We make choices daily on different issues, from the most subtle to the most important. When making these choices, we employ (consciously or not) different mechanisms that help us to estimate the potential benefit of each available option. Sometimes the option to choose is obvious: Its anticipated benefits outweigh its attendant risks and entailed costs. Sometimes the choice is not so obvious. Deciding whether to pursue SHRM certification is based on the same algorithm. For many people, the benefits of becoming certified include expectations of being promoted, receiving a salary increase or landing a specific job. These ideas likely motivate their decision to earn the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP credential. That approach works well if the connection between the expected benefits of certification, and the effort and investment required to earn it, is well-defined. But in many workplace cultures, being certified is not a distinguishing criterion. Such is the case in my country, Greece. Instead, ...