Professional Certifications are they worth it in the Liquor Business?

This is a question I often spend time thinking about, having spent something like six hundred dollars on my various lapel pins occasionally I am up late at night thinking was it worth it. I think it was worth it, I know for a fact that I get interviews based on my experience and those certifications where I might not get those interviews without the certifications. I also know that I am the only person in the (very small) state of Delaware that directly interacts with the public with an advanced award from WSET. That translates into a lot of confidence on the sales floor and I think it really helps me sell the super premium and luxury bottles in my store.

If you are a liquor industry professional and are considering taking the tests with your own money the advice I want to give you is to know what you are going to be using the credentials for, if you just want a shiny lapel pin unless the money doesn't matter to you then I would skip it. I got the credentials knowing that I would feature them prominently in my resumes that I was sending out to various wholesalers in my region. If you lack a concrete plan on how to use the credentials that is what I would spend my time trying to figure out before plunking down the coin to take the tests.