Upgrade your MCSE 2003 certification to a Windows Server 2008 Certification...

Should you do it now?

If you are thinking whether to upgrade your current MCSE 2003 certification to the newer certs, Microsoft advises you that "If you have a Windows Server 2008 certification on your resumé, you have an excellent opportunity to catch the eye of early adopter organizations."

And it's a sound reason to do so. On the other hand, as IT professionals we have to look at our own situation and ask ourselves some questions:

It's true that technology moves and we have to move with it. But do we have to do it now?
What are our career plans? What do we want to accomplish?
What opportunities exist in our current location at the moment and in the near future?

Weight several factors and benefits as you decide. I mean, you can always upgrade later. There is no rush. Your MCSE 2003 certification will never expire. It can still be included on your resume for years to come. The server 2003 technology will not become obsolete anytime soon either.

So if you decided to go ahead, here is what you will need...

What you will need to upgrade:

You only need to pass one exam which is the Exam 70-649 (Exam 70-649 is an upgrade exam that is a composite of three stand-alone exams: Exams 70-640, 70-642, and 70-643)

When you pass this one exam, you will earn three MCTS certifications, which are:

MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Configuration
MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure Configuration
MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure Configuration

From there you can move onto the MCITP series:

If you want to become a MCITP Server Administrator, you pass one exam which is the Exam 70-646 PRO: Windows Server 2008, Server Administrator

If you want to become a MCITP Enterprise Administrator, you need to pass two exams:

Exam 70-620: TS: Microsoft Windows Vista, Configuring
Or
Exam 70-624: TS: Deploying and Maintaining Windows Vista Client and 2007 Microsoft Office System Desktops
Professional Series exam Exam 70-647: PRO: Windows Server 2008, Enterprise Administrator

note 1: If you are a MCSA on Windows 2000 Server, you cannot upgrade
note 2: There is no upgrade path from messaging or security specializations to Windows Server 2008 certifications.