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Do The Microsoft Certifications Expire?

Microsoft certifications don't expire - they just become obsolete. Sounds like a joke you find in a computer humor site. Ok. Let's be serious for a moment. The older exams don't expire - they retire when their time has come.

	For instance, Windows 2000 server exams have retired as from March 2008. This means that you can't sit for them anymore because their time has come to an end. But... because they have retired, they still remain relevant on your resume. In other words, you can still say you are MCSA 2000 certified or MCSE 2000 certified.

If you are working for an employer or wanting to join a company that is still running (alot still are) Server 2000, your cert is still valid.

MCSA and MCSE are not going to retire anytime soon. I read at a source that they will retire in 2012 but don't quote me on that. Anyway, the important thing to remember is that they are still around and will be for a very long time.

The new generation certifications though are another story. Microsoft will be following Cisco's example on these new certs and will expire them by the end of their lifecycle. These certs are:

Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS)
Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP)
Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD)

For these you will have to renew every 3 years to remain current with technology. Microsoft wants to ensure that your skills are up to date and relevant with this new policy.

So what's the difference then between Expire and Retire?

Retire means you can't do the exams anymore but they are still valid certs on your resume.

Expired means you can't list them on your resume (unless you specifically say that they are expired) because you haven't renewed them (like Cisco's Certs.)

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