MicroshaftSo turns out Microsoft should just change there name to MicroShaft. I have to take three Microsoft certification tests over Monday, Tuesday, and Wed next week. Not my fault. It could be the school's fault, but I like to blame Microsoft more.

So let me begin my story from the beginning. Last semester I took Windows XP admin. It's a class about supporting Windows XP. To become Windows Xp Certified, you have to take two tests. Now normally you would take the tests after the course. And we were going to. Microsoft changed the way the gave there tests. I don't know the specifics, but that's what I know. For some reason the legal department at my school had to revise the contract to do this since they changed how they gave the tests. Confuses the crap out of me. I'm not a lawyer, and not planning to be anytime soon, but why? Basically nothing happened for the entire semester while I'm taking the XP classes. In fact two months into taking this sememster, it sat there and did nothing. Our legal department is busy apparently. Somethign about UND and the Fighting Souix name. That's what I got from it.

It took four months to revise the contract. Let's count. We were told that we could take Certification tests for the final in Windows XP. A week before finals, it was canceled. I had studied. Was ready to go. But no. I can't take it because of some contract revisions. Why didn't they do this during the summer? That's a lot more logical. I blame Micrsoft for not giving the college system enough time to do this.

Alright so we move to semester 2. I have to take Windows Vista admin. They said that we would be able to take the cert tests for XP in about a month from the beginning of the new semester. So the end of January/beginning February.

Ha ha! That was a joke. I didn't study because I forsaw the concequences. I was right. No test.

They said that we would take the XP during finals week and that we would finish with the Vista class early, so we would have some extra time to study for Vista and take the Cert Test the Friday before finals week.

That's today by the way. In fact on Wed our instructor sent us an email saying, Vista Certification test is a go for Friday. I've been studying hard for the past couple of days and know Vista inside and out. I had a plan to study for the XP certification and would be ready for that too. Show up for the test today and teacher comes into class and says, "It should be a go."

5 minutes before the test is suppose to start, the teacher comes back in and says, "Yeah... the servers are down for the test...". Thank you Microsoft. Thank you for screwing me over.

So new plan. There's 5 days in finals week. Monday through Friday. Teacher listed times for each day that the test will be givin. Pick a day and time for each of the three tests. Email the teacher the days you are going to take them. Then hope gets flooded into my system of we may be able to take the test this afternoon. My teacher was going ot let us know in Linux class today if we would be able to. Well he gets to Linux and he's like, "Yeah we can't do the cert tests today." So I have a new crappier schedule for studying this weekend and taking tests.

Certification tests are not easy. They are finals on steroids. They put a lot of fluff in the question. That's easy to weed out. But then you have multiple answer questions. Questions that give you six answers to choose from and you have to choose two or three of the answers. They are not easy. I've taken a few practice exams and the highest I can get is 73%. For the actualy tests you have to get a 700 our of 1000. There's only like 32 to 54 questions depending on the questions you get. So the questions are heavily weighted. On the plus side you know whether or not you get an easy test when you start. The more questions, the easier the test because they are not worth as much points each.

The problems I have with haveing to take XP and Vista tests side by side basically is they are different, but only slightly enough to be different. I haven't used XP in a long time. How to do things in Vista is in my head right now. Someone asked me the system requirements for XP and I couldn't remember. I know Vista's by heart by now.

I don't work on Monday, so after I take the Vista Cert on Monday, I have the rest of the day to study for XP. I also have Sunday to study. Saturday I work all day. I work tonight also.

I just don't know. I think Microsoft should offer us something. We have a free second shot which basically says if you fail one of these tests you can take it again for free. That's not because of what they did to us, but just because they are so nice. They gave it to everybody taking the class. They should offer us free unlimited shots. That's just me.

Enough of this depressing business. Today is a happy day for me. I applied and interviewed for a help desk job at my college. They called today and told me I got the job! Yes! I was estatic. I hugged B.J., my cat, and she didn't like that too much :P.

There's nothing but positives for this job. It's considered part time still so I don't have to work 40 hours a week. But during the summer they said that I can work up to 39 hours a week if I wanted to. They close at 5, so I have evening for myself. No weekends! You know how many week ends that I have had off from Target without asking for them off? 2. I've worked there almost 3 years and have only had 2 Saturdays off without requesting.

During the school year they work around your classes, which is great. And I get to quit Target. Don't get me wrong, Target was a good place to work, but I'm getting sick of it. Between making only 11 cents over starting wage, and still being a level 1 and working there almost 3 years, and the zoning, I'm sick of it. The mangers and people are great to work with, but I've had it. Hurray for new job! The 11 cents over starting wage is true because they raised the starting wage and I was making over the new starting wage so I didn't get any raise. Yearly raises are happening right now too. Oh well.

I forgot to mention I'm making 2 bucks more at this help desk job. Yeah I'm happy. It sounds fun. No uniform also. I'm excited.

Anyways I thought I would pop my head out because of these certification tests. I'll review Mario Kart Wii and a few things next week. Until then, so long.