More on the cert post I just made . . .
MS Certification doesn't certify that you're a good developer . . . instead, MS Certification certifies that you are fully buzzword compliant (most exams seem to exercise the latest features and novelties), have solid rational thinking skills in a test environment (for example: you can usually tease answers out of questions just by the process of elimination), and have a basic familiarity with the exam subject. Alternately, MS Certification can sometimes certify that you can cram and memorize the Transcender test prep material. For the record, I've never relied on Transcender as it felt like cheating.
Unfortunately, employers don't always know the above so they treat these Certifications like the gold standard of developer achievement. If employers emphasize these exams, then you can bet the typical (and rationale!) employee will take notice! It's too bad because Certification doesn't answer questions like:
-is your code up to professional standards (structure, conventions, comments, etc)?
-are you or is your code innovative (I'm fairly certain Don Box isn't Microsoft Certified)?
-how do you function in a real setting, as opposed to a contrived test delivered by computer?
-are you Certified by Transcender, more than Microsoft?
-can you program to a requirements doc, a UML diagram, etc?
-how many errors do you let creep into your checked-in code?
-are you a jerk?
I know, that last item can't be determined in an exam, but it would be nice. I really think a developer credential speaking to the questions I've enumerated would be very valuable. But, in the words of a Microsoft Certification Program manager I met, “evaluation of those elements do not scale.” Gotta love that, even the MS Certification program is designed for maximum scalability! The guy does have a valid point, though, and the current cert program is better than nothing. Maybe a third party could do a “code certification program“ where they evaluate programs and award a credential based on the qualities above. The Coding Slave software guild, pehaps? Maybe WeProgram.Net could step into this void? Maybe none of the WeProgram.Netters have the time or energy to pursue this? Maybe I should wrap this post up and get back to billable work?
Now, I know many great developers that don't pursue certification because they don't like the pressure of the tests, or they say something else but secretly don't like the pressure of the tests. I know some who won't tell anyone when they're sitting for an exam because they're worried about the shame of not passing; besides being a huge "psychology of failure" transgression, this tells you how much pressure people feel. All of you would gladly accept an "honorary MCSD.Net" if Microsoft chose to bestow you with one, so the only reason people won't take the exams is because they don't like the process. Unless Certification finds ways to answer some more of the above questions (except the Jerk thing), there will always be a large segment of the developer community who avoid the exams. It's a credibility problem for the exams. Look what happened to the MCSE program! I've beat this drum before, however, so I'll call it post.