somewhat awkward. Perhaps building skills of new IT professionals makes them somewhat uncomfortable. They are aware that the future of some star eyed kids’ dreams rests in their ability to transform an unskilled truck driver to a polished IT professional.
This can be understandable. Microsoft Certified Trainers are not only considered experts in Microsoft Technologies, and Products. They have the sole authority from Microsoft to deliver Microsoft’s Official Curriculum (MOC) courses to Microsoft Certified Professionals and those seeking Microsoft Certification. There are issues of classroom configurations and machines not operating correctly they will need to deal with.
These factors and others may be the reason they have not reached the zenith of their careers, or certainly not reaped all the fruits of their hard work and value of the certifications they currently hold.
One Bite at a time
The first is to decide that you are going to follow through and get to the next level in your career or start a new career by becoming a Microsoft Certified Trainer. Next you will need to learn about the process of getting certified. Many IT professionals believe that the time consideration to become a Microsoft Certified Trainer is several days, weeks or even months. The truth is that it takes as little as 2-3 days to get your Microsoft Instructional Skills Certificate of Completion.
The next obstacle is what is it going to cost to become a Microsoft Certified Trainer? This will depend on a few things. The provider you select. Is the course local to your area. Do you need to travel to an overnight location to receive your training. What is the delivery format. Do you prefer in-person training, or virtual training or could you locate a provider that has a Self-Paced course.
Cost for MCT Training can vary depending on the provider. Obviously in-person training is going to cost more as providers need to pay for brick-and-mortar space, instructor cost and other overhead costs. In-Person can generally run closer to $3,000 for a 2–3-day course. Next is the option for Virtual Training. The cost is reduced for the provider but not entirely. Therefore, the pricing is not much less than in-person training. The difference may be a few hundred bucks cheaper at best. Then you have Self-Paced Training. This is going to be the cheapest, as course content and any supplemental videos is easier to produce. Many candidates find this an ideal choice. There is no travel, they can take the course at their own pace. Some will quickly finish others a little slower. One of the advantages for students is they can go back through the course as many times as the like and throughout their career. It may even be a better option for most students. The cost is generally below $2,000 or even $1,500. This option requires completing and passing a final exam.
Reasons to get started
There are several reasons to get started today on your MCT Certification. The value of MCT Certification is incredible. Here are just some of the perks that come with this premier certification. Microsoft Certified Trainers join an exclusive membership-based club. MCT’s get deep discounts on books and exams. They access to Microsoft entire library of courseware and (MOC) online labs. This allows those holding this powerful certification to prepare and get certified on any Microsoft products they have an interest in.
MCT’s have their own MCT Community forum. Only Microsoft Certified Trainers can access the forum, where ideas, tips and information are shared on Microsoft products, courses, and training development. They also have their own job portal. Here Microsoft Education Learning Partners and other MCT’s share career opportunities and openings for instructors before it is released to the public. Microsoft Certified Trainers can enroll and participate in the Microsoft Azure Pass Program and course and beta exams at no cost.
Microsoft assigns a regional lead for MCT ‘s to answer questions and provide career guidance. These are some of the many perks. MCT’s that work as in-house trainers average $136,931 as of August. This is an increase of nearly 16% of 2021 numbers where Microsoft Certified Trainers average $116,657. The range of pay for Microsoft Certified Trainers is $85k-$253k depending on your level of certification and experience. Microsoft Certified Trainers that are freelancers earn more than in-house trainers. Freelancers set rates based on type of course, course length, number of participants, difficulty of content and travel and accommodation considerations. Freelancers have the opportunity to build their own practice through corporations and Microsoft Education Learning Partners to name just a few. Freelancers may teach a course in the Caribbean one week and Europe the following week.
Microsoft Certified Trainers hold annual events sponsored by Microsoft through invitation lonely. Here you can meet other Microsoft Certified Trainers from around the globe and share career opportunities and market conditions.
Who can help you
Now that you have decided to become a Microsoft Certified Trainer, your next step is locating a Microsoft Authorized Provider that fits your learning needs. It is important to note that not all Microsoft Education Learning Partners are Authorized to provide Microsoft Instructional Skills Certification. Quite the opposite is true. MCT’s certification is a specialized skills and there are currently nine (9) or ten (10) authorized providers.
Not all providers of Microsoft Instructional Skill Certification have a global presence. Many serve their local regions and travel; course schedules and accommodations narrow the opportunity for training for many candidates. Some providers only offer in-person training, while there are a few that have recently added virtual training online. There is only one currently that offers all 3 delivery formats. In-Person, Live Virtual Instructor-Led, and a Self-paced course. Keep in mind that if you select the Self-Paced course with supplemental videos you are required to complete and pass a final exam before the issuance of a certificate of completion.
You can find a complete list of authorized providers by visiting Microsoft’s website. Just google how to become a MCT and click the link. You can also find the complete list of exams/certifications that qualify for MCT Training via the same Microsoft site or by visiting Fourth Dimension Technologies, Inc.
A word of caution. Be aware of companies that claim their certificate of completion is accepted by Microsoft or that they have a special relationship that allows you to submit their certificate of completion to Microsoft for MCT consideration. Select a provider that is on the Microsoft Approved list. You can also determine if the provider serves the global community by going to their website or contacting them directly.
Do I qualify for MCT Certification
There has been a good deal of bad information surrounding this question over the years. Questions like you must have training experience to become a Microsoft Certified Trainer. Or you need to secure a recommendation from a third party to be considered for entry into the Microsoft MCT Program. Neither of these are correct.
Here is what you need to become a Microsoft Certified Trainer
- You must posses a qualifying Microsoft Certification
- You must attend a Microsoft Authorized or Approved Provider of Microsoft Instructional Skills Certification.
Once again you can visit Microsoft’s website to see a complete list of the certifications/exams that qualify for consideration for entry into the Microsoft MCT Program.