Certification a waste

I had trouble getting a job with just experience after a moved to a place where certification was everything. I wasted a bunch of time getting a mcse, a+, net+, ccna and I can’t even get a job in tier1 help desk support. If they had jobs where I moved from I would be over qualified. Can I get a clue from someone. What kind of requirements would put me back in help desk.
Is anyone having trouble with TS/SCI requirements