Hi Walt, and welcome to the site! Your question is one that has come up many times before. There is no real answer to it, as you must make up your own mind in the end.... and decide where to spend your money for your education. Neither a degree nor a certification will get you a job. At best, it will get you an interview or an entrance exam for a job. And at that point, you'd better know your topic very well (Linux, or programming, or whatever) to convince a company to hire you.
I have some old, rather useless certifications. For example, I am a certified "Microsoft XP Desktop Support Technician." I know... in this day and age of Windows 10, that's pretty funny, right? In my other hand, I have an Associates degree in Electrical Engineering Technology (EET)... which I've had longer than the Microsoft certification. That degree did, in fact, open the door for an entrance exam (I passed) to a job from which I shall now soon retire. I'll bet you can guess which of these credentials is still on my résumé.
But other people do not share my life experience. Many people favor certifications, whereas I would favor a university degree. Of course, I'm sure some degree programs may fall out of use in the future too, just as my Microsoft XP cert did. Good crystal balls are hard to come by (just ask
@wizardfromoz!)... but my guess is that the future is very bright for those with programming skills, especially. One can almost see the technologies of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics as being on the verge of replacing millions of workers... and it will be better to be capable of building, programming, and maintaining those technologies than it will be to be replaced by them.
Linux may help to open some of those doors for you. I'm not sure that it is an end unto itself, but maybe, depending on what your goals really are (besides just getting some education to change careers). But I would suggest that you do your best to look into the future, your future... what do you think will still be on your résumé 20 or 25 years from now?
Very best of luck to you!
Cheers