Certs combined with work experience as Steve said are a good combo, but have not met that many people that way. Most people regard certs as a passport to 'knowing' or getting a job, and that is generally a poor premise. I have interviewed close to 100 people, around 30 percent had certs. My experience is that they ranked most lower than others who didn't have them. Certs only provide product overview btw, and as long as you can answer what a certain feature is meant to do, might mean they helped you in that regard. It is very possible to gain that kind of knowledge without certs too, hence what they are really worth in the job market other than give you some personal satisfaction is really very debatable.