Maybe I’m a little jaded as well, but today’s certifications are nothing but a money making ploy! I received the CSTE (Certified Software Test Engineer through QAI) certification when it first came out around 2000. At that time, I had to answer a set of distinctive questions regarding my experience with specific aspects of testing, provide job history to prove how long I have been in testing (to get the certification you had to have been in a testing position for at least two years), and provide references from at least two of my current/former managers citing the work I did and length of time I did it. There was a $100 or $200 application fee that my employer paid for and that is it.
Of course, shortly thereafter, QAI jumped on the bandwagon of needing a specific number of CEUs to remain certified (these were obtained through training courses provided by QAI and others) or you needed to take a test to be recertified. “BIG BUCKS, NO WHAMMIES!”