I'm currently earning about $23 an hour as an IT hardware and asset technician at a computer repair and recycling facility. My work includes troubleshooting and testing networking equipment, printers, scanners, and other devices, along with data wiping, inventory and asset management, hardware diagnostics, and general device testing. Before this, I worked as a Dell and Lenovo field technician handling hardware break/fix calls.
I earned the CompTIA A+ and Network+ certifications around 2021, although they have likely expired. My employer is currently paying for me to complete a CCNA course, and I plan to take the certification exam. I don't have a college degree.
My goal is to move into a fully remote IT position paying around $30 an hour, or at least $62,000 annually. I'm not planning to quit immediately; I'd rather stay employed while building experience, completing the CCNA, and applying for better opportunities.
I've considered a path such as AZ-900 followed by MD-102, then Security+ or AZ-104, depending on whether I move toward endpoint administration, cloud, networking, or security. I'm also wondering whether I should target Tier 2, endpoint, network, or asset-management roles instead of starting over in Tier 1 help desk.
For people who have made a similar transition, is $30 an hour realistic with my background? Should I prioritize the CCNA or pursue another certification? What practical skills should I develop besides certifications, and what would your six-to-twelve-month plan look like if you were in my position? I'm trying to leave my current job without taking a step backward.
4 Answers
The CCNA is worth completing, especially since your employer is paying for it and you already have networking exposure. After that, consider whether you want networking or cloud administration to be your main direction. If you choose cloud, Azure or AWS fundamentals followed by hands-on administration experience would be more valuable than collecting unrelated entry-level certifications. Revisit the CompTIA certifications if employers in your area commonly ask for them, but don’t wait until every certificate is finished before applying. Start looking now for junior network, endpoint, infrastructure, and cloud-support openings.
For fully remote work, I’d lean toward cloud and Microsoft 365 administration rather than focusing only on physical hardware. Azure, Microsoft 365, endpoint management, scripting, and eventually DevOps are all areas where the work can usually be done remotely. Certifications can help, but build small labs and practice managing users, devices, permissions, networking, and cloud services so you can demonstrate practical ability.
That makes sense. I’m considering Azure and Microsoft 365, but I’m not sure which certifications or job pivots would be the best first step.
Your hardware and field-service background is useful, but employers may not view it as equivalent to supporting users, applications, identity systems, or production infrastructure. I wouldn’t rely on certifications alone to jump straight into an administrator role. Look for an internal support, remote help desk, endpoint support, or junior systems position where you can gain experience with tickets, Active Directory or Entra ID, Microsoft 365, remote troubleshooting, security procedures, and production change management. With that foundation, moving into Tier 2 or cloud support becomes much more realistic.
Would you recommend deliberately taking a support role first, then using that experience to move toward cloud-based systems and remote administration?
A mostly remote systems administrator role can pay well above your target, although some jobs still require occasional travel to a data center or office. The strongest paths toward that kind of work are Azure, Microsoft 365, identity and endpoint management, scripting, networking, or software development. Your next six to twelve months could be: finish the CCNA, build a small lab, learn PowerShell, practice Microsoft 365 and Entra ID administration, document a few realistic projects, and apply for Tier 2 support, network support, endpoint, and junior infrastructure roles. That combination will make your experience easier to translate than certifications by themselves.
That sounds like a reasonable plan. I’ll focus on turning my hands-on experience into documented projects and adding user-support and cloud administration skills instead of chasing certificates without practical work.
I was wondering whether I should wait until I finish the certifications before applying. It sounds like applying during the process would be better for getting interview practice and seeing what employers actually want.