I've had it up to here with IT so-called "consultants".

It seems that everybody and his dog are picking up vendor qualifications, and suddenly they think they're experts.

(That especially applies to you, Fido MCSE - get back in your basket !)

Here's a free clue to all the MCSE's out there who stick the initials after their names - it's not equivalent to a graduate-level qualification or membership of a professional body, so it really shouldn't be used as a post-nominal, okay ?

So, why do they irritate me so much ?

It isn't because they can command high fees.

It isn't because managers occasionally devalue my degree, my professional qualifications and years of experience by comparing all that to a bunch of vendor certificates.

They irritate me because I usually get "parachuted in" to clean up the mess they leave in their wake.

I'm not going to single out MCSE's here. The Curse of the "Expert" can strike on any platform, and they'll always try to solve problems using their favourite system, regardless of its suitability for the job in hand.

This can best be summed up as "Windows/MacOS/Linux is the answer, now what's the question ?"

I've lost count of the number of times I've had to deal with the aftermath of such "advice" - you could even say I've made a career out of it.

Vendor training and certification is a good start - but on their own, they are not a substitute for on-the-job experience. You cannot truly become an expert until you've absorbed that knowledge, expanded upon it, and used it to solve real-life problems.