I was the only American in the room. Afterward, several people asked why I'd take an exam half a world away from home. Why here indeed, and why at all? I wondered that myself, having completed the higher-level certification several years ago.

Certainly there's value in security certifications, even if respect for many of the vendor-specific certifications -- notably Microsoft's Certified Systems Administrator () and Software Engineer () -- has decreased. But the broad idea of professional certification hasn't fallen out of favor, and certifications still make sense in the information technology or security industry.

In fact, I think Microsoft's current perception problem is due to specific missteps: flooding the market with certified administrators and software developers, and since-reversed mistakes related to the forced expiry of certifications according to product release cycles. Cisco, for example, has managed to retain a bit more cachet for the Cisco Certified Network Administrator () and Internetwork Engineer () simply through reasonable rigor and a touch of scarcity. The percentage of people with insufficient among CCNAs may be the same as among MCSAs, for example, but there's a clear difference in perception.

Two decades ago, Novell made important early strides in vendor-driven certification with its Certified Netware Engineer () designation. The CNE was not only one of the first well-marketed extensions of engineering designations from other industries, but it provided a much-needed bridge between entry-level network cable-jockey and support jobs into the realm of respected professional roles.

Through this widely recognizable structured route, technically competent IT workers who might lack the social skills necessary to advance in a highly social professional environment could assert their merit without limitation from managers, employers and even industry. Potential advancement, new employers and peers could in turn recognize a competent individual by the designation.