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I noticed today on AppleInsider that Apple has updated its certification programs again for Panther.  It got me thinking about whether or not I should try to go through with the learning process and take the tests.

Right now I'm working as a lab technician because it's the only job I could find after graduation.  As an undergrad I was the senior Mac technician for campus tech support.  Now I'm the default Mac guru on my floor.  Eventually I want to get back into a computer-oriented career path, preferably one that lets me use Macs on a regular basis.  In the mean time I'm continuing to attempt to build my resume by teaching myself how to do various things with my systems.  I've become decently competent hand-coding HTML with CSS, using Apache and SSI.  I'm also pretty good with Perl now too.  Over the next few weeks I'm attempting to learn PHP and MySQL because every job description I see seems to require database experience.

Back to my main question though - what is the REAL benefit of being Apple Certified?

I did the AppleCare Certified Service Technician test successfully in 2000, and I've noticed a positive response from people seeing it on my resume during interviews.

In your experience, how does being Apple Certified in other areas help you?  Is it worth it to have more than one certification from the same company?

Has anyone taken the Apple Certified Technical Coordinator or Apple Certified System Administrator tests successfully?  How difficult are they?  Are they a worthwhile use of time and money?  In the end did they pay off for you?