So I have been out of school for 5 years with a BSME and have been doing Mechanical Design Engineering focus up to this point. Been at the same company for about 3 1/2 years now and for the better half of this position I have been developing tools for he mechanical engineers to use to keep things simpler and more precise (VBA macros that work between SolidWorks and Excel, and some SQL query reports of our PDM database) I deeply enjoy programming but have only pursued it as a hobbyist with some work here and there. I've done a few courses on SoloLearn but have barely scratch the surface of actually using any object oriented programming, although I feel I grasp the concept very well.

I have voiced that I would love more opportunities like this and soon I will be working with the Electrical department on source code for a controller we develop (Embedded C) as well as maintaining a userform through SharePoint (JavaScript). My employer has noted that if I would like to go back to school for CS that I would be eligible for reimbursement. Would going to school for CS makes sense for me or would more learning by doing and internet resources be a better option? The school near me has a "meh to bad" program for CSE so I'm also unsure if I should go with the local in person experience or go online with a bigger school like University of Michigan (it's about an hour away for when I'd have to do in person activities. If I don't go to school, are there any certifications that would be worth pursuing to represent that I have reach a level of understanding in a programming language?

tldr:

I'm a mechincal engineer with hobbyist programming exp and I'm about to start doing more programming at work and have the option for paid school. I want to get better at coding and would like to be able to represent that in future job seeking.

Options I see:

1. Local meh school
2. online at UofM
3. free online rescources

Should I get certifications?

1. Yes
2. No

Thanks for your help!