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 repairs.
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 finish it and 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 keep building experience, complete the CCNA, and apply strategically so I don't take a step backward.
I'm considering a path such as AZ-900 followed by MD-102, Security+, or AZ-104, depending on which direction makes the most sense. I'd like advice on whether $30 an hour is realistic with my background, whether CCNA should be my priority, and which practical skills would make me more competitive. Should I target Tier 2, endpoint, networking, or asset roles instead of starting over in Tier 1 help desk? For people who moved from hands-on hardware or field work into remote IT, what did your next six to twelve months look like, and what helped or failed to help?
4 Answers
A mostly remote systems administrator role can still occasionally require travel for hardware replacements, so fully remote positions are more competitive. Cloud administration, Microsoft 365, software development, and some project or service-management roles tend to have fewer onsite requirements. Given your background, I’d use the CCNA to strengthen your networking foundation, then choose one direction—such as Azure and Microsoft 365—and build labs around it instead of pursuing several unrelated certifications at once.
Your hardware and field-service background is useful, but employers may not view it as equivalent to supporting users, applications, identity, or production systems. I’d consider taking a remote help desk or desktop support role if needed, then using that experience to move into endpoint administration, Microsoft 365, or cloud support. Real experience troubleshooting end users and business systems will usually carry more weight than stacking certifications without production experience.
Would you recommend specifically looking for roles where I can support end users remotely and gradually move into cloud-based systems, rather than trying to jump straight into administration?
For remote work, focus on technologies that can be managed without being physically onsite. Microsoft 365 administration, Azure, identity and endpoint management, cloud support, and eventually DevOps are all more naturally remote-friendly than hardware support. AZ-900 can introduce the concepts, but pair certifications with hands-on labs and small projects so you can demonstrate what you can actually administer.
That makes sense. I’m trying to figure out which cloud certification and job pivot would be the most practical starting point from my current experience.
CCNA is worth completing, especially since your employer is paying for it and you already work around networking equipment. After that, you could add cloud certifications such as AWS or Azure and refresh the CompTIA certifications if they are relevant to the jobs you want. Certifications may help you reach the interview stage, but $62,000 should also be realistic once you can show practical networking, identity, endpoint, or cloud experience.
I’d start applying while studying instead of waiting until every certification is finished. A better role can provide the production experience that makes the next certification more valuable.
That sounds like a sensible approach. I’ll compare Azure and Microsoft 365 roles while studying and look for an opportunