dma-669038 (6/18/2012)
Let us face it - certs have zero value with finding jobs. I have interviewed lots of candidates myself and find them actually doing poorly with certs compared to those without them (I think Grant Fritchey even did a survey with numbers on this). However, certs are a good way to evaluate how much you know - what areas you are unfamiliar with and what areas you are good at. Certs are not a cakewalk or totally easy as is believed though - that is just given how vast a product sql server really is. If you have not worked in a certain area it can be pretty tough to answer those questions. Certs are expensive - in terms of time needed to prepare, the actual test as well as books and material. But i keep up with them since it is the most basic way for me to tell myself that i know the product to some extent. It however continues to disappoint me that they have lost much credibility and lots of employers including my own couldn't care less or pay for them.
I disagree. If I'm in the position to chose between two that I judge equal then I will chose the one with a cert. However, a lot of factors are valued above certificates for me. Like: Personality, dependency/ reliability, knowledge and experience, history and references.
I do agree with the party that cert is not taken that easily, or well some are harder to study for now than for 5-10 years ago.