Microsoft Certified Professional
Of course, when it comes to Microsoft, you know I'm biased for them. I like them as a company and I'm willing to overlook their blunders because I enjoy their products. They have an absolutely colossal amount of money and they're willing to spend it on awesome research like the Surface, on awesome gaming technologies like Halo 3 and the Xbox, and on continuing the most popular operating system on the planet: Windows. Still, I like to think I can acknowledge problems with their stuff. Like, for example, Vista's performance issues. While I acknowledge the less than XP performance of Vista, I still took the stance that it was a necessary step in stabilizing and securing the operating system.
Anyway, all that aside, I have just passed my first Microsoft certification, and I am now an official Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist, with a certification in Microsoft Windows Vista: Configuration. That's right. I'm now recognized by Microsoft as being someone who can set up and maintain their client operating system. I know... Makes it seems like it's not a real accomplishment for my talents, if I may pat myself on the back, but it was a little more complicated than one might think. You might know how to fix something when you're sitting at the screen, but I guarantee you it's harder to relay those steps when you're staring at a multiple choice question. Anyway... As an MCP, I have access to Microsoft Certified Professional Home Page, which nobody ELSE has access to but us professionals, bwahaha!
But yes... I just wanted to gloat a bit. Like I said, I like Microsoft, and I think it's great that I'm in the system as a certified professional. I have access to a lot of neato stuff now... Not sure if there are any real perks, like getting software for free if you're a registered developer, but I still think it's pretty awesome. Next week, I plan on getting my certification for Windows Server 2003. It's going to be a lot harder, but if I'm able to pass that, then I'll be well on my way to securing a job exactly where I want to be: Network Administration.