Are certifications worth it while job hunting? (Salt Lake City)

I saw that many postings ask for a specific certification. There are 5 people counting on me, so I am trying to be careful. I would like to use funding if possible. Is there free funding?

A hands-on course with a project helped more than a purely online one.

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.