Just in general, if you want to stay desirable, you'll always need to be taking the market's pulse. Ask real employers which certifications they value. But since you have to be able to actually do something and not just bluff well to work in this industry, everything hinges on skill at the core.
Focus on developing the skills, not the paper, even if the paper is pre-requisite to get promoted. Credentials should always be second priority. If you have the skills, you'll be in demand as long as this class of problems exists. People hire people to do something. Do that thing they want. Don't put your trust in any type of credential.
That said, very few people will hold worthless certificates against you, and risk-averse corporations will want to hire someone as highly decorated as possible so that they're clean if there's a lawsuit related to operator error or negligence. If they're available at low mental and financial cost, they won't hurt.
Don't get discouraged. Work on developing the skillset and the rest will flow. Get the certs as needed or as they're available, but do not attach your own sense of worth, value, or success to them. Your skills are what will distinguish you no matter how respected or despised your credentials become.
Focus on developing the skills, not the paper, even if the paper is pre-requisite to get promoted. Credentials should always be second priority. If you have the skills, you'll be in demand as long as this class of problems exists. People hire people to do something. Do that thing they want. Don't put your trust in any type of credential.
That said, very few people will hold worthless certificates against you, and risk-averse corporations will want to hire someone as highly decorated as possible so that they're clean if there's a lawsuit related to operator error or negligence. If they're available at low mental and financial cost, they won't hurt.
Don't get discouraged. Work on developing the skillset and the rest will flow. Get the certs as needed or as they're available, but do not attach your own sense of worth, value, or success to them. Your skills are what will distinguish you no matter how respected or despised your credentials become.