I used to not believe so much in IT certifications until I started studying for my Google exams. Education is an on-going process, which when approached methodically, it allows one to become a better problem solver.
Although practical experience will give one a huge exposure (and arguably this is the best way to learn, by working in real projects) into the various vendors’ products, I would personally not undervalue the importance of certifications, such as Google’s own Professional Engineer ones. Why you ask? Please note, I am personally very passionate about Google’s ecosystem, hence my opinion is undoubtedly biased here.
Having a leading role in various teams that deal with Google security, it means that it is important that I know, not just the basic concepts, but also have an in-depth knowledge of the various GCP products, and how each one of those products interacts with the other. I very often have to review Architecture diagrams, recommend and design Cloud Architecture solutions that make the end product more robust, from a security point of view.
Having followed the structured syllabus for Google’s exams, i.e. https://cloud.google.com/certification/guides/professional-cloud-architect, I can attest that these go very much into the nitty gritty details that one needs to master most, if not all the concepts, for that particular certification. Google’s certifications are certainly not easy to pass, as they require lots and lots of hours of real practice experience and studying.
The certifications I have earned so far are:
Google Professional Cloud Architect
Google Professional Cloud Security Engineer
Google Professional Cloud Network Engineer
Employers take these certifications seriously, and rightly so, as they are hard to pass and require a level of mastery of the various topics, which for a Security Architect for example, are vital to have.