I live in a rural area, so local opportunities are limited and I'm mainly looking for remote work. I have about five years of systems administration experience, including Linux and Windows administration, on-premises-to-vCenter and vCenter-to-AWS migrations, automation scripting, Microsoft 365 and Active Directory management, audit support, Cisco switching, firewalls, network hardening, and device management. I also hold CISSP and AWS Solutions Architect certifications; my CySA+ and Security+ certifications have expired.
Despite that background, I feel almost unemployable. I've been studying Terraform and building labs to add infrastructure-as-code experience to my résumé, but every posting seems to ask for everything I already know plus several additional specialties. Remote roles also seem much more competitive, and I'm starting to wonder whether I need to leave IT altogether. Computers have been my main interest and skill since I was young, so I'm not sure what another career would look like. How are other IT professionals coping with this market, and what practical steps could help me land a job?
5 Answers
Remote work has become much more competitive, and many employers are pushing roles back into offices. If relocation isn’t possible, consider widening the search to hybrid roles, nearby cities, contract work, managed service providers, and adjacent positions such as cloud operations, security engineering, infrastructure automation, or technical support leadership. A temporary job outside your preferred niche can also provide income while you continue looking; taking one doesn’t mean you’ve abandoned your IT career.
Networking may help more than sending applications into huge applicant pools. Reach out to former coworkers, vendors, friends, and friends of friends, and let them know what kind of role you’re looking for. One person landed a well-paid remote cloud architecture job after months of networking despite having no degree or certifications. Referrals can get your résumé seen when automated systems and crowded postings would otherwise bury it.
Your background is already strong. Instead of chasing every new certification, make the experience easier for employers to understand: use a focused résumé, quantify outcomes, and describe projects in terms of business impact. For example, mention how automation reduced manual work, how a migration improved reliability or lowered costs, or how hardening and audit work reduced risk. A polished professional profile and résumé are essential if you’re not getting interviews.
I’d still build a small Terraform portfolio, but use it to demonstrate practical ability rather than just listing that you studied it. A lab showing AWS infrastructure, reusable modules, documentation, and a CI workflow would be more convincing than another disconnected credential.
Please try to separate your self-worth from the hiring market. Companies are outsourcing, cutting teams, and receiving hundreds of applications for a single opening, so the situation is not a reliable measurement of your talent. Keep a sustainable application routine, ask trusted people to review your résumé, and use low-cost support such as career groups, public-library resources, or professional contacts if therapy isn’t affordable right now.
The market really is saturated right now, especially for remote positions. That doesn’t mean your experience has lost value or that you need to start over. Keep applying, but try not to treat every rejection as a judgment of your ability. Hiring volume and timing matter a lot, and eventually the right opportunity can line up.
That’s encouraging. I’ve mostly been relying on online applications, so I probably need to be much more intentional about reconnecting with people I’ve worked with.