I have found with management and peers where I worked and in interviews that they don't have a high opinion of certification as an indicator of programming skill level. That being said, it is not an indicator of programming skill level. It is an indicator of your knowledge of a topic and I would add that maybe it indicates that your are serious about your professional enough to self-certify.
As for me and my reasons, I have taken time to recover from surgery and now have a gap in my employment history which makes me undesirable to recruiters and companies. I have to do this for myself and to be able to take whatever skills assessments are thrown at me just to prove myself.
And if you are working, how many companies have moved to java 8?. But, you know if they when they want to it would be good to be ready with a certification to show that you have done your homework.