This isn't relevant to anything I wrote, but what the hell: most certs suck, so how is this true, and why should I spend $$$ to prove that I know SQL? You should be able to get an idea about someone's ability to work in an hour or two or you can't interview anyway.

I don't tell my boss, I ask my coworkers, who have little incentive to lie one way or the other.

Not so much in my experience, although getting exposure certainly helps.

Why the hell would an undergrad prof be teaching new trends? And yes, the prof usually knows a lot more than me in the area he teaches, that's why he's the prof and I go to his class. Meanwhile, training is focused on something small, like SVN or a dev methodology. No profs anywhere.

Charge $30/mo and see if more people sign up.

No! Agile is about iteration and isn't really suited to stringing a bunch of prototypes together. I can drive a nail with my fist, but that isn't a good idea.

Nice, now I know not to take you seriously.

Low value, high supply.

No, we'd prefer they not spend nearly half their time going after it.