ISTQB certification in 2026 — is it worth the time and money for career advancement?

I'm considering ISTQB Foundation and Advanced (Test Automation Engineer) certifications. Combined cost with study materials: ~$800, time investment: 3–4 months of evenings. I keep getting conflicting advice: - "It opens doors at consulting firms and enterprises that filter on cert" - "No good engineering team cares about ISTQB, it's a checkbox for non-technical managers" For context: I'm in India targeting both domestic and European/US remote SDET roles. Would the investment be better spent on a different certification (AWS, something coding-focused) or just building more portfolio projects?