There's a couple of things to consider:
First of all, most companies that offer to pay for employee certification, also attach a condition to it -- that you have to commit to continueing to work for them for a certain time, typically a year. Should you quit within that time frame, they often make you pay back either all or part of the certification costs (which can be quite substantial, depending on the certs in question)
You are right that the company gets a marketing benefit from being able to boast that all their employees are -x- certified. In my mind, there should be -some- kind of compensation for the additional certification. If not immediate (due to the cost they incurred getting you certified on the short term), they ought to give you an idea of what you can expect on the longer term. this is *not* expensive for them, and free for you -- unless they let you do all your studying and preperation during your work day, any major certification requires a major chunk of your free time as well.
your options basically boil down to these two:
1) Go with the flow, and get the certification. Makes you more valuable to the company, and supposedly also more marketable if you are looking for a new job. This also allows you to bargain for a higher salary easier, thanks to your 'increased value to the company'. After all, if they didn't consider certifications valueable to the company themselves, they wouldn't send you to get them, now would they?
2) Decline. This might cause resentment for your boss, since in their eyes you're rejecting a 'free' great opportunity to 'better youself'.
And an after-thought regarding the long-term benefits:
"Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?" (don't you hate that question during job interviews? ;-)
Pretty much all the microsoft certifications are time-limited. They either expire after a couple of years, or once the 2nd major upgrade for whatever it is you are certified for hits the streets. Do you see yourself looking for another job in that time frame? If so, you get the benefit of being able to list te additional certification on your resume. Do you expect to still work for the same company for those years? If so, the certification will probably have expired again by the time you're in the market.
Is certification important? It really depends on who you ask. Some companies won't even consider hiring you without them, many others don't care one way or another, and a few may even hold it against you. If you haven't worked in your field for very long, certification can give you an edge. If you already have a decade of hands-on experience, it may not matter much. In this case, your own company obviously is one of those that values them.
First of all, most companies that offer to pay for employee certification, also attach a condition to it -- that you have to commit to continueing to work for them for a certain time, typically a year. Should you quit within that time frame, they often make you pay back either all or part of the certification costs (which can be quite substantial, depending on the certs in question)
You are right that the company gets a marketing benefit from being able to boast that all their employees are -x- certified. In my mind, there should be -some- kind of compensation for the additional certification. If not immediate (due to the cost they incurred getting you certified on the short term), they ought to give you an idea of what you can expect on the longer term. this is *not* expensive for them, and free for you -- unless they let you do all your studying and preperation during your work day, any major certification requires a major chunk of your free time as well.
your options basically boil down to these two:
1) Go with the flow, and get the certification. Makes you more valuable to the company, and supposedly also more marketable if you are looking for a new job. This also allows you to bargain for a higher salary easier, thanks to your 'increased value to the company'. After all, if they didn't consider certifications valueable to the company themselves, they wouldn't send you to get them, now would they?
2) Decline. This might cause resentment for your boss, since in their eyes you're rejecting a 'free' great opportunity to 'better youself'.
And an after-thought regarding the long-term benefits:
"Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?" (don't you hate that question during job interviews? ;-)
Pretty much all the microsoft certifications are time-limited. They either expire after a couple of years, or once the 2nd major upgrade for whatever it is you are certified for hits the streets. Do you see yourself looking for another job in that time frame? If so, you get the benefit of being able to list te additional certification on your resume. Do you expect to still work for the same company for those years? If so, the certification will probably have expired again by the time you're in the market.
Is certification important? It really depends on who you ask. Some companies won't even consider hiring you without them, many others don't care one way or another, and a few may even hold it against you. If you haven't worked in your field for very long, certification can give you an edge. If you already have a decade of hands-on experience, it may not matter much. In this case, your own company obviously is one of those that values them.