Ah! Now I am seeing what you are saying. Yes, the certification should not be the one and only measure of technical skill and knowledge. It's just a benchmark. It let's people know you are serious about wanting to know the product. That you're proven to know the product well enough to pass an official exam from the Company that created the product, or an organization, like CompTIA, that enforces a certain standard in knowledge of a technical field.
However, like getting a degree- it's not the *only* way to show proficiency. And literally proving the job by correctly supporting others in the field with correct, kind, and respectful solutions can go a long way, *if* the interviewer/recruiter/broker actually knows how to read threads in a forum, and knows how to pick out the good members from those that just spam the forums.
I also want to touch on something- a lot of people don't thrive in standardized test environments. To be transparent, I am one of them. I've been an MCT for decades, which means I have been deeply entrenched in the "have to take an exam to teach the class" ecosystem- and I *still* struggled with every exam. Adding to that, I have had an eye injury that is making reading harder and harder, and I sometimes struggle to sit still and silent while managing my increasing anxiety as the clock runs out and I don't finish enough questions. I *know* that some people really aren't built to take the exams. And yeah, you can claim a disability and ask for help with extra time, or in my case, lower resolution so the words are bigger or high contrast themes- but do you know how humiliating and involved it is to ask Microsoft for an exception for a disability, no matter how small? It's kind of a nightmare. They get to judge you on a case by case basis and *they* who likely have never had a disability in their lives, get to decide whether you're right about your limitations. Can you imagine how discouraging it is to have someone at Microsoft get back to you and say your weakness, that you had to admit to strangers, isn't considered valid enough for help? And you have to bring it up for every exam.
And that's not to even go into how expensive the exams and the study materials are. Or how not everyone has the resources, like their own computer, good internet access, means to get the trials for the inevitably expensive subscriptions they need to study cloud products, and finish studying before the trial time runs out... Not everyone has that kind of cash or time to spend on an exam they may not pass the first time.
I get it if someone has to find a different route to prove their expertise. And I don't disagree that forums can, if the person interviewing you gets it, have their use. It is a struggle to stand out in the crowd of applications to prove yourself. And I think Microsoft's forums, frankly, have a long way to go to be respected and useful like other forums are. There are no checks and balances here. There used to be, to a certain degree, but those days have long passed.
To the point of alternatives-
-Public speaking does really help- user groups, free local mini-conferences (like the SharePoint Saturdays of old), then when you're known, to Microsoft events and technical conferences. You leave yourself open to real, in your face right there, criticism if you aren't good. (but even then, people with charisma can just fake it all the way through, when you *know* they don't really know all that much)
-Demonstrating what you know on a youtube channel (you know, don't just talk about it, prove it),
-Consistently writing useful and informative pieces in blogs,
-And publishing books (real publishers, with real editors, especially technical editors- they are really useful to put you through your paces).
There are alternatives to exams- but exams have a real use in the industry for good reason. It's a good, short hand way for employers to know what you know, no matter if you have the life experience to have done it all yet.
Sorry for the length, but I felt I needed to let you know if I understand what you're really saying, and how I understand it. I am not brushing off alternatives to exams, there have to be some. And I wish there was a more widespread, effective way for recruiters/interviewers to respect those alternatives in a formal manner, like exams. Exams are one size fits all, and it short changes everyone if it is the only, exclusive proof available.
