It really depends on what you want to do.
I went to college for Pre-med Biology and Math (I don't even own a pocket protector

I wasted 5 years and never finished either degree.
For the past 5 years, I've been a Systems Analyst at a local hospital specializing in AS/400, VMS, AIX, Linux, HL7 interfacing, about 12 programming languages, databases, etc. Prior to that, I was a System Operator for 3 years. The hospital sent me to training on the Interface Engine we use, but that's it. I have no certifications on any of the machines or OSs I support. I am the only person that knows all of the systems. (When I use the word system, I don't support M$ --- not a real system in my book)
I also take part in the hiring of new Sys Admins. It depends on what I'm looking for at the time as to which applicant will get the job.
Unfortunately, for many young people, experience ranks higher than any education or certification.
But back to my first statement. If you want to be a programmer, go to college. Take all of the programming courses. If you want to support M$ or networking, get your MCSE and Cisco certs. If you want to be a Sys Admin on mainframe or midrange servers, take an entry level position and work your way up.
Good luck,
Mark