When picknig a certification, it is always good to know the job market in your area with IT, this is extremely hard to do though.
I remember when everyone thought that an MCSE was the cert to get. Everyon has one nw and the industry is inundated with out of work MCSE's.
When I looked at the infustry in Canada and Europe, Novell was at the forefront of needed expertise. I studied as a CNA, CNE and now have an MCNE. The market has changed condierably in that time and now the only value I see in holding Netwrae certs as opposed to Microsoft is simply that there are WAAAAAAAAY more MCSE's looking for work than CNE's.
You might want to discuss this with a local training center that actually trains in many different CERTS, this way you should get an unbiased opinion and not just what course they want to sell you. A counsellor should be able to give you an idea of job demands and skills that are in demand, as he sees many graduates every few weeks looking for work.
Your focus on less common software (Netware, Unix and even Oracle DB, which is becoming a more and more popular cert these days)is a good start.
Just try not to get into an inundated field and you should remain employed for the future.
As for your current position, perhapse you can suggest some advancements and create your own position within the company as you study.
I wanted a cert and basically convinced a company that they needed to create a position for me. They then ended up paying for my education, got a fe months of upgrade support and sys admin, then I went out on my own and signed to them under contract to leave myself free for other opportunities.
Just take your time and get advice from people who handle job placement in yuor area, they'll at least know the demand.
