So, determined to find out more and really sink my teeth in and commit to getting this certification, I Googled a bit and found a great site that has advice, study guides, and free practices exams. I’ve spent the last few days looking through it: mcmcse.com.
The first test I’ll be taking will be 270, which covers the Windows XP operating system. From there it will be 290, 291 (apparently referred to as The Beast /shudder). After that I get to decide whether I want to keep plugging on at the MCSE, or do I make a small detour and do an elective exam to get my MCSA first. Hmmmm. I took the practice exam for 270 at mcmcse.com and actually managed to get about 50 out of 101 questions right with zero studying. And the ones I missed, I can understand why I missed them. Next step is to order the MS Press 270 Self Paced Training Kit. From what I read from people that have taken it, the MS Press book is the one best suited to studying for the exam.
Besides that, I have been educating myself financially as well, learning the differences between capital investing and cash flow investing. Some great articles on Yahoo Finance about that. Also reading through Rule #1, a book on value investing. On my paper trading account, I have been fairly happy to see that on my watchlist, the couple that I am watching have been doing what I expected them to do. If one of them falls down to it’s lower pattern marker, I may buy 100 or so shares. The pattern has been fairly pronounced and I would sell once I hit 12-15% capital gain on the investment.
Also read some articles on technical analysis. It seems to be regarded in some circles as almost mystical investing or voodoo investing, but observing charts, I do see some of the common patterns repeating. I don’t believe I would ever bet huge just on a technical analysis without also checking the fundamentals, but it is a nice way to observe trends in the market. Also, Kirk over at thekirkreport.com uses a combination of fundamental and technical analysis and has done pretty well for himself. I don’t plan on stuffing any real money into this for a while yet. I’ve learned just enough to feel like I know something, which is a dangerous place to be when investing. Never assume.
That’s it for today. Happy 4th of July!