re: advanced college degree...Depends on what you want to do. If you plan to be a manager, you should round out your technical skills with some business skills. Perhaps consider an MBA with a concentration in technology. If you plan to stay purely technical, I would suggest a MS CS.

Regarding the certs... As a hiring manager, I prefer someone with hands on experience over someone with certs alone or cert with minimal experience. Certs are helpful when you dont have hands on experience. Use certs to branch out into different skill areas in which you lack hands on experience. Also, not all certs are created equal. CCNA/CCNP are well respected but some others not.

Not sure what you have accomplished in 5 years, but I would suggest you focus on getting an advanced degree. As you gain more hands on experience, the certs will mean less. An MS or MBA will open more doors.

Anyways, that's my $0.02.

CSR