I’m Now a SQL Server 2008 MCM!

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Well, now I’ve gone and done it: I’ve earned the Microsoft Certified Master certification for SQL Server 2008. It took a bit longer than I had originally planned, but I have often found that milestones in life have always been more rewarding when you take the path that is less traveled. I think my SQL MCM journey is one of those paths.

If you want to know what it is like to take the SQL MCM lab exam, here’s a video that puts it into perspective for you.

I am not here to tell you that the SQL MCM lab was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. It wasn’t. (And it wasn’t the easiest thing, either.) I am here to tell you that I am very, very happy to have this behind me. And I am already looking forward to the SQL 2012 MCM exam. Bring it on!

I’d also like the opportunity to apologize to all current MCM’s as they are now a member of a club that would allow someone like me to become a member.

Lastly I want to thank the two people that helped me more than anyone else to achieve this, my fellow “Choose Your Own Adventure” co-presenters Tim Chapman (blog | @chapmandew) and Jason Strate (blog | @stratesql).

I’m a SQL MCM today because of Tim and Jason. Two years ago Tim decided that he wanted to earn his MCM as well. So he and I started to prep together along with Jason. We would each take a topic and try to explain it to the other. We would walk through demos. We would reinforce troubleshooting techniques. We even built a presentation based around a lot of techniques that we found ourselves doing daily. Tim got a job with Microsoft as a PFE along the way, too, which only helped us as we pressed on with our study group.

It took a while, but the journey was well worth it. All three of us took the lab exam while at the PASS Summit three weeks ago, and we all passed!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I am going to burn all of the notes I have been taking for the past two years. They were really starting to take up space in my office.

53 thoughts on “I’m Now a SQL Server 2008 MCM!”

  13. 🙂 Master.. Sound nice. That’s so awesome, Tom. Wicked awesome as they say in our neck of the woods, sir. Well earned.

    Reply

    • Thanks Pat! Just think, my entire certification path goes back to the conversations I had with you and Allen in Orlando…8 years ago.

      Reply

  19. Congrats Tom! I am very happy for you. I think I am going to push for MCM in SQL 2012. I am already almost done with my MCSA. Let me know if your planning on doing an 2012 study group. I would love to join in.

    Reply
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