BA+MPA, Do certifications work? (degree, school, masters, program)

[Down in a Hole]

So, I think I have posted on here about certifications, and so have some other people, I have(unfortunately) a BA in History. I went back to school and got a Masters in Public Administration(MPA) thinking that I could get a better job. I guess the thing that bothers me is that most people don't even know what an MPA is(Ive asked). Anyways, on my college website they posted a post from a lady that has a blog and after reading it, I did some investigating.

She got a BA in English from the University of Chicago in 2007, and then got a certificate in Public Relations from the University of Washington in 2008.

She then headed down to the University of Southern California, where she majored in Public Administration and got an MPA with an emphasis in non profit management in 2011. After that, she got a certificate in Strategic Marketing from the London School of Business in the UK. This was done online apparently.

Anyways, I went back and looked at the dates, and I was impressed. Apparently, she got her current job at IMPACTS in 2011, BEFORE the certificate. Her current role now? Chief Marketing Engagement Officer.

So I am not going to lie, I am like hella jealous. I would love to have a good job like that. I originally was going back for a BS in Corporate Communications. The reason for that is two fold, one was to specialize and the other reason was because sometimes I leave my MPA off of some job apps since it is too much education, just getting my foot into the door should be enough. I don't know what her resume looks like, but except for the certs, we have basically the same education just from different colleges. So I am wondering, why it has been so difficult for me to find a good job like the one that she has.

I honestly do not know if it is the BA in English that got her started or what. I had to drop out of school because I got into a wreck last month. Before I went into school, I was thinking of doing a certificate program at the school in my city. It would be a 6 course certificate and it would give me a certificate in Non profit management. There is an internship class thats not included, but I was going to ask them if I could take it because I think it would help me out in the long run. I then could do the next certificate like her online and get one in strategic marketing. I really don't want to have to go back for another degree unless I have to. I should have honestly majored in Communications from the get go, but whats done is done.

So I wanted to analyze this and was hoping that people here could help me on what to do, maybe brainstorm it, I don't know. I don't know if she got to where she is because its her education, luck, maybe she knew someone. I don't know.