Breed an army of SharePoint Administrators - Training Spotlight - Blog - Training Spotlight

I wanted to take a moment and share my experiences with Microsoft Learning course 10174: Configuring and Administering SharePoint 2010. I am a Microsoft Certified Master for SharePoint 2010 and a Microsoft Certified Trainer, and I have led this course in 4 separate occasions.

Who's this course for?

Let's say you just scored a support contract for a few years and SharePoint 2010 is included in the systems you have to support. Or maybe you are a partner and need ITPRO's to support either your development team or your client's infrastructure. Maybe you need to get your consultants more up-to-date with the different configuration options in SharePoint 2010?

This course is perfect for exposing yourself, or your team, to a broad set of ITPRO topics related to SharePoint 2010. It covers many of the most common functionality pieces of the platform and takes candidates through hands-on experience on many fronts. You get to see the big picture and configure key components involved in many SharePoint deployments. You get overall knowledge of SharePoint.

What's the technical level of the course?

10174: Configuring and Administering SharePoint 2010 is a course at a Technology Specialist level. It is the first course that you should take in relation to SharePoint 2010 configuration and it is a prerequisite for the more advanced 10231A: Designing a Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Infrastructure.

The course provides an overview and hands-on experience in using & configuring key functionality. Most topics are introduced from the ground up, giving candidates the background knowledge of each piece of functionality, then covering the technicality and concluding with lab work. The interesting part is that the technical depth is flexible and can be controlled by a good trainer. I have delivered this course to candidates who have seen SharePoint for the first time and to candidates who have a few years of experience with SharePoint. I have been able to adjust the depth based on the interaction and questions asked during delivery.

How can a SharePoint Master add value?

This one might be obvious, but well worth the mention here. There is no doubt that SharePoint Masters believe in certification and that they have taken an incredibly long path to get certified at such a level. A SharePoint Master understands learning curves and how to prepare to become one of the most advanced SharePoint specialists in the world. Their experience in learning activities is very valuable in facilitating an entire class to advance in SharePoint.

The second point is also very valid. SharePoint Masters have proven their experience and deep knowledge of the platform. They are experts in their field and have exposure to some of the largest and most advanced SharePoint deployments globally. Masters can add value to the training experience by enriching the course material with practical examples from real life experience.

A bit about me

I'm a technical guy and a professional trainer working independently. I dedicate 80% of my time to consulting and project delivery and the rest for training on SharePoint 2010. I am usually out there on the field deeply involved with providing architecture, development and expert opinion on SharePoint, but I have to say training is extremely fun and much less political. I get to meet MANY people that cross paths with SharePoint. I share my stories and listen to the stories of my students, then keep in contact. I research, learn then share my findings. I challenge and get challenged. I do my best to not sell, but tell the story as it is (I'm not from Microsoft!).

Here are some screenshots from Metrics That Matter on my instructor ratings:

Feel free to contact me on "radi" at "sharepoint.bg" for any consulting, training or development needs, or follow my blog http://www.sharepoint.bg/radi, or follow me on Twitter: @RadiAtanassov.