definitely wouldn't hurt, but i don't think hubspot certifications hold much weight in terms of landing clients or getting a job. i found their courses to be pretty generalized and low-level. More on reddit.com

i’ll also mention this. i think having non open book tests is garbage. we live in the internet age. learning how to find the answer to something you don’t know is a very valuable skill. ask any programmer. More on reddit.com

As an agency owner - if someone came to me looking to get a job and said, listen, I don't have experience in digital marketing, but I took all the Hubspot classes, here's the certification. Also, I did the online classes for Google Ads and Analytics, here are those certifications. And I did the Hootsuite one last week as well. I'm eager to learn and apply what I've learned already to real life work. Well, I'd be more impressed by that than someone saying that they are a "guru" or some other fictitious term. I say take the courses, and if you don't have something you can apply it to directly, make it up. Find a product or service you are passionate about, and build a mock campaign for it with everything you learn. Show that to a potential employer and you will impress them enough to land you a job. More on reddit.com

Considering that you say you would prefer learning SQL and the technical side, you should stick to that. These areas often involve data analysis and campaign optimization, which could suit you well. Since you mentioned that the HubSpot Academy course has a lot of fluff, I recommend trying some practical courses like Udemy, Google Analytics Academy, and there are also good courses on Coursera. Additionally, join online communities where you can ask questions and learn from others; besides Reddit, which I see you use, try Quora, where you can also ask questions. On Discord servers, you can also find groups that interest you. And make sure to gain as much practical experience as possible through projects or internships whenever you get the chance. I hope this helps :) More on reddit.com