Certifications

I believe that certification is an excellent way to nourish one's technical skills. First, certification provides a concrete goal to work towards when learning a new technology or perfecting an existing one. More importantly, certification encourages the student to explore all of the nooks and crannies of the technology, and not just the specific area which will solve the problem of the moment.    I often use the analogy of a square with a circle enclosed inside it. The square represents the total capabilities of a technology. As developers, however, we do most of our coding within a limited area which is represented by the circle. We rarely ever seem to get out to the corners. Certification allows one to explore these corners of the technology in a structured way.

Certifications
Certification Name	Issuing Organization	Date Earned
Brainbench C# Certification	Brainbench	October, 2006
Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD) - .NET Web Forms using C# (70-315) - .NET XML Web Services using C# (70-320)	Microsoft Corporation	April, 2006
Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) - .NET Windows Forms using C# (70-316)	Microsoft Corporation	November, 2005
Sun Certified Programmer for the Java 2 Platform	Sun Microsystems	July, 2002
Certified C & C++ Programming Professional	Learning Tree International	January, 1997
Certificate of Merit - Most Indestructible Code	TransQuest/Delta Air Lines, DMSS Project	November, 1994