I'm 28 and currently work part time at a cigar lounge. Before that, I ran a family business for about three years and later relied on trading as my main income. Although I once made six figures, I eventually lost most of it through poor decisions and ended up in debt. I'm now focused on building a more stable long-term career.
I became interested in IT, especially cybersecurity and Linux system administration, after talking with friends in the field. About a year ago I experimented with Linux labs and documented some of what I did, but I never committed consistently. Recently I've become more serious about changing careers. I enjoy working with Linux and want to give myself a real chance to enter the industry, even though most of my work experience has been physical or business-related.
For someone starting with limited professional IT experience, what would be the best way to prepare for a sysadmin role? Is the Google Cybersecurity Certificate useful for foundational knowledge? Should I build a home lab and practice on an old computer? I've installed Rocky Linux on an older laptop because it is similar to Red Hat-based systems.
What skills, projects, certifications, or education would make me more employable? I currently have an associate degree in arts but no IT certifications. Would starting with help desk be the right move, and which certifications should I prioritize? Finally, if I became a sysadmin in 2026, what would be a good path toward a specialization such as cloud security?
3 Answers
A structured path could be A+, AZ-900, and ITIL Foundation to establish basic support, cloud, and service-management knowledge. After getting a Level 1 role, spend roughly a year learning how IT works in a real organization, then consider Network+ or Server+ and move toward desktop support or Level 2 work.
At the next stage, Security+ and a more practical cloud certification such as AZ-104 can help, but hands-on experience should remain the priority. Sysadmin roles generally require networking, storage, server administration, monitoring, cloud services, infrastructure as code, backups, and disaster recovery. The exact certification path depends on whether you want to work mostly with Windows, Linux, Azure, AWS, or another environment.
After several years of experience, specialties such as DevOps, security engineering, or cloud security become much more realistic. The field is broad, so choose a direction based on the work you actually enjoy rather than chasing every certification.
Create a small public portfolio instead of only collecting certificates. You could contribute bug fixes or documentation to an open-source project, maintain scripts, publish lab notes, or build a simple infrastructure project. A profile showing useful work gives employers something concrete to evaluate.
Basic scripting is also important. You don’t have to become a software developer, but learning Python, Bash, PowerShell, Git, and troubleshooting will expand your options. Using an assistant for guidance is fine as long as you read, test, and understand the code rather than submitting something you can’t explain.
Start with the fundamentals and aim for an entry-level help desk or service desk position. A common progression is CompTIA A+, Network+, and then Security+, although you don’t necessarily need all three before applying. Networking knowledge is especially important because it supports almost every sysadmin and security task.
A home lab is worthwhile for learning, but hiring managers usually care more about what you can explain and demonstrate than the lab itself. Use it to practice Linux administration, users and permissions, SSH, networking, backups, monitoring, virtualization, and troubleshooting. Document the projects clearly so you can discuss them during interviews.
Once you have some experience, you can build toward server administration, cloud platforms, automation, and eventually cloud security. Don’t worry too much about artificial intelligence eliminating entry-level jobs; focus on becoming someone who can understand systems and use modern tools effectively.
That makes sense. I’ve been searching for help desk roles nearby, although there don’t seem to be many openings. I’ll keep working through the certification list and build a lab I can explain clearly.
I already have a code repository, so I’ll start organizing my lab work there and look for small documentation or bug-fix contributions. I know some basic scripting and will make sure I understand anything an assistant helps me write.