I'm based in Poland and trying to land my first IT job. I'm currently studying networking for more than six hours a day, then I plan to focus on Linux and build a homelab before taking the RHCSA. Is that combination enough to get a junior system administrator role without previous helpdesk experience? I'm also open to relocating elsewhere in Europe if there are better opportunities where English is sufficient. I'd especially appreciate advice from people who have worked in the European job market.
4 Answers
An MSP could be a strong first step if you can find one nearby. You’ll often work with different customers, networks, servers, and environments, which can build practical experience faster than staying inside one small company. After a couple of years, moving to an internal infrastructure or systems role becomes much easier.
I wouldn’t relocate automatically just to get your first job. Look for junior support, infrastructure, cloud, or DevOps positions in Poland as well as remote opportunities. Cloud and DevOps may offer more English-friendly and location-flexible roles, but you’ll still need hands-on experience, so use the homelab and certification to support your applications rather than treating them as a substitute for work experience.
A homelab and the RHCSA can definitely help you stand out, but they usually won’t replace real workplace experience. System administration generally isn’t considered a true entry-level role because you need to understand production systems, change control, troubleshooting under pressure, and how businesses actually operate.
You don’t absolutely need helpdesk, but starting in technical support, IT operations, or a junior infrastructure role is the more realistic path. It gives you experience with users, company systems, ticketing, and incident handling before you take on full administrator responsibilities.
That kind of variety is especially useful early on, although the workload can be demanding. I’d still choose a support job with exposure to servers and Linux over a role that only involves basic password resets.