I have a completely different appreciation for the material since I started teaching it (I teach A+ and Network+ classes a couple times a week and also the odd "Build a Computer" or "Troubleshooting" class).
We take a lot of these things for granted. We can see how everything fits together. I'd say that many here have an empathic appreciation of hardware that in some cases might approach unity. Or maybe I'm just a geek.
When I look at the material that I have gathered and written for myself, to present to the people in my classroom, most of them newbies to techwork, I see almost 300 pages of Outline material plus three dozen diagrams, illustrations and worksheets.. NRG can gloss over that - he's lived it.
But, really, I can say I can't remember when I learned how cable select IDE works or the hundred different rules about cabling SCSI or the millions of other tiny details that make up the A+ test. Going back, looking through everything I've collected and written, I have a volume of information that positively stuns me.
Far as things go, I think the tests are easy. If you get that far. Anyone who makes it to participating here (even non-techies like Santilli) can probably pass the test with minimal effort. Still, for anyone who does, the mastery of that material still represents a significant accomplishment. In my life I can *see* just how hard it is for someone who hasn't lived the material to take in the volume of material that makes up the test. The person who passes the A+ test has accellerated past probably 90% of the people who work on computers professionally and deserves the accolade of certification.
In case you're wondering, I believe that what NRG has done really means something. I wish it meant a little more - the test targets someone with six months rather than 18 months of professional experience now (I'm certain he still would've passed but maybe some other people who took the test with him might not)- but nonetheless he deserves a handshake and a hearty congratulation.
Me? I'm staring down the Server+ (topics include planning wiring, cross-platform system administration and SAN config) exam and wondering whether it'd be anything worthwhile to staple another piece of paper to my wall.