You provided evidence of 1 place where you get extra money. I am not sure I would extrapolate that to mean that as a rule, certified people make more than non-certified people.

What is the possible fallacy???

For starters, can we conclude that because of the certification alone, they make more money? Or, is it because of their resume, skills,completed projects, and education? I think we can agree that being certified does not make you more skilled. Rather, it demonstrates that you have the ability to pass a standardized test of concepts about a particular tool.

So, are there exception? Sure. There are companies out there that will pay a few extra dollars for certified folks. I don't think it is the rule. And further, no study exists that compares the work of certified vs. non-certified people. Believe me, I don't think the MCP folks would want that study conducted or the numbers published. Put it this way... Most of the people I work with/collaborate with are not certified. And those people are among the best. They also make more than most as well...< bg >...

As usual, folks put way too much emphasis on the certification process. Again, if it is something you are doing for yourself, great. If you are doing it to enhance your resume, fine. However, your expectations should be realistic. For instance, certification by itself, IMO, is meaningless. In the context of solid work experience, completed projects, and some education, it is another feather in the cap. At most, certification becomes a tie breaker in many cases. However, if because you are certified, you think you can now charge $150 and hour and the other guy is only charging $100 an hour, and the only thing separating the two of you is the certification.... Guess what? On average you are not going to get the job.

The only exception I can think of is large companies that can pick and choose the talent. Places like this often require certification. However, it still needs to be in the context of a good resume. You need to have solid skills. I read some of the posts up here, and I get the impression that folks think that all sorts of doors are going to swing wide open that were formally shut. I think folks may be in for a rude awakening...

Go ahead. Ask the folks here that have the MSCD now in 6 months just how different things are... Don't mean to be a bubble burster here. But, at some point, reality needs to set in.

>I know of a place where they pay you a 10% premium for certification, 15% for MSCD and it is a payroll place, so if you are CPP certified you get a premium for that too.
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>To be a MS Solution Provider you must have a certain number of certified people.
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>Bottom line, overall certified people make more and can get jobs more easily.
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>BOb
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>
>>VI is a piece of crap... There is no better way to put it. It's best and only redeeming feature is the editor - and even that is not all that good. HomeSite from Allaire is by far, on of the best out there. The whole philosophy behind VI is flawed, and with that in mind, the product is flawed...
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>>As far as certification and learning the product goes, both entirely different endeavors..
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>>FWIW, I really don't have a lot of respect for the whole cert process. To be truly certified, it needs to be done by a third-party. Further, there needs to be a standards making body ala the AMA, ABA, AICPA, etc.... Again, this is just my opinion. If folks engage in the certification for their own benefit and sense of accomplishment, I think it is great. Used as a credential of professional standing or otherwise, I don't agree with that.
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>>Finally, if folks persue such a goal with the intent of charging more per hour or on getting a substantial increase in pay, I think they my be sadly disappointed. Sure, some folks may get a $1,000 bonus or something along those lines, but that is about it.
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>>Don't mean to be a wet blanket...it is just my opinion....I could be wrong...
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>>>>On a soon to be defunct product.....
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>>>>congrats....< bg >...
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>>>>>I passed the InterDev exam this morning...the last step to getting MCSD.
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>>>That's good and bad. Good because you will have the certification a while longer, bad if you're investing your time learning the product.
>>>
>>>Any additional info you have on that? I happen to be on the learning curve with VI, and don't want to be wasting my time. I'm sticking to the ASP side of things, and not so much with VI-specific stuff like DTC's though.