[MichaelRenor]

Don't fret. The author is correct, but it's mostly true for the upper ladder of the skilled workforce. I would chuckle if I saw a senior engineer list certifications on their resume (apart from maybe advanced CCNA/NP/IE cert for a networking specific role).

At that point in your career your experience and knowledge will show for itself, and you won't be proving anything with paper.

Right now, however, it's vital you get your foot in the door. You don't have much experience yet, so a cert shows you're eager and at least not totally clueless. The jobs that care about your certs will probably not be very good, but it's a stepping stone if you're ambitious.

[cortesoft]

This is exactly true for all non-work related qualifications (schooling, degrees, certification, etc)... they matter when you are first getting into the industry, and for your first job or two.

Once you get established, no one looks at those things.

[kbart]

What's so special about CCNA? I've acquired it as a backup plan few years earlier, but never used it nor worked in networking. Pretty much anyone with basic knowledge in networking, few weeks of spare time and and few hundreds of $ could obtain it.

[MichaelRenor]

The CCNA has value for network engineering positions.