Quoting Jonathan Hutchins hutchins@tarcanfel.org:
Maybe the Certificates for Linux Testing should indicate how much you paid for the test. That would be about as meaningful as anything else they say.
Riiiiiight. And the certs for the folks who have to sit for the CCIE multiple times (more than half of them) should include the running total for how much they had to spend each time they took the test.
Certifications, good ones that test hands on knowlege, like the OCM, CLP, RHCE/T, CCIE, Java Architect, etc. really are worth something beyond the piece of paper. They are real world tests, not multiple choice and as a result are much more difficult to fake, or get lucky on.
I've been studying for a couple of certifications. Not so I can have a piece of paper to hang on a wall or get a better job, but because the information that is tested for is really useful in performing the job. I've been working as an Oracle DBA for the last four years and thought I knew quite a bit, until I started studying for the OCP. I've come across quite a few things in my studying that have been a big help to me already in doing my job.
As one of my coworkers who recently completed his CCIE (and then moved on to bigger and better things) was fond of saying, it's not about the certification itself, it's about what you learn in the process.
I may not ever take the OCP, but just by studying for it I've improved my skill set and it's been worth the price I paid for the study guides.
-- Dave Hull http://insipid.com