You should step back a bit and try to figure out who is telling you what and why. What are the parties perspectives and what are/might be their motives? Of course instructors will tell you certification is required and/or will get you more money. Why would they say otherwise? "No, you don't need certification. I'm just teaching this stuff for something to do, but it truly doesn't make any difference." Sure. On the other hand, those of us who are struggling really don't want any more competition than is already out there. So take what we (I) say with a grain of salt, too. With that said, consider this: with so much available labor available, why would a company or contractor hire someone with a certification but NO field experience over someone with years of field experience and NO certification? Think about that one for awhile.
This is CABL.com posting #323785. Tiny Link: cabl.co/mbwov