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Every certification exam I have taken has been a test to see if I know how to take a multiple choice exam, yes, including the PMP exam.
Just because you have a PMP doesn't mean you know anything at all about managing projects. In fact, once you step away from the traditional development methodology and start down the road of, say, Agile methodlogy, all of that wonderful PMP learning goes out the window. So in OUR field... a PMP means 4 hours of your life you'll never get back.
Microsoft certifications... in my experience, good for getting a job, but once you are there, if you don't have the chops you won't last. We call that paper certification. This is where education and experience come in.
It's a debate that has been going on for years and years now. And probably won't get settled in this forum, but it sure is fun to talk about. 
"Those that say a task is impossible shouldn't interrupt the ones who are doing it." - Chinese Proverb
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What the hell? PMP not a waste of time? Project delays and failure is common place - once my boss told me I don't need to worry about 75 hours work week because "This next project will be managed under Prince framework". What a joke.
wake up mate, most PM don't know what they are talking about.
(talk to your HR, i bet the only skill you need is Communication Skill)
dev
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I couldn't agree more. It is a waste of time since they are short lived. .NET today, Java certified, CISCO router xyz certified, what next? How long will these continue. Then the next round. It would be better to get a certificate as a Buddist monk or a Christian Pastor. At least the subject matter never changes.
But, you basic college degree in computer science should give you a good grounding in the software basics. That means, if you're in .NET, writing your own list, arraylist, and dictionaries fromm scratch. (Java, uses maps and related structures.) Not just how to use these structures, but the theory bahind them, the probability math, and how to construct them on the fly.
With the exception of technology specialist, a general test in any of the above areas should test less on coding aspects rather than design aspects and development theory. For architects and senior level developers, testing in leadership skills should be manditory.
It would seem to test to specific technologies (in the long run) would be fruitless, since it changes frequently. Over a career lifetime, you could see technology turnover every five to 10 years. Development techniques (and design) will change at least every 10-15 years. How long has object oriented design been popular. For me, since about 1992. Prior to that, I was using C to create production software.
Leadership and managerial skills should last your whole career lifetime.
Technology will always be changing the fastest, managing it will be mostly the same.
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Actually I believe writing like a teenager is going to do more to 'freez you in your place (career)' than anything else.
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I recently got my MCTS for SQL Server to get a pay raise. My employer would like to be able to say all their IT department have certifications.
This being my first and only cert, I have not found the need for one during my 20 plus years of IT.
One of the comments here noted that they test for hire. I do very badly at those but when I get the job the employer seems to be happy with my work.
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djj55 wrote: One of the comments here noted that they test for hire. I do very badly at those but when I get the job the employer seems to be happy with my work.
Same here, I usually do really bad at tests, but I've always been complimented about my work when I get the job.
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Now a days people have started to learn DUMPS for any certifications,
So even if they dont have any pratical experiences they can easily get through these tests.
but once they get into the companies - by saying that they're certified professionals -
they are also putting their companies/industries into a problem.
so - better if you're experienced then just go through the prescribed books once
and write the test - score is not at all important - the knowledge what you have gained is much more important.
All the Best to all.
Kannan Samynathan
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Kannan Samynathan wrote: if you're experienced then just go through the prescribed books once
...And just stop there, save yourself the time and money that would have been spent on the actual test. After all, a cert that groups you with the lazy and dishonest is worse than no cert at all...
---- You're right.
These facts that you've laid out totally contradict the wild ramblings that I pulled off the back of cornflakes packets .
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It was unwise of Microsoft to exclude the C++ programmers totally from their certification programs. They tried it with VisualStudio too, but had to step back into the rank after the huge negative feedback from the industry.
Many software departments in companies like to hop onto the latest trend in the hope to save a lot of money and time - so they adopted .NET. But if you look at the biggest contenders in the industry, they still use C++ and for good reasons.
I'd love to make a cert. on C++ but I'm still not the least bit interested in .NET. 
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PatLeCat wrote: Many software departments in companies like to hop onto the latest trend in the hope to save a lot of money and time - so they adopted .NET. But if you look at the biggest contenders in the industry, they still use C++ and for good reasons.
Yes true. But there are very good reasons for adopting a framework like .NET for a variety of applications. They just aren't what I'd choose to use C++ for. I was a C++ developer (and a couple of colleagues say that I am self deprecating in that regard - ie I'm better than I think I am), BUT I don't use it day to day any more, I'm rusty and no longer efficient, so I don't refer to myself as a current C++ developer. .NET has been a boon for productivity in the 'scope' of applications that are my bread and butter. The fact of the matter is that in certain circumstances .NET is a massive productivity boost.
But yes I agree that C++ does seem to hang on the frings of MS thinking these days and that's a shame.
The only thing unpredictable about me is just how predictable I'm going to be.
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If MFC had become .net things would of been very different, either way I still 'dabble' with C++ from time to time, but c# and .net are a dream to work with.
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Currently, I have pretty much free choice in the language I use. C++ is preferred, but sometimes I'm forced into C# because MS didn't open doors like LINQ to C++ (*&$)*U$)$@)$&)( !!!!).
