MCPD
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The worth comes from the knowledge and skills you obtain by studying and using the tools/technology. That you can demonstrate to your boss regardless of the cert. On the other hand, if you just memorize the answers to pass the exam, then it is worthless. These types of people will be found out on the job when they can't apply anything.
only two letters away from being an asset
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Microsoft certs, outside a few drowning-in-Kool-Aid[^] shops, are almost as valuable as re-rolled used toilet paper. (If the latter is helpful to you, seek professional help now.) This appears to have two likely candidates for root cause: 1) the rapidly-increasing cost and complexity of maintaining Microsoft-specific infrastructure and skills without attributable and proportional increases in business value delivered; and 2) the flooding of the market worldwide by individuals possessing or claiming Microsoft certification who are in fact less competent to manage your complex SQL Server installation than would be your great-grandmother from The Old Country. (I've heard people make similar comparisons using "bin Laden" or "your Starbucks barista" as the straw men; that doesn't work for me because, for instance, Osama bin Laden holds a degree in civil engineering from King Abdul Aziz University, Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, and thus could reasonably be expected, as could any competent engineer, to learn whatever required technical information he was not already familiar with...as he previously has in less beneficial areas.) What would be far more useful in my opinion than, say, an MCSE cert? If you're in a market where a paper trail is an ironclad requirement, then get a CISSP[^] or other industrywide certification; certs relevant to your professional interests from Cisco[^], Red Hat[^] or HP[^], or other certificates relevant to the positions which you have held or wish to move into. But the single best thing you can do to improve your career? Beco
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Most people gave you good replies - it's not their fault that it opposed your "world view". If you want to impress your boss, then write quality articles and get them posted on CP. Help out in the forums (here and/or MSDN) and give talks to user groups. These are far more impressive than an MCP/MCSD/...
Deja View - the feeling that you've seen this post before.
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It's a catch 22 I'm afraid. If you have a track record in the industry, can point to successful projects you've worked on, have a large(ish) portfolio of work you can showcase, have a string of people singing your praises then the whole thing is pointless. However, if you are just starting out consider it as at least a part of a foot in the door. The bigger the company you apply to, the more divorced you are from the technical people (like Marc or Pete) who might appreciate your talents and the more at the whim you are of some HR person who knows nothing about programming but who has been told to look for professional certifications. But you must be good. You must know your stuff. Do not - and this goes for any field of endeavour and any qualification - trade on that certificate. It is nothing more than that part of a foot in the door to get past HR administrators and you need to provide serious backing. And if you're doing this off your own back, if you are funding the qualification yourself and putting your own time and effort into building the backing, then that puts you at the top of the application pile.
I have to agree with you Martin, but I have to state for the record that in many cases, all software companies (particularly partners to the big boys) usually (always really) require a certain number of certified personnel to advance to another level or whatever number of other rules that exist just to make life for the enterprise harder. I'm in that situation right now where I need to hire people who are technically excellent but have some sort of MS certification. However, if push comes to shove I'll be hiring the technically competent person; I can easily pay for their examinations.
"Every time Lotus Notes starts up, somewhere a puppy, a kitten, a lamb, and a baby seal are killed. Lotus Notes is a conspiracy by the forces of Satan to drive us over the brink into madness. The CRC-32 for each file in the installation includes the numbers 666." Gary Wheeler "The secret to a long and healthy life is simple. Don't get ill and don't die." Pete O'Hanlon, courtesy of Rama "I realised that all of my best anecdotes started with "So there we were, pissed". Pete O'Hanlon
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Most of the customer's I've talked about this, think that it's worthless. They focus on the experience!
... she said you are the perfect stranger she said baby let's keep it like this... Dire Straits
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Microsoft certs, outside a few drowning-in-Kool-Aid[^] shops, are almost as valuable as re-rolled used toilet paper. (If the latter is helpful to you, seek professional help now.) This appears to have two likely candidates for root cause: 1) the rapidly-increasing cost and complexity of maintaining Microsoft-specific infrastructure and skills without attributable and proportional increases in business value delivered; and 2) the flooding of the market worldwide by individuals possessing or claiming Microsoft certification who are in fact less competent to manage your complex SQL Server installation than would be your great-grandmother from The Old Country. (I've heard people make similar comparisons using "bin Laden" or "your Starbucks barista" as the straw men; that doesn't work for me because, for instance, Osama bin Laden holds a degree in civil engineering from King Abdul Aziz University, Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, and thus could reasonably be expected, as could any competent engineer, to learn whatever required technical information he was not already familiar with...as he previously has in less beneficial areas.) What would be far more useful in my opinion than, say, an MCSE cert? If you're in a market where a paper trail is an ironclad requirement, then get a CISSP[^] or other industrywide certification; certs relevant to your professional interests from Cisco[^], Red Hat[^] or HP[^], or other certificates relevant to the positions which you have held or wish to move into. But the single best thing you can do to improve your career? Beco
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Most of the customer's I've talked about this, think that it's worthless. They focus on the experience!
... she said you are the perfect stranger she said baby let's keep it like this... Dire Straits
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The more MCxx on a resume (versus actual experience), the faster it goes to the "Not Going To Interview" pile.
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The worth comes from the knowledge and skills you obtain by studying and using the tools/technology. That you can demonstrate to your boss regardless of the cert. On the other hand, if you just memorize the answers to pass the exam, then it is worthless. These types of people will be found out on the job when they can't apply anything.
only two letters away from being an asset