For me the most I've ever paid was $250-ish for the Security+. We've paid a lot for my husband's various IT certs, though. Some have been picked up by his employers but most we've just paid for out of pocket and taken the tax deductions. (A note about that though- it's not deductible unless you're already employed in the field you're certifying for.) He got his GCIH a while back and has to renew it, so his employer is picking up the cost of that (since having the cert is a requirement of his job). Yay!
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There are no automatic doors, just very polite ninjas