I use .NET for live projects because it allows me to get done rather quickly. But the real sweet stuff is in unmanaged C++. Back to being able to do what I want, when and where I want to. A developer should be grown up enough (at least when coding) to trust themselves with the power and responsibility of an obedient coding platform.
At least there's the IJW - so these nice #unmanaged can be put to use.
If I decide a character string is an array of short integers, then that's what it is.
"Thus it was cast - thus it was done."
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
"How do you find out if you're unwanted if everyone you try to ask tells you to stop bothering them and just go away?" - Balboos HaGadol
"It's a sad state of affairs, indeed, when you start reading my tag lines for some sort of enlightenment?" - Balboos HaGadol
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The official answer is that there was no interest among C++ programmers for the certification. I can only add that I am not interested in getting certified, with MS or otherwise.
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MS is in the business selling their software. There actual products are Vista and C# aka .NET.
So they arent promoting C++, they are only using it in their own software. I call that "double play" 
Greetings from Germany
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Of course this type of qualification has a value to your employer too, especially if they want to be MS certified/Gold partner.
Adam
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That is the main motivation. Some employers ask for it because of this. Those employers are typically Gold Partners and/or consultancy-types. Other than that a cert may have value other things being equal, e.g., two candidates with equal experience and one with a cert as well. Employer may go for the cert, especially if it's an employer's market.
Kevin
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This is the reason that my employer has requested that our uncertified devs (myself included) get at least an MCTS cert. Good thing they're not requiring it, because after skimming the text and taking a practice exam I'm convinced that it's not worth my time to take seriously. Like someone else on here pointed out, it's like taking a test on how to take a multiple-choice test. You have to keep a bunch of rote information in your head, most of which you'll probably dump shortly after taking the exam. Having information in your head is nice and all, but when you're not blessed with a high-power memory it can be just as effective to crack open a reference, or better yet, just go on MSDN. I've gotten through a lot of programming projects not "knowing" much more than how to find the information I need.
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We had some guys coming in for job interviews last year. They had a CV with those nice little pictures of MCP on them, but luckily we ask them to do a small programming test. A lot of those so-called certified professionals got as far as writing 4 lines of code in 45 minutes. Google and MSDN enabled  .
It wasn't even that hard (read in a text file, do some string manipulation and write to textbox)
I even had one guy who answered "I don't know." to my question: "What does this certificate mean? What does it contain".
IMO, I'm not really impressed by MCP's or any other certificate, they'll have to prove it  .
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Having a certification may not prove much these days but it may help you get in the door. Much like a college degree.
My BSCS degree is 20 years old and has little relevance to the work I do but I think it allows for more opportunities. Back in 2001-2002 after the .com crashes, most developer positions required a college degree just to be considered. Hiring managers were getting 300 resumes just about any position. I have also seen architect positions that were looking for certifications.
Some of the colleges around Dallas offer long-term (6-12 month) certification programs that I expect would help retain the information better than a 1-2 week boot camp.
In any case, if you can get a certification and get someone else to pay for part or all of it, it can't hurt. If you have to pay for it all yourself it may not be worthwhile.
RTS
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I agree. I started to take a MCTS prep course but it was completely worthless. It only showed you how to do drag and drop stuff in VS - connect to a database and create all those inefficient MS objects and bind to a grid. Yippee.
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I agree with you. I think a lot of those certificates came to be in the early to mid 90s when there was (supposedly) a shortage of qualified programmers. I've heard that people were so desperate to hire someone, anyone, they would consider anyone who claimed to have programming experience.
So someone with a couple of college courses in programming or someone with certificate would be considered qualified back then. Now that the demand has gone down and there are a number of programmers with college degrees, the shortage of the certificate programs seems to come to light.
A certificate to me is equivalent to one or at the most two college classes. Obviously a decent college grad would most likely be much better programmer at someone with certificate only.
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I Agree, It is now not any use, May be in 90's it is good but now it is not. I have seen so many programmer who don't certified but can manage large(very large) Project with good coding standards.
Have certificate is good but it doesn't matter i think as finally it depend on you how you can implement your logic.
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Wow! That's really sad...
Then again, most of the people who rock the programming world are just those with a passion for what they do. Certification be damned!
They still have that old hacker spirit. Most are people you've never even heard of until they put together something really amazing. Then you find out it's just a bunch of kids tinkering in their spare time or old timers (no offense to you guys  much respect!) who got tired or bored and became inspired.
I doubt a lot of programmers have any of these certifications. Chances are they were programming in older languages before moving on to bigger and better things. Or maybe they just came across programming out of the blue, enjoyed it, and stayed in the field like people who discover they enjoy solving puzzles or mysteries.
We'll see if that hypothesis is true once the poll is over.
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I'm currently working my way towards MCTS in .Net and, having seen these results, I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing now. Am I doing something that nobody else is interested in or am I doing something pretty exclusive that should set me apart from the crowd? I have a fair amount of programming experience and I thought that it would be a more specific qualification to add to my degree.
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I like you are working towards my MCTS then on to MCPD. I think its an important step to take as the more certificates / qualifications you have (And the MCTS / MCPD are highly regarded) the better chance you have of securing a new job in a senior role or getting that pay rise.
To be perfectly honest, With the current climate and insecurities, The more ammunition you have under your belt the better!. 
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