Microsoft announced in 2018 that it would be retiring a few MCSA certifications and replacing them by role-based certifications. Those certifications were likely to have caused shock or distress for those who were taking them. The change took place. Many exams were retired in 2019. The world went on. The old certification program was finally ended by Microsoft in 2020.
Microsoft announced in February 2020 that it would be retiring the remaining MCSA and MCSE exams. Learn more about this change.
We get it. Earning certs can be a time-consuming task that requires a lot of money, effort, and effort. We understand that you may feel like throwing your laptop or monitor out the window. We have some advice to help you think before you act.
Here are our thoughts about MCSA certification retirement. What options do you have? How can you make a smooth transition?
Learn how to become a security expert with SPOTO’s Cybersecurity Training
Start trainingMicrosoft Cert retirements. Why not now?
You’ll see many changes in the IT certification industry. Amazon has eliminated exam requirements. VMware certifications don’t expire. Cisco turned the tables on their cert program by merging 9 CCNAs in one. Microsoft also announced the retirement of a few exam series it had released months before. It’s no surprise that 2019 and 2020 were turbulent years for certifications.
Microsoft introduced new role-based certifications in 2018 to replace many popular MCSA certifications. These role-based certifications bridge the gap between the knowledge required to pass cert exams and the knowledge required to perform specific job functions.
Microsoft has done a 180 after years of creating certifications around their products. Microsoft’s role-based certifications emphasize the skills IT pros need to succeed on the job, rather than the knowledge required to pass an exam.
Cloud Platform and Linux On Azure were the first MCSA certifications to be granted in December. They have been replaced with the following role-based certifications.
Microsoft Certified Azure Administrator Associate
Microsoft Certified Azure Developer Associate
Expert Microsoft Certified Azure Solutions Architect
MCSA: Windows 10 and Office 365 were retired in March 2019. Microsoft passed a number of exams to go from beta to retirement in less that a year. This is the complete path that Microsoft took to get from the AZ-200 version to the AZ-204 latest version in less than two years.
The Complete Guide to Microsoft Certifications contains a complete list of all Microsoft certifications. We will continue to update it as more information becomes available.
Many MCSAs find these certification retirements a bit disconcerting. Does this mean that your MCSA skills and knowledge are no longer relevant? The answer is no.
Microsoft is not making significant changes to Azure, Office 365 or Windows. Microsoft is changing the certifications and exams that they offer. Microsoft is moving to role-based certifications to promote a holistic approach to certifications. IT professionals are no longer evaluated on their product knowledge alone. They must apply product knowledge to specific job tasks and roles. This is great news for those who are new to IT or have been in IT for a while. There is still time to start again.
Before you take the plunge, make sure to verify the certification
Microsoft’s website is a great place to start thinking about MCSA certification. It takes just a few clicks to determine if a certification will be retiring soon. This will save you a lot of time and money.
Many IT certification vendors are very good at sharing information about retirement certificates. Microsoft is not an exception. They clearly state whether a certification will be or is slated for retirement. The red font that reads “This exam has been discontinued” is easily missed.
Microsoft isn’t the best at redirecting learners from these pages to replacement certifications. For more information, see e
