There was a time when I knew a few employers that hired IT workers just because of their certifications. I remember working hard to study and learn more about the systems I worked on. Certifications weren't something I worried about until we hired a CNE at my job, strictly because of his certification. There was a rumor that everyone would need the certification, so I shifted my studying towards passing tests. The same thing happened a few years later when the MCSE became poular. I worked in a place that hired a "boot camp" MCSE, that once again, wasn't that talented , but he had the letters after his name.

A few years later I got hired for a job that required an MCDBA. I didn't have one, but they hired me on the proviso that I get one. The next year at my review I didn't have it, apologized, and said I didn't think it would help me with my job. They agreed, and I never finished the last couple exams I needed.

It seems that more employers are starting to realize that those letters after your name mean something, but not necessarily that you can do the job. Real world skills, experience, and accomplishments are becoming more important with many skills for which there aren't certifications giving candidates a pay boost. This article talks about how the "certified premiums" in salary have dropped, and are becoming less and less valuable. It's not a blanket statement as some specialties command more pay, but not many of the well known certifications. The biggest drops seem to be for the beginner certifications, like the MCTS.

I can't say that I'm surprised as businesses need to do more and more with less resources, and are finding more and more that people that get certifications to get the certification, often can't do the job at a high level. It's more likely that someone with lots of experience that "gets around" to passing a test that is more qualified.

I don't know how much value there is in the current set of certifications I've seen from Microsoft (I can't speak to other vendors), but I do think that re-tooling the exams to be more like the MCM, maybe in a more focused and easier way, to incorporate candidates ability to solve problems and get real world solutions implemented, might make them more valuable. As they are now, I think that a certification can make you a more marketable candidate if you have experience, but without experience, I'm not sure it says much about your ability to do a job. I'd rather see you spend your time, and money, building a database and web site, showing me you can actually get something done.