Should I Focus on CKA Certification or Build an EKS Project?

I'm feeling pretty stuck at my current job and think I need to start looking for new opportunities where my automation skills can actually be put to use. My IT management keeps pushing for more automation, and I've created several Ansible roles that automate the installation and configuration of applications like Gitlab and Splunk. But when I presented this, my team dismissed it and insisted I use Bash User Data scripts instead, as they don't know how to use Ansible.

So, I'm contemplating getting my Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) certification while working on a personal project to showcase my skills with Kubernetes, specifically by deploying ELK on EKS, along with other tools like cert-manager and external-dns. However, I'm worried if hiring managers actually care about these projects, or if they're mainly focused on whether I can solve coding challenges. I've completed various other certifications in the past, but this CKA feels much more extensive and sometimes irrelevant, especially since managed Kubernetes solutions like EKS diminish the need for mastering some of the core Kubernetes components like kubeadm. I'm looking for advice—is it worth it to pursue the CKA, or should I prioritize the EKS project instead?