Hello,
With so many certifications for everything, I was curious to know what certifications that you have or are currently in the process of getting that have helped you in your career. I am mainly looking for programming certifications, but all are welcome.
I have a Microsoft certification (MCTS in .NET 2.0), but I can't honestly say that anything I learned in the prep or taking of the related exams has been all that helpful to me in my day to day work. For that particular certification there is a "general" .NET 2.0 exam that you have to pass, which was interesting if for no other reason than it exposed me to some .NET features that I don't normally get to see or use (i.e. Code Access Security, internationalization, etc.)
I have none currently, but would be more interested in the CC* and RH* certifications over Mc* ones, but I deal with networking an *nix more than I do Windows.
I have several Microsoft ones from years ago and found them to be mostly useless. Some people find these useful inspiration to read and learn certain practices but I found them to be not much more than marketing badges, if that is a little cynical. I'm not saying they don't work, it just depends on the person.
Personally I find real bound problems to be much better for programming. If you can't find this in your day job, then maybe set yourself the challenge of solving 50 project euler challenges and put that on your CV. I wouldn't be surprised if more folk were better impressed with that.
Then of course there are masters, which I do believe if followed with convinction can be very good. I certainly did and it is not simply getting into the detailed technical knowledge but learning how to gather and assess the mountain of detail out there. This meta data learning and project creation is a good learning experience and can give you skills not found in work. However, I believe the best technical skills come from work.
Currently working towards my MCPD as I have excess training money, but I'm not dedicating myself to it 100% . In all honesty, when we hire at work it's based primarily on experience, not certifications.
I learned a good amount from getting my SCJP and SCWCD because I had to code different constructs than I was used to. It definitely helped me become a more well-rounded programmer.
The Microsoft certifications are mostly a way to make sure that at some point certain thoughts have sluiced through your brain. That said, if you do a lot of Microsoft development this is not necessarily a bad thing, because it ensures that you've been exposed at least once to the 'right way to do things'. An MCP in whatever grabs your interest or an MCPD to show that you're serious isn't a bad idea if you do Windows development.
Sun Certified Java Programmer demonstrates that you know Java syntax. Sun's Certified Developer demonstrates that you know the libraries. Both are easy enough to complete and ensure that you've rounded out your understanding. A Sun Certified Enterprise Architect opens doors, but be prepared to work for it and you'd better really love Java.
ISC^2's CISSP serves as a good introduction to security principles and I think teaches the right model for how to think about security -- as a system of layers and controls, not magic pixie dust.
CompTIA's Security+ is a nice set of training wheels on the path to ISC^2's CISSP. If you are going to complete the CISSP, you might as well grab the Security+ on the way. You can even use it towards some of the Microsoft certifications.
To be honest, I used certifications to demonstrate knowledge until I had a graduate degree under my belt; I went back to college after the dot-com crash. But between that and 15 years in the field, no one really cares about my certifications any more.
So for me, they served as a great proxy for a degree until I had one, but I can't say that I've broken anywhere close to even on the huge pile of certifications I've accumulated.
I had about eleven MS certifications between 2000 and 2001. In that golden times, they helped me to increase my wage and even teach some classes no one else could in the city I use to live. Those certifications were also very useful in the sense that I really had to study harder; before that I didn't have patience to read tech books.
But now, 8 years after that, certifications seem useless to me. None of the job interviews I had in the last two years even mentioned my experience with MS products -- I mean, all those certifications were not important anymore. At the point that finally I decided to remove them from my resumé.
I'd like to see how many people would actually get those certifications (any vendor) without the braindumps ... The would have much more value if there is no braindumps around...but unfortunately there is a entire market that survives doing this kinda job ...
i have some old generic certs (Java, VB, VB.NET, C#, etc.) in a box somewhere (employer insisted). I don't list them on my resume because having taken the tests i know they're worthless. They certify that you passed an online test. woo-hoo!
it might impress recruiters, HR drones, and others that don't know any better; they certainly don't harm you as long as you have the experience to show that you have used the knowledge and not just taken a bunch of tests...
...but they don't impress the senior developers, and they don't impress the chicks ;-)
here are a few more questions about certs:
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/67097/is-there-any-mandatory-certification-a-programmer-should-have
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/7113/is-it-worth-it-to-get-ms-certified
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/205474/which-certifications-are-worthwhile-and-useful-on-a-resume
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/209045/technical-certifications-improve-programming-skills
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/52276/certification-worth-it-or-worthless
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/249906/as-a-net-developer-what-exams-other-than-the-microsoft-ones-are-worthwhile
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/281100/is-it-worth-becoming-sun-certified
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/253570/how-is-zend-certification-going-to-help-my-career
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12986/microsoft-certification-exams
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/91302/do-you-think-good-developers-should-have-lots-of-certificates
and 100+ more
When I was looking for a job 3 years ago, I got 2 of the hottest certifications at the time, CISSP for security and PMP for Project Management. Neither helped me find a job, and I ended up working at a place that did not require either. I think any certification that involves a multiple choice test that you can pass with a weekend of study is not worth your time. Other certifications that take more time and money, such as CCIE are not practical for individuals to get on their own, they require employer support. So I think this is making the whole certification industry less relevant by the day. Your experience is what is going to get you the job, not a certification. And would you want to work at a place that was clueless enough to value a worthless certification anyway?