> The bigger and more bureaucratic a company is, the more certs tend to matter. This is the key point. Certs aren't good/bad, or helpful/harmful in of themsel

> The bigger and more bureaucratic a company is, the more certs tend to matter. This is the key point. Certs aren't good/bad, or helpful/harmful in of themselves. They matter/or not depending on what type of employment(if any) you are trying for for. For instance, I never want to work in bureaucracies or places levels/layers/management complexity that they must fall back on certifications, skill checklists, and the like. So, I never pursued any form of certification. Not even a university diploma.