- For the companies who offer the certs - people pay them to test to prove they have skills, then tie themselves to using that company's product. Free organic marketing.

- For consulting firms who are business partners with the company who offers the cert. More certs = better partner programs.

- For people trying to get their first tech jobs: A cert with no experience is better than no cert and no experience.

But if you are a dev, just doing your work... they are at best a training tool, at worst an outright scam.

> In 2025, do coding certifications still hold value for developers, or has practical experience taken the lead?

The best is to do both. I had worked with AWS for years and thought I knew it well until I did a AWS Solutions Architect Professional course.