Need for Certification ?

Not really…a certification is just a piece of paper.
If I want to work as an electrical engineer, do I need a degree in electrical engineering?  Not necessarily.  I just need to know how to engineer electrical systems.  Now getting someone to hire you to do this kind of work is a different story…
Actually, you employer would probably prefer this scenario:
You learn how to be a Black Belt…you accumulate the body of knowledge and develop the skill set.  Then you apply that knowledge within your organization by doing projects and so forth, but you never “fill out the paperwork” to get your official certification.
Why would they like that?  Because if you are successfully applying the tools, they are reaping the benefit, but if you don’t have the cert, there is little risk of somebody hiring you out from under them as a Black Belt.
If you like where you work, they pay you competitively, they allow you to apply what you’re learning, and you are therefore planning to stay with them, then there really isn’t any motivation to become “certified”. The important thing is to be certifiable, so to speak. :)  (Darth’ll like that one.)

Since SS is all about results, I hope that you can’t just talk your way into it!  I’ve seen several posts here about doing a project for free to get the certification.  If you aren’t willing to spend the $$ to get the training, why should any company be any different?  I think you need to research it to see if you will enjoy it and if you can be successful at it.  If the answer is yes, why not make a personal investment in your own career?

I wonder:  How many people are able to pay for IL six-sigma training out of their own pocket?
I did a (very) small amount of poking around to see what 6 Sigma training would cost.  It saw $5K for GB training and about $15K for BB training.  At that rate, I might as well start saving up for my dream vacation on the moon, instead.  It would be just about as likely to happen.
I suspect that most people in the 6 sigma field got started by being w/the right company at the right time and did not have to pay for the training themselves.  Maybe I am wrong.
The more I learn about the field, the more I believe that I would be interested in taking my career in this direction.  I think that I could find a project at a non-profit to which I could volunteer my time.  Working that out is a problem I understand. 
However, I am stuck trying to figure out how to acquire the book-learnin’ on-the-cheap or get to a company that would be willing to sponser me for proper training.
Is there another way into the field w/o being lucky enough to work for a company or organization that is willing to pay for it?

I took the ASQ certification (CSSBB) and paid all $200 and some myself.  I picked a project that demonstrated use of the tools and my boss at the time readily sponsored me (by signing the affadavit).  The next hurdle you face is getting in the door for an interview.  You need to talk intelligently and demonstrate (through past projects) that you know what you’re talking about (and talk the Six Six Sigma lingo).  I am now an MBB working for a fotune 100 company and love my work.  All of this cost me less than $300 other than a $2500 refresher course which I took OOP as an optional prep course just to be safe.  Think about it, spend a little upfront, and the payback time should be a few quick months.

No you do not need a certification but once you are certified, you get more respect and recognition in the company than your peers.You get more opportunity for growth by having bigger exposure to other cross functional activities and thus make your ideas and your self more visibile. If you have the potential, sky is the limit afterwards. – my two cents

Hold the phone one minute. 
 
I’m certified, yet I get zero respect from my peers.
I’m certified, but haven’t had any positive recognition in years.
I’m certified, and my growth opportunity is in the toilet.
I’m certified, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to die of exposure.
 
Oh, I just read your part on potential.
 
Never mind….
 
Stevo

I am sorry to hear your bad experiences. However, I have worked for many companies and I was able to make my place in a very short. Whatever I am today is becuase of six sigma. This is one of the finest and most productive program I have seen in my life time. 
  

I’m not ASQ certified, but have my certification from Six Sigma Consultants.
I am yet to work as a black belt in the true nature of my training.
I’m more of a “if it doesn’t fall under lean, VA/VE, then it’s black belt”.
I might as well be a registered sex offender, I’d get more respect and support.
I’m finding it a lonely road. Show me the money for the company, but do it now, not in 3 months.
I think that is one reason why we get  bad rap…it’s takes too darn long to finish a project and the conclusion are “we knew that”.
Certification and being a black belt has been financially rewarding thought. I was stuck with raises and advancement until black belt, but now I’m pigeon-holed into black belt roles, though I also was a lean coordinator.
Darth, are you a motivational speaker living in a van by the river?

“I don’t believe you need to be certified to use 6-Sigma.” – I agree with you. 
“My company has sent a few people to be trained and certified by high cost consultants only to leave shortly there after”. – so what is wrong with that? It means they have more marketability after certifications. 
“We switched and began to hire BBs that were already certified and they were not very effective.” – In order to be very effective, you need to understand the processes. To any new employee, it takes time to get familiar with the people and the processes. You are not saying they were not effective.
 
There are lots of engineers those who do have a formal engineering degree but only handful are doing well. You can easily differentiate who are degreed and who are OJT engineers. Nothing against OJT engineers but if you give something new to a degreed engineer, even something he has not done it in the past, will figure it out. On the other hand, OJT engineer will be hesitant to take the new assignment and will take a long time. 
 
One day when you get certified, you will appreciate the value and the distinction that comes with it.