It provides exposure to new opportunities and can help boost your self-confidence. A very good transition for a beginning diver. Without advanced certification there's a chance you'll get stuck on a boat with all newbies. We were all newbies at one time, but being surrounded by flailing bobbing bodies is not my idea of a fun dive. Sorry, I was having a flashback to my Openwater Check dive.
Advanced certification is an entirely different story.
You must already have your Open Water Certification to take the advanced class. Having several dives on your own would also be helpful in preparing you for this step, but are not absolutely necessary. We did our classroom work in advance through a program with a dive operation and PADI instructor in Hawaii. Our reward for being good students was the experience of five great dives in the waters of Oahu. This allowed us to better estimate distance, learn about natural navigation points to use for reference, understand underwater swimming patterns, and navigate with a compass.