Certification
I don't mind the idea behind certification. Certs can help you break into the IT field (A+ and maybe Win2K Pro). The certification also shows a level of commitment to an employer if you've been in fast food all your life. Who would you hire for atier 1 phone support position. The guy with A+ and no experience or the guy with no experience? Neither is qualified to be a Sr. SysAdmin.
The problem lies in HR departments and office politics. Most HR reps haven't heard of SCSI or BIOS! They don't know the difference between a CCIE and Network+ cert. They look for the particular certs and the quantity of certs. Having certs gets your resume passed on into the political arena. If your going ot a consultant firm they might get more money per hour selling the MCSE guy that the no cert with experience guy...
I fought the certification bug for as long as I could. I've been turned down for jobs because I didn't have A+. A+ is supposed to represent 6mos - 1yr experience. I have 5 years. I don't know how much longer anyone in this field will be able to get away without the certs. Check out monster.com and see what I mean.
