I have never asked for a certification in an interview nor rejected someone for not having them. They are however useful as an indicator of interest and willin

I have never asked for a certification in an interview nor rejected someone for not having them. They are however useful as an indicator of interest and willingness to work and very basic knowledge of the subject for someone who is just starting in IT. They mean almost nothing on the resume of a seasoned, experienced professional, but they can help distinguish one person just starting out from another, especially if staring at a stack of 20 resumes and only having time to interview 5. I would never hire someone on the strength of a certification alone, but I have personally used them as an indicator of who was worth interviewing for entry level positions between candidates with no experience too speak of. On the flip side, when I was transitioning from the military to civilian work, I got database certifications and more than one interviewer told me directly that the certification helped convince them to interview me. Another, though this only happened once, told me that I could have gotten a higher salary offer if I got a higher level certification. Also, some jobs in large organizations actively require them. Whether or not you are willing to work in a large organization is a matter of taste, of course.