I'm planning to do a few certifications, and since PHP is the topic that interests me, Zend PHP Certification caught my attention. However, i have a few questions regarding the same. Does it really carry any weight ? Last time i checked, many companies didnt even know what Zend is ! How long is the certification valid ?
It wouldn't hurt to have it, however PHP isn't exactly an "enterprise" language and larger companies/corporations wouldn't look as highly on it as they would a certification in Java or .NET, etc... If you are aiming at smaller firms that focus on PHP development it could be a determining factor however..
I think you first learn php at a master level then you won't required any certifications for the job thanks,
I get (significantly) more salary at work since I'm Zend certified. And it's easier to find clients because they know they get the real deal. It's valid your whole life. But you do the exam for a specific version of PHP. At this moment there are only exams for PHP 5... and PHP 6 will be out some time soon. So it might be valid your whole life, but the technology goes on and in a few years your PHP 5 or 6 certification won't be as impressive as it's now. It's still definitely worth it. I didn't regret doing it once.