How To - Microsoft Training & Education

 Microsoft offers a vast variety of education materials. Since there is not a 'single way' of learning, I tried to summarize the majority of education possibilities within Microsoft and explain the differences and benefits of each one.

This Post covers 2 chapters: Different learning Methods & Choosing the right training. I have put a major effort to provide the information in the best way possible, if you find any mistakes please let me know and I will adjust the information accordingly.

 Different learning methods:

1. Q&A communities: these communities are dedicated to help each other out. The Microsoft partner ecosystem is huge and this results in active, high responsive Q&A communities. I want to highlight a few of these -Azure Blogs, Developer Blogs and MSDN Forums. The contributors of these communities can often also be found offline during events. Make sure to check for local events organised by Microsoft or our partners.
2. Best practice documentations: To build knowledge based on product explanations with best-practices and tips I would recommend the Microsoft Docs and Channel 9. Both these channels have huge amounts of content ranging from 'simple tips and tricks', product descriptions and how-to guides to detailed high-level technical boundaries.
3. DIY training: The Microsoft Hands-on Labs allow partners and customers to explore our products by doing. There is a safe and controlled environment to build the knowledge. Just like our VSTS subscriptions it's all about doing things yourself.
4. On-Demand training: The education world is shifting towards 'on-demand' training, consider it the 'Netflix of Education'. There is a huge amount of training material available reachable within the click of a button. There are various types of On-Demand training like 'Click and Play' and 'Massive Open Online Courses' aka MOOC. Both offer short modules (sometimes part of a larger series of training), the community can share their findings and this is moderated. Check these out PluralSight Video Training, LinkedInLearning, Coursera en EDX
5. Official Certifications: If you want to proof your knowledge there are plenty of ways to do so, generally these kind of certifications are the Microsoft (MOS / MTA / MCSA & MCSE) certificates. Building this knowledge is done via experience, on-site training or... books.
6. Microsoft Volume Licensing Programs: Some software license agreements allow various forms of training too. These are part of the Microsoft Software Assurance Benefits. Make sure you ask the partner when you discuss the right agreement and ask for these possibilities.

The Microsoft partner ecosystem.

The majority of the training methodes mentioned above are provided by Microsoft directly. There are also many of our partners offering Microsoft training. Ask your local partner, distributor or certification center what they offer in addition to the above! Some even provide local-custom made-education sessions which are highly valuable!

Choosing the right Training

Learning Homepage Via the Microsoft learning home page a lot of information can be found to achieve specific knowledge and options for certifications. This is definitely the way to go to and start the journey here. There is an equal overview for Microsoft Azure specific.

Microsoft Docs: Costs: No costs associated - Publisher: Microsoft - Certifications:  No - Self-paced: Yes

About all important and relevant information about the Microsoft Product Offerings is provided via the Microsoft docs. The main benefit of this resource is the fact it build in a very structured way and covers about everything! For Microsoft Azure the instructions usually cover:

Overview - Quickstart guides - Tutorials - Samples - Concepts - How-to guides - References and Resources.

PluralSight Video Training: Costs: varies between paid and free - Publisher: Plural Sight, Microsoft is a contributor - Certifications:  Yes- Self-paced: Yes

The Microsoft Docs often refer to the PluralSight website for explanations of the individual product offerings. Many of the Microsoft services are explained in short movies. After setting up an account the content can be discovered. All of the content is presented via Video.

Microsoft Virtual Academy: Costs: free, certifications can be paid - Publisher: Microsoft - Certifications:  Yes - Self-paced: Yes

The Microsoft Virtual Academy training is fairly technical. The topics range heavily from products, to coding and important IT related topics. Make sure you check the different training offerings by clicking the 'Developers', 'IT Pros' or 'Data Pros' options.  

Microsoft Professional Program: Costs: free, certifications are paid - Publisher: Microsoft - training offered via EDX - Certifications:  Yes - Self-paced: Yes

The Microsoft Professional Program are large - topic related studies cut into small training video's. This MOOC is all lined up to learn and understand specific topics. The material is presented by Microsoft, University teachers and Consultants. This is a combination of video's, DIY and tests in one. If the content in one chapter is not relevant, there are options to skip these lessons and go to the next chapter (except if you want to achieve the certification).

Microsoft Hands-on Labs: Costs: free - Publisher: Microsoft - Certifications:  No - Self-paced: Yes

The Microsoft Hands-on labs offer possibilities to test and explore products in an controlled environment. Guided in very clear steps each of the labs will result in a working solution with tips and tricks. Since there is a controlled environment, there is no risk of harming the OTAP environment.

Mind, some of the labs do take some time, so I would recommend to schedule some time to go through them.

Microsoft Artificial Intelligence School: Costs: free, certifications are paid - Publisher: Microsoft - Sometimes via other channels - Certifications:  Yes- Self-paced: Yes

This is a very specific education resource focused on Artificial Intelligence with Azure. The courses are different in level and time frame. The required pre-knowledge of the courses is clearly shown, just like the expected time investment.

Channel 9 Costs: free - Publisher: Microsoft - Sometimes with 3rd parties - Certifications:  No - Self-paced: Yes

Channel 9 is a video platform explaining a broad range of things like setting up services, explaining services, digging through release notes or explaining certain challenges. The audience is more focused towards the technical and developer side.

LinkedIn Learning / Coursera / EDX) Costs: LinkedIn (Paid), Coursera/EDX (depends) - Publisher: Various parties - Certifications:  Yes- Self-paced: Yes

LinkedIn, Coursera and EDX all offer a broad set of MOOC based training. They do not just cover the Microsoft portfolio but there is a huge variety of training material provided. If there is a need to understand other topics like Agile, Cloud Architecture or Management, they are the resource to go to.

Microsoft (MOS / MTA / MCSA & MCSE): Costs: Paid - Publisher: Microsoft - Certifications:  Yes- Self-paced: Depends, sometimes classroom training are required.

Microsoft has roughly 4 types of certification categories.

• Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS ‘regulier’, MOS Expert en MOS Master) ,
•  Microsoft Technology Associate (Entry level)
• Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (Expert level)
• Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (Master Level)

These certificates are officially verified certifications by Microsoft and have a huge value (also outside of Microsoft). To pass these exams, training is offered by Microsoft and/or third parties depending on the course. There are also books available for purchase. The MCSA and MCSE are focused towards the technique, where the MCSE is among the highest certification available.

Download the Microsoft Certification guide for a comprehensive look at all paths.

Microsoft Software Assurance: Certain Microsoft Agreements and products offer Software Assurance Benefits. These are part of the larger agreement and may contain planning services and e-learning vouchers.

Hopefully this helps to determine the right education path. Enjoy and if you have any questions, feel free to ask!