People in the business community often question the value of professional certifications. Is the cost of passing an exam worth it? Some people say yes. Some people say no. Some people qualify their position by suggesting a certification is only worthwhile if an individual lacks sufficient experience in his or her field.

As someone who owns a couple of certifications, I admit my bias toward seeing value in achieving them. With that bias in mind, allow me to explain my rationale for the value of professional certifications. I purposely use the general term “professional certifications” to include certifications for technologies, methodologies and the like because I suspect my rationale applies equally to all.