Certifications in my opinion are the cherry on top. Certifications complement a candidate that has a strong background, they do not make up the strong background. Quite frankly, many are a dime a dozen.
Obviously, some are more recognized than others, but ultimately experience (think: job history, side projects, school projects, hackathons) is going to hold much more weight for the majority of jobs.
Often times in interviews, you will find that the interview will ask you to tell them a story about a time you did something within a particular context (ex: tell me a time you had a disagreement with someone you were working with)... Your answers to these questions will be driven by your experiences, not your certifications.
When considering what certifications are worth completing, take some time beforehand to evaluate the job postings that you'll be applying for, some of them may even list specific certifications that they are looking for or would prefer in a potential candidate. This is how I would determine which ones are worth your time - by assessing what the marketplace you're looking to break into actually values in a potential hire.
Some certification areas that I have, generally speaking, found to be recognized at least to a certain extent (obviously, this depends on your field/niche) are:
- Cisco
- AWS
- Azure
- Comptia