I am a 25 yr old Analyst/Data Modeler in the US with a BA in MIS(managament information systems). I have 2 years work exp. in the current position but I'm trying to get into app. development or some other kind of programmer job. The reason is because I think with the tecnical know-how I can obtain as a developer I will be able to reach my goal of becoming project manager or IT director faster if I'm a "technical person with a business degreed" instead of " a business person who took a few IT classes in college"...which is what I am now .
Right now I would judge my technical skill as like a beginner book level. Meaning, I know all the easy array,looping,and called function stuff....but not stuff on a higher level.
Because of this and my lack of real world programming exp. I don't think anyone will hire me as a developer. I use to get called in for interviews when I was in the job hunt...but that was about it.
So I'm hoping getting one of the .Net Certs will make me more "legit" to ppl looking to hire.

I have a few questions about the Certs and my prospects:
-How much are the certs? I can't find real info on the MS site, but I'm assuming a class is $1000+ with the actual test being $100.
-What's the best way to study? I'm not paying $1000 for a class. Will one of the $60 official training books be a realistic approach?
-Is a Cert basically as good as a CS degree? I'm hoping that a Cert combined with MIS degree will make me MORE attractive then a CS person
-How long does the Cert process take typically?
-How much of a difference will getting a MS IT specialist cert be vs. getting a MS professional developer be? I'm assuming a pro dev. cert is harder to get.
-Lastly out of :web app's,windows apps,and distributed app's; which cert will be easier for a novice like me to actually get while at the same time look most attractive to potential employers