Jobs paying for certificates

Hello everyone,
I am within six months of graduating with a bachlor's degree and already hold a few certificates. I took off work to finish my last two semester of school and while I think there are many certifications I'm close to getting, I really can't afford all the tests.
I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on finding a job that will pay for continued education/ getting a job to pay if that isn't mentioned at first. I've been actively searching through Monster, Dice and LinkedIn to get a feel for the positions out there, and while I've seen "must be able to get xxxx certification within three months" a few times, I have yet to see one that mentioned any sort of education benefit.
I'd also really appreciate some advice on which certifications to pursue first.
Currently I hold an A+ and Security+. I am just past the half way point of the Cisco Academy to get the CCNA. That I plan to take the test for. Two classes I have upcoming are a Linux Admin class, which should at least put me well on my way to the Linux+, and a MS Admin class, the text book for which is a prep book for the MS Exam 70-290, which I also plan to take at the time. The 290 and the Security+ put me half way to the MCSA, and I think I could knock out the Win7 test to put me 3/4 of the way there.
Below I've listed some certifications I'm confident I could get relatively quickly (one at a time, not all at once
), but that I'd rather not pay out of pocket for. Are there any that I shouldn't be waiting on?
Network+, Server+, JNCIA, Win7 (70-680) and MS 70-291 for the MCSA, BICSI ITS, and any of the various CCNA add ons (Wireless, Design, Voice)
Thank you very much, just reading through the forums here has already helped answer some of my other questions.
I am within six months of graduating with a bachlor's degree and already hold a few certificates. I took off work to finish my last two semester of school and while I think there are many certifications I'm close to getting, I really can't afford all the tests.
I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on finding a job that will pay for continued education/ getting a job to pay if that isn't mentioned at first. I've been actively searching through Monster, Dice and LinkedIn to get a feel for the positions out there, and while I've seen "must be able to get xxxx certification within three months" a few times, I have yet to see one that mentioned any sort of education benefit.
I'd also really appreciate some advice on which certifications to pursue first.
Currently I hold an A+ and Security+. I am just past the half way point of the Cisco Academy to get the CCNA. That I plan to take the test for. Two classes I have upcoming are a Linux Admin class, which should at least put me well on my way to the Linux+, and a MS Admin class, the text book for which is a prep book for the MS Exam 70-290, which I also plan to take at the time. The 290 and the Security+ put me half way to the MCSA, and I think I could knock out the Win7 test to put me 3/4 of the way there.
Below I've listed some certifications I'm confident I could get relatively quickly (one at a time, not all at once

Network+, Server+, JNCIA, Win7 (70-680) and MS 70-291 for the MCSA, BICSI ITS, and any of the various CCNA add ons (Wireless, Design, Voice)
Thank you very much, just reading through the forums here has already helped answer some of my other questions.
Comments
In the past I have only taken advantage of one company who paid for the exams. My last company wanted me to use their training materials which I hated, so I sucked up and paid for the exam myself because I could get it done quicker.
I think you need to focus more on getting a job to get the experiance and not much of them paying for the cert exams.
There is also the problem where the company states you have to stay with them for x amout of time or you owe them the cost of the exam. I'm not a big fan of contracts like that.
From my experiance most companies do pay for the exams after you have completed it. They do not pay for the training material.
My current employer states that they provide "encouragement and continuing professional growth", which is open to interpretation. My boss said that he would pay for my CISSP exam as long as I passed. I just submitted the paperwork and am still awaiting the check. Its fairly uncommon in my area to pay for continuing education and/or certification. The common viewpoint is if they pay for my certification, they are essentially paying for me to leave and find a better job. My boss is leaving the company and I haven't discussed it with my new boss yet.
There is no room for growth in my position, so I don't expect them to be able to keep any employee for more than 3 years. However, If they are not willing to pay for my certs, I will be leaving as soon as I find a better place.
IMO, continuous experience is far far better than an employer that has whatever benefits. Beggars can't be choosers and it's a rough economy at the moment. If you can get a job that would benefit you professionally, take it. While you are working, never stop looking for something better. Unfortunately for me, something better means moving out of state. I am almost entirely set on the fact that if I do that, I want a job that will give me a security clearance since that's something I can't buy even if I could afford it but would open up a lot of options.
LAE1 LUT1 LAT1 AXV1 TTV1 INC1 SSC1 SST1 GAC1 HHT1 TSV1 IWC1 IWT1 ABV1 BAC1 BBC1 TNV1
Finished
EWB2 WFV1 CLC1MGC1
Certifications are another story. My employer allows us to use up to $2500 of our tuition funds for certification training. Beyond that, we can do normal expenses for certifications so long as it is approved by our manager.
If we leave before a year we have to pay back 100%, but after 18 months only 50%... and then nothing after 18 months. It is a good benefit if you want to entice your workers to stick around. Of course, people get burned out... but that is why they have big carrots at the end of the stick (in addition to tuition, our 401k matches are fantastic, but we have to stay six years to be vested).
Generally, if you work in consulting, YOU are the product that is offered to customers, so investing in you becomes important for your employer.
You are too hung up on certifications. Circa 1999 there wasn't enough experience to go around so people compensated that by getting qualified. The companies that passed themselves as being expert solutions providers did the same by force feeding employees to get as qualified as they could in the shortest time possible. Today if you work for a provider that sells services they will most likely support you in your certification quest to some extent as they need qualified people on the books. If you are working in an operational capacity for a company there will be less stimulus to get qualified or support to achieve it.
Either way in today's IT landscape it is your work accomplishments that define you and your career trajectory, not your certifications anymore. So leverage what you already have going for you to get in with a company that will give you exposure to the kind of *work* that will accellerate your career, and take appropriate certification tracks to add value to your work and get you noticed internally, as well as springboard you towards the type of work you wish to do in future. If the company pays, great, but if not do what is necessary anyway. In either case expect to be spending significant personal time evenings and weekends hitting the books. If you are effective at work an employer tends to find you lots of useful stuff to do as opposed to boning up for your latest exam.
Mine values certifications as well. They pay for my education + certifications. Take advantage of it if you can find a place like that.
IPSec VPN Design 44%
Mastering VMWare vSphere 5 42.8%
Aside from job listings, I've been combing through sites that let employees review companies that they've worked for, but they generally focus on salary ranges and the quality of the employment rather then any specific benefits.
And I certainly appreciate your response Turgon, I plan to pursue certifications in the future that compliment experience I will attain, not spend all my time building up a qualification list without actually doing anything. The certs I listed were the most common ones I saw under 'required qualifications' in most of the job advertisements I read.
/If I came off as too fixated on certifications its only because I finally found a place to ask all the questions I've had about them :P
great advice from turg there. if a company doesnt pay for them then i always see it as an investment in myself. If the qualification hasnt helped at the time, i have always found it will play a role at some point. ive worked for 2 big companies which refused to pay anything. Now i work at a "small" company who actively supports more qualifications, i.e. pay for books, exams etc. either way, it has never stopped me.
Bsc (hons) Network Computing - 1st Class
WIP: Msc advanced networking