MCSE, CCNP and other certifications - demise of certification centers

As recently as 2007, there were thousands of certification centers in the United States that have specialized in Microsoft certifications such as Microsoft certification series (MCSE, MCITP, MCPD, MCA, MCSA, MCTS and others) and Cisco's CCNA, CCDA, CCNP...
Right here in San Diego there were about 80 various locations for certifications and roughly 30 colleges and cert. centers offering the preparation courses. The biggest one - MicroSkills (which advertised heavily on TV and radio) went out of business right as the recession was approaching. Many companies have sensed it a mile away and others were simply disenchanted with
the whole certification industry.

It became very clear that the training and knowledge obtained through these courses was for an "imaginary company with imaginary problems". None of them reflected real world practices and solutions. Look at Microsoft's MCSE certification - they have prepared the potential IT specialist to install printer drivers for Intel's Itanium systems...For starters - if an IT person doesn't know how to load additional drivers - he should be fired. Second - the number of companies that use Itanium systems from which people print are almost nonexistent. Look at Cisco - they did have more of useful information in their programs, but it was mainly centered on how to use some very obsure routing and discovery protocols that are just like Intel Itanium systems - are extremely rare.
Truth be told - all these certifications courses are not worth a dime. All decent system administrators and IT personal either already know everything that is relevant for the environment they work in or can learn in quickly. Those who rely on courses for their knowledge  will never be good in managing networks and systems. By the time they learn the course and pass the certification - it is almost obsolete. Which is great for companies that issue exams and collect the fees - they get to test those people again and again. And every time they are selling yesterday's skills.

So for those who wonder - try and get a job in the field rather then just going for certs. Experience is much more valued and useful. Anyone can answer by the book, but not everyone can be creative and methodical in solving computer related issues.