You mention Novell's CNE in your editorial, and twenty years ago I had considered trying to earn that certification as the company I worked for at the time had a Novell network (even though I didn't support it, I supported their Data General minicomputer system) and one of the requirements was that the employer had to certify that the applicant had at least one year experience with the Novell Operating System before they could earn the CNE. This meant you had to have some demonstrated real-world experience with the system.

That requirement is missing from Microsoft's certifications. With vocational schools training people that could possibly earn these certifications without putting it to practice in the real-world can de-value the certifications. Perhaps Microsoft should look at adding a new level of certification that doesn't require spending three weeks in Redmond and $18,000, but would be between their current MCITP certifications and the Microsoft Certified Master they have created. Perhaps this additional level could require an applicant to submit a CV or resume detailing their experience with Microsoft technologies, several (three or four) professional references, as well as taking slightly more difficult tests to test ones knowledge. The idea here, though, is to keep costs down to a couple of hundred dollars or so thereby keeping it within reach of most professionals.

I'm sorry, as much as I would not mind persuing the Certified master and Certified Architect programs (even though I have yet to even become MCITP), the costs for those programs just are out of reach for me personally, and would not be feasible for my current employer to pay either.