Quicky certifications are a symptom of the deeper "problem". The real issue is that there just ain't enough skilled folk to go around. I'm not sure it's a "problem", well, at least if you're a skilled folk, it's not a problem. It just means higher pay. Enjoy it while it lasts. The high school I do a bit of work for has been firing up the old C/C++ courses once again. In 5-10 years, academia will overproduce techies again, and we'll see programmer jobs for $35K/year again.