In my experience? If you are going to do the formal classes and work that lines up with a certificate, might as well do all of it and get it. It can't hurt.
At the same time, there is no real reason a cert is better than experience. It's more of easy proof of the date that you learned the technology, so it stuff has changed it's easy to show you the new stuff.
Hmmm.
So the real game show is getting value out of the prize.