Certifications have a value. What that value is depends on a variety of circumstances. Employers can place too high a value on it and developers can place too high a value on it...

Certifications - IMO - give objective evidence that the person has the MINIMUM knowledge required to use the toolset. Certifications, whether they be the CPA , Bar or Medical Board Exams are minimums to gain entry into professions. This is sort of apples and oranges since programming is not a per se profession. And from a liability standpoint - trust me - you don't want the world of programming to be recognized as a "profession.."

If you want a job at a company and as a threshold - they will only interview certified people - then the certification has a value. Keep in mind that in this case, certification is only a filtering device. It will get you in the door - that's it. Everybody you are in competition with will have the same certification. In the interview, you cannot trot out the fact that you are certified. It is a gun with 1 bullet - and in this scenario - the chamber is now empty.

If you are a trainer, certifications lend a lot of credibility. The academic environment is the exception - not the rule. i.e., the academic world is ruled more by the # of pieces of paper you have as opposed to what you have done. Remember, to be a certified trainer, you don't actually have to use the tools in the real world.

In the real world, I take the opposite tact...anybody who trots out the fact that they are certified - without me asking, loses credibility right off the bat. I may ask Once I get the answer, I don't want to hear about it anymore...

As far as employers are concerned, using certifications as a filtering mechanism can have merit. If you want to restrict the pool of applicants, it can be a good tool. But keep this in mind, the best and brightest in the programming world are rarely "certified".... So, if you use certification as a filter, more than likely, you will miss the opportunity to get the best people.

Take a look at this community. I don't know who you consider to be at the top of the VFP world. If you can, try to identify those who are certified from those who are not. Them compare the accomplishments and what they have really done...I have long said that the list of people who have NOT taken the VFP exams is far more impressive than those who have.... This pretty much undermines the credibility the exams allegedly have...

And for the record, I took the beta exam for 3, I helped to write questions - and got a few in for the 6.0 exams (as well has helping to design the specs for both 6.0 exams). I have not taken the 6.0 exams nor do I plan to...

HTH..