Knowledge without paper

Certs are good when just starting out or when you don't have a lot of experience. The reason I continue with them is because they force me to study new things. No one really cares that I have them any more.

I don't think they're absolutely required, but they help in the beginning. Since most of us have to get through clueless recruiters before getting to the hiring manager, having a cert is helpful. Once you get past HR then the cert isn't all that meaningful. Hopefully the hiring manager will be very thorough in their interview of your skills. Until you get to them you have to deal with people who don't know the difference between Linux and Cisco.

In your case I say just do it. Having a certification NEVER hurts.

Depends on Company Size.

I have always worked at mid-sized companies where the MIS staff is 1-3 people & the person who interviews me is the person who I will be reporting to, so I do not have to go through the HR people who do not know the difference between a Routine and a Routing, a language & a tool.

The degree to which upper management wants people in particular departments who hold degrees & certifications is largely dependent on the degree to which they themselves have them & what regard they hold for the IT department.

Someone doing clerical work does not need a degree. Someone doing mechanical electronics just needs to have graduated from some technical school. If management thinks of IT as being clerical (programming skills) then they think that a degreed person needs to be paid more, so they seek a non-degreed person.

However, if they need people with college degrees in engineering department, marketing dept, etc. relevant to what the people in those departments are doing, then they also think that is a good idea for the MIS department. it is all perceptions by people who know nothing about the department's needs.