Certifications are pretty much useless, and in this economic climate everyone is going to be getting them. What really matters is evidence that you can do the job that you’re applying for, and with very few exceptions (mostly the high-end Cisco certifications) your employers will have run into too many examples of highly certified but incompetent people to give much credence to your certifications.
On the other hand, if you’re taking the classes in order to learn more, you might get somewhere with that. But don’t look at it as taking a class will give you a certification will get you a job—look at it as learning useful stuff that will broaden your skill set and make you more attractive to an employer.
Also, in IT, location and specialty matter. Some geographic areas are really feeling the recession hard; others are carrying on as if nothing was wrong. And some specialties are in more demand than others.
Beyond that—@Mr_M, I work in IT, and some of the most useless wastes of oxygen were the ones that double-majored in databases and software engineering with a minor in system administration. On the other hand, among the best programmers I know, one has a PhD in chemistry; another has a D.Div. and is an ordained Episcopal priest; at least three have bachelor’s degrees in the humanities and did not come to programming until after graduating from college; and two have no college degree whatsoever. What matters is the skill set you bring to the job.