Value of Certification

I am currently in the middle of a certification program on E-Commerce at a leading technical university. I feel the knowledge I am gaining is very valuable. But of what value is the certificate? Couldn’t I have taken these courses as a non-matriculated student?

I feel that companies like Microsoft, Novelle, SAS and now universities use this a revenue generator.

Is there any value to having a certificate? Does anyone feel a certificate has helped them in their career?