Having taken a number of certifications myself, I can say this is not surprising. Certifications have long been used as a means of keeping the labor pool concen

Having taken a number of certifications myself, I can say this is not surprising. Certifications have long been used as a means of keeping the labor pool concentrated, and in the interest of limiting those who should be qualified to receive it (based on knowledge) to those that pay the most, there are often structural issues that make certifications as a whole useless to an employer. The employer is paying a higher price, for no real benefit. As an example, I've helped IT staff prepare for certification on email systems and have over 5 years of direct experience specializing in that area. They received their certifications no issues, but they paid the high priced business class which included the test. I paid for just the test when I went to test, and I was failed. It wasn't a matter of not knowing the material, there were structural issues that appeared intentional, and there is no incentive to fix those issues. When I say structural, I'm talking about system's theory properties such as determinism not being present (a property any valid test should have). In fact measures that normal businesses enact to maintain accountability to avoid lawsuits that every business has, they've removed because they are legally shielded with no real due process. They'll string you along for 3 months before giving you a credit, when you can prove they misrepresented many things, and that they made many errors that directly impacted the outcome, while refusing to make right (i.e. you may be limited by the number of times you can test, and errors on their part, by policy, won't be adjusted). They have such legal protection that you either pay the toll, or you don't get a temporary qualification to work. Its sad, but this interference in employer-employee relations for profit at your expense is common, and unavoidable due to monopoly/oligopoly and lack of oversight. If I were a CTO involved in hiring, knowing what I know, I would not hire based on certifications. It only shows that you either have persistence or paid more money upfront, nothing more. The marketing being pushed for certifications towards business is fraudulent in many cases, and is not representative of skills.