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Sun Jun 7 08:10:09 UTC 2015

As someone studying their first CCIE (RS), I sometimes find these kind of discussions disheartening. They come up every now and again, and the opinions seem vary anywhere between 'a good interview tool' and 'less than worthless'.
It took me a long time to get started in certifications once I began working in IT, because I questioned why I needed a piece of paper to prove what I knew.After I've started, I realised that following a certification track isn't perfect, but it gives (at least to me) the structure to cover areas of knowledge that you might not if you were doing 100% on the job training or some other methods. It gives you something to aim for, and helps with motivation and setting goals.
Does a certification mean that you are an expert? No. Does it mean you are devoid of skill? No. All it means is that the person has studied the curriculum, and passed the tests.No more, no less.
Now from what I understand of the CCIE lab exam (which I haven't attempted yet), it is a practical exam and you need to know your stuff to pass. I'm sure people think up ways to cheat and devalue it, that's bound to happen. I've sat on both sides of the interview table, and I've had plenty of both certified an uncertified people come through that don't know their stuff.I've also had plenty of both certified and uncertified people who have been great.
When I see someone who has a certification, and they can follow it up with actual skills, it indicates they have a certain level of dedication to improving themselves and their education. (In my experience it takes more time to study a certification track than to learn just what you need to get a job done.)

Just my 2c...

Cheers,Josh