For those who did CS Master's, how did it help your career? Was it worth it? (like, really)

Or is it better to spend time on hands-on certs (e.g., SANS, Cisco, Offensive Security, etc.) and be better at programming languages?

I did a quick search on the subject in CS-related sub. Interestingly, the consensus was something along the lines of 'it was largely theoretical, did it to pass the HR filter, and doing it for the school name and reputation, etc.'

Note: The role I am aiming for is app sec engineer.

career cybersecurity master