That's true for any certification. A+ might be one of the easier certs to get, but I know plenty of MS certified people who took a crapload of tests and still are pretty stupid. Actually, I'd say the smartest computer people I know have the least about of certs, a few have none. A+ is a lower level MCP/MSCE. Good for helping you get your foot in the door, but not a real indication of anything except you can memorize shit and pass an exam on it.
I had an MSCE tell me to try and update the cd rom drivers on my windows XP to get XP to recognize it (when it was broke) MCSE people are worthless when it comes to superior levels of computer knowledge
Some are, very true. I don't know about today, but back in the 90s, during the IT boom (and before the dotcom bust), the MCSE was a very hot commodity and you had tons of people from all walks of life doing braindumps, boot camps, etc. so they could get a piece of the pie and get a big salary. As a result, paper MCSEs were churned out by the boatload and the cert really suffered because many of those idiots got the high paying jobs and crashed and burned when actual knowledge was needed and they had none.
I've known paper MCSEs that were scary beyond belief and I could tell you dozens of stories. I have an MCSE as well, but I actually got it after I had years of experience and the only reason I got it was because I was looking for another job and thought it was an easy enough undertaking to make it worth my while in the limited time I had. I think there were 7 tests and I took them in an 8 week window and aced them all. I typically only do certs if my job requires them or if I think it will really help me get a job I really want. Otherwise, I find OJT or a training session is the best way to learn new things rather than studying for certs. At any rate, my degree (Electrical Engineering) is much more useful to me than my certs in terms of job prospects. I think you will find that true of most degrees as well, since more and more companies seem to require them regardless of the major. I advise anyone wanting to get into IT to make sure you have a degree first, then move on to the certs and try to get experience along the way.