I've been looking around for courses in machine learning and computer science to help career-wise. Specifically, I'm interested in being a data scientist at a startup. I came across the Stanford Center for Professional Development's certification in Data Mining and Applications (http://scpd.stanford.edu/public/category/courseCategoryCertificateProfile.do?method=load&certificateId=1209602#searchResults), which seems to be right up my alley. But the cost is around $11,000 and for me this is hardly a trivial amount. My question is, then, what would be the value in such a certificate? Would any startups (or even more established tech companies) be impressed? Or, is it just a cash cow for the university? This question also applies to similar professional certifications from other "name-brand" universities.
Preemptive thanks!