I'm currently a senior systems administrator at a managed services provider, but the company recently changed leadership and I'm concerned its future may be unstable. Before I start looking for a new position, what skills would be most valuable to learn or refresh beyond PowerShell? Most of my current work involves Entra, Intune, and Microsoft 365.
5 Answers
PowerShell is excellent for Windows and endpoint administration, but adding Python and Jinja would broaden your options. They’re useful for automation, configuration management, and environments that include Linux or mixed platforms. It’s also worth becoming comfortable supporting macOS, since many organizations now use Macs alongside Windows devices.
Learn how to explain technical improvements in terms of business value. Being able to justify automation, security work, licensing changes, or service improvements—and communicate those benefits to decision-makers—can help you stand out more than technical skills alone.
Don’t overlook communication and people skills. Being able to stay calm under pressure, adapt to changing situations, set boundaries, and avoid becoming the person who always says yes can make a huge difference in your next role.
Infrastructure as code is a strong direction. Learn Terraform and pair it with a platform such as Spacelift, then practice managing cloud resources, identity, and policies through version-controlled code. That experience transfers well into cloud and platform engineering roles.
Build your professional network too—not just switches, cables, and firewalls. Strong relationships with other administrators, vendors, recruiters, and former coworkers can reveal opportunities before they’re widely advertised.
So, networking with people rather than network infrastructure? That’s a good point, and probably something I should take more seriously.