Comment It depends... (Score 1) 296
It depends... is the certification exam like MCSE or A+, where it's multiple-guess? If it is a multiple guess exam where focus is more on definitions and "what does PCMCIA stand for" than actual configuration and troubleshooting, then yes, the certs are utterly worthless. There are plenty of MCSE-wielding clueless voids out there...
Whether certs are useless or not depends on the exam style. One method shows you're very good at rote memorization but doesn't show the ability to actually DO anything tangible with that knowledge. Others allow you to not know the definitions of terms but prove you have actual skills and experience required to get the job done.
(I always use PCMCIA as an example in such discussions because the joke translation is "People Can't Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms")