I got my A +P before I got off active duty, and I used it to make good money working at night etc while doing college and flight training. It did help land my first CFI job, but other than that it was a just a nice to have thing, maybe I was able to wrap my head around systems and what not a bit faster than the average joe..but thats about it.
Where it has really come in has been owning your own small airplane....
But really...first world problem.