Certifications - just take my money

I have always been discouraged by certifications.

It may have been initiated from good intents, but somehow it has evolved into a fantastic money making vehicle that is capitalizing on society's notion that you need a piece of paper, and a lighter wallet to prove that you are qualified. Does being 'qualified' indicate you can apply in real life?

I'm studying Lean Six Sigma. I could have paid thousands of dollars and signed up for an official course which I am sure will be a good, but I opt for a cheaper alternative, a self-study online course that will give me a certificate at the end of the day for USD$500. For me, it's a choice - I forgo a better quality course for the sake of affordability and flexibility. But to a recruiter or an employer, it doesn't matter how much money I paid, how much learning I achieved, or how much they will benefit from the application of my skills... to them, it's a line on a resume. A stamp to say I'm 'qualified'.

To achieve this certification, all I need to do is read a text book and answer 25 multiple choice questions for each chapter. And this is an example of a question:

To answer, it requires no testing of my knowledge, no application of a formula. It doesn't even provide me context in order to work it out. All it requires, is the ability to work my finger through the pages of the assigned text, and find the one bullet-point example. Trust me, it does not require any smarts whatsoever, just the ability to compare two sentences word for word and fill in the blank.

And because of this primary school grade 3 skill, I am going to get a nod of approval where someone is looking for Lean Six Sigma skills.

I'm hoping I get more out of this at a personal level. The exam is not an indication of what I want to achieve. But it annoys me to know that there are such high demands for certifications out there, and what a joke some of the acceptable certifications are.

It's sad, some of these certificates really undermine education and learning. But at the end of the day, these are just my views. I still need to fork out the dosh in order to validate my 'qualification'. *sigh*