I just had to respond to this thread and throw my 2 cents in. I can certainly see the frustration of hiring managers (having done so myself) that receive a load of resumes full of "certified" individuals who don't know squat. That is what a tech interview is for, though isn't it? Unfortunately to get to that interview you need a bit of flash to get your foot in the door. The world is as full of people claiming to be a linux guru as it is of MCSE's. I think some certs at least show that you are capable of learning, and some of the higher level ones show that you are capable of understanding/using concepts as well. Now I freely admit to being a cert collector/whore - I just do it for fun nowadays but I am willing to back every bit of it up in a tech interview - in fact I normally ask to tech interview with the heads of the unix, security, AND networking groups to prove I know what I claim to know (and I'm pretty sure I could pass as a high-level Microsoft guy if I desired). But it would be a tragic mistake on anyone's behalf to pre-assume that all those letters means I don't know what I am talking about. That's stereotyping, isn't it? -- Don Mills SCSA SCNA CCNP CCDP CISSP CQS-VPN CQS-PIX Chief Network Security/WAN Architect VA Dept. of Social Services don.mills@dss.virginia.gov