On May 24th, I'll be participating in a PMI-sponsored debate with Alistair Cockburn about the merits and limits of certification. Alistair is someone I have great respect for--he's responsible for introducing me to the Agile community--and we fall on opposite sides of the certification debate. Alistair is heading up the ICAgile certification program and I... well, I've had strong words to say about certifications.

I want to enter this discussion with a clear understanding of the plusses and minuses of certification, so I'd love to hear your arguments--and particularly experiences--for and against certification. Let me know what you think!

PS: I haven't been able to find a link to the PMI event, but it's on May 24th and you can see it on the Agile Community of Practice calendar.