Sometimes I wonder what is the purpose of getting the cert.  There are companies out there would not hire a DBA without microsoft cert. Do they think those people are smarter than the one without a cert or a cert a kind of an insurance to the company that the person definitely knows SQL Server?

In my previous job, all the field engineers required to pass the MCSE exam.  They just read the book and all of them passed because they needed to keep their job.  The most ironic thing was 9 out of 10 did not even know how to spell 'COMPUTER'.(a joke)  Even the supervisors knew the exam did not help and even the supervisors joked about how useless the exam was  but it was company's policy and you could not argue.