All the responses I've seen so far are pure balderdash.
First, MS Office is not going away. It's still the best office suite, the best integrated within its own suite and the best integrated with other PC applications (and my wife perfers her MAC version to Apple alternatives). The suite offers numerous ways to navigate and launch processes, from drop-down menus, to keystroke combinations, to gesture-like mouse movements -- and it is intuitive. I am no spokesman for MS and would much rather have a freebie like Open Office, but when I tried it as a substitute, it just didn't flow the same way.
Even if I did prefer an alternative, the business world is locked long-term into MS Office and they are not likely to throw out a long-term investment. It's just not worth the risk. Moreover, when you look for somewhere who can fit into the office and handle what the rest of the team can handle, then MS Officed is the way to go.
Which leads me to the next two pieces of misinformation.
The MS Office certification is NOT book-learning. It is an intense hands-on course that weaves the trainee through many levels and domains of the product. You do, and the computer monitors what you do. Final exams are machine-supervised exercises in a time-limited period. Either you have mastered Office or you have.
And no, I am not blowing my own horn. I am not Office-certified. In fact, I am not MS certified in anything. I with I were. I wish I could afford the training. But I am not. I have, however, been a faculty member in a school that does offer Office certification while backing it up with classroom teachers. What I saw in the classroom was very convincing.
And, of course, it is extremely useful when applying for a job that requires skill in something like Word or Excel or Publisher. You might have the skills without the certification, but how is Human Services to know that. Some of the skills required to handle PowerPoint or Access can be both esoteric and high level, yet essential to the project. Even a mail-merge, which I used to integrate student past performances with test questions in my classroom, can be challenging for a project such as mine. If you have the cerfication, fine, you can do it. If not, why hire you when there is somewhat on your heels with an equal background plus the certification?
Beyond that, the possession of the certification puts you steps above those who do nothing. Companies want gung-ho employees, employees who think for themselves, take control of their lives. Having a certification or two goes a long way to establishing what they can expect after they hire you.