Hi, right now I have 2 certificates, one for .net 2.0, and another for windows application development. I need to get one more done to "just" get MCPD for Windows Development 2.0. This is how I felt after completed 2 exams: Negative sides: 1. It definitely drains your energy and time to study the exam thoroughly if you don't want to rewrite the exam 2. In the exam, I found that just reading the MS training without doing any practices code is very diffcult. 3. My company makes in house product, I don't need to use all the technologies that .NET provides, but you need to know them all for the exams. 4. In real life, I can always look up examples and references. Why did I waste my time to study it... 5. .NET 2.0 is old already. .Net 4.0 is coming out, and all MS Certs only valid for about 7 to 10 years. They will depreciate. I will need to keep taking new exams to update myself. 6. Most of the exams (so far the exams that I wrote) are really just memorization. I am interested more in theory, design patterns, best programming practices and software development process. Positive sides: 1. You get some prides from your colleges, and you prove them you know more. 2. Getting the cert will add credit points if your company is a MS partnership. 3. Occasionally, you will find interesting technologies during your study that you haven't heard of. 4. Knowing more would help you code faster, since you know what .NET has to offer. 5. Studying seems to keep my brain refreshed with new ideas, which makes me feel smarter :) 6. Having MCPD would helps your resume look better. It demonstrates you are willing to continue on develop your professionalism. Conclusion: I found that if you are working in consulting, or writing custom solutions for different clients. Having MCP, MCTS and MCPD will add credibility on how well you can develop a solution. That doesn't mean you code better than others, it just mean you can lavage .NET better. If your company develops its own software, I found that these certificates have less impact. I personally did the exams myself just for the heck of it. It is more a personal accomplishment than helping the company. However, since your boss encourages you to get MCPD, why not! We are in a recession, and having more certs do not hurt. There aren't too many MCPD out there.