Microsoft Education.

Microsoft corporation is a leader in the production of new technology.
Every year it surprises us by introducing something new. How do students or IT specialists acknowledge such innovations? How does Microsoft support people who want to learn their technology? Below I am writing some interesting educational programmes provided especially for students:


- MSDN Academic Alliance – A great student’s programme. Students have access to almost every Microsoft software (operation systems, integrated environments like Visual Studio, databases: SQL Server) in any language or version for free and they may use it also after graduation.



- Community – If you are a .net programmer you may enroll to .net community by portal codeguru.pl. Meetings where one person shows topics related to programmes in a net are organized every week in almost every University. For every meeting, people get points which are exchanged for a prize.
.net community exist in our Institute as well, PJWSTK.NET

- IT Academic Day – It is one day conference organized by students’ community and Microsoft about technology. It is a good occasion to meet with professional IT specialists and find out information about new products..

- E-learning – every technology like SQL Server, .NET, ASP has its own educational portal. For example: http://www.asp.net/ It’s really helpful because there are a lot of tutorial films, articles, practice and examples. You may learn this technology yourself “from zero level to expert level”.


- Training and Microsoft Certificates– It is very important for an IT specialist to attain some Certificates which prove his knowledge. Microsoft Certifications are the best recognized in global IT business. Also in our Institute we have a possibility to enroll to the training, pass the exam and get certificates.



- Imagine cup; is very a popular international technology competition. In 2008, 210,000 competitors representing over 100 countries competed in the nine Imagine Cup category: software design, embedded development, game development, robotic and algorithm, IT challenge, photography, short film, design. In 2010 Imagine Cup will be organized in Poland.

- BizSpark – Its innovative new program is designed to unite Startups and resources to support them into a single community. In practice it means that if you want to create your own IT business, Microsoft allows you to have access to their software for free for a period of up to 3 years. You may use this software for commercial goals without any restriction. After this time you have to pay only 100$. This program is also available in Poland! Isn’t it great?

- Conferences – Microsoft organizes international conferences “Microsoft Tech Submit” for IT specialists, analytics and administrators. After the conference, presentations are stored for free public use on the Internet. (Last conf: http://www.mts2008.pl/) In next weekend will be Code Camp conference:
http://ms-groups.pl/ccwawa09/Strony/Sesje.aspx
I will be there :)


- Books – Microsoft has its own publishing house “Microsoft Press”, whose book are also available in Polish language. They have really impressive collection of books.

- Practices – Every summer the best students have an occasion to get practical experience in the Centers of Microsoft in Europe and in the main headquarter in Redmond.

- Learning Snacks – This is a series of short films about Microsoft’s technology. The name “Learning Snacks” is because you can watch it between lunch and dinner ;)

- Worth mentioning are blogs, TV “Channel 9”, forums, special education program for the University, “Student to Business” program, non official page, and more and more! Even educational games like “Are you certificated:” http://www.microsoft.com/click/areyoucertifiable/

What do you think about it? Is it really helpful or is it good only for the very beginners? Why does only Microsoft promotes so much for us to learn? And what about Sun- now Oracle, IBM, Adobe…. They also have very powerful educational programmes ?