I was just discussing with a colleague earlier about how big the Microsoft site is: you can’t see the forest from the trees. I’ve been a TechNet subscriber for over 2 years. I haven’t even looked at one of the services bundled with it. We get access to a bunch of free Computer Based Training (CBT) courses in Microsoft E-Learning, many of which provide essential materials for MS exams. I also was parsing through my MVP emails. One of the perks we get as MVP’s is vouchers for free E-Learning for those courses that must be paid for. Fantastic!
I signed into the site and I could browse my free courses from TechNet. There’s some good stuff in there. But, I prefer to read this stuff when I don’t have Internet access, e.g. when I’m on the train or down the countryside on a rainy day where there’s no coverage. Not to worry, there’s a E-Learning Offline Player. You select your course materials and you download them to your laptop.
That means I can read this stuff when I’m commuting to the office – something I’m doing more often for the next few weeks by the looks of it. At least those 2 hours a day on the train will be put to some good use. I need to upgrade some of my MCSE electives and start bashing out the upgrade exams from MCSE W2003 to MCITP: Server Administrator W2008.
The downside? I hate exams. It took me 4 years to get around to sitting down for the 2nd W2003 upgrade exam. It wasn’t because of lack of preparation. It was purely because of dread.
Don’t worry if you’re not in these programs, there’s loads of free stuff on Microsoft Learning. If you’re lucky enough to work for a company/organisation that has an Enterprise Agreement then you may have access to a large library of materials too.