The value of certifications and degrees is much smaller than we anticipate. A degree from a university/college generally does indicate that the individual has shown they know how to learn, and meet the minimum requirements to obtain a degree. A certification does indicate that the individual was able to pass a test.

The other side of the coin is far, far larger.

Passing a certification only means you knew the answers long enough to pass the test. You may be an expert, but you might have crammed for the test, or used a brain dump site, or as in my case, simply have an inate ability to determine the right answers from the context of the test questions. The last one has value, as it speaks to other qualities that benefit us. If I can look at a group of disparate facts, come up with a hypothesis as to what may be a root cause, and then quickly work to confirm that, benefits are gained. However the ability to use a brain dump site or temporarily memorize facts may not be nearly as useful long term.

A great case in point is "Bob". Bob worked at the same company as me for a short period. He had all his network certifications for Cisco, and was hired to replace a Cisco expert who had left. Bob had no work experience in the area of networking. Bob lasted about 2 days. All his class work, studying for the certification, and anything else he did, had zero value when it came to doing a job for a real company. Bob was a great example of why a certification isn't a sufficient reason to make the hiring decision.

Phil is a friend of mine that, like me, has an inate ability to pass tests. Phil enjoyed college quite a bit. Unfortunately his enjoyment was more along the lines of partying and spending time with the opposite sex, than actually opening a book. Phil graduated with a degree in communications. Phil never attended class unless he absolutely had to for a test or other requirement. His attendance was less than 50%, probably less than 25%. Phil graduated with what would be a "B" average. Phil is a great example of how a degree doesn't prove anything other than you able to learn. It does not show committment or anything else. Phil went to a very good state school, too, so it isn't realistic to assume the university was the issue. Further, I know a lot of people who graduated from MIT and other very prestigious universities that had s similar work ethic. Granted they weren't as extreme as Phil, but their behavior was similar.

I should note that Phil is an exception in that he does excel at work, and has been promoted significantly often, and is making very good money for a fortune 500 company! When he needs to, Phil is excellent at getting things done, and getting them done right.

By now you know that I agree with the premise that a degree or certification does not have the value that a lot of people think. I do believe they can be beneficial to the employee, and that they sometimes equate with a good, hard working individual. I know for a fact that having one or the other, or both, does not prove anything at all.

Why then do companies frequently use these as a guideline? The same reason schools punish all the kids when one acts up. The same reason we pass stupid laws against (redacted list of stupid laws that might cause anger or disagreement that is unnecessary to this discussion), and a million other arbitrary rules and laws that we have.

It is simply easier, and allows the hiring manager to defend their decision with facts. Useless facts, but still facts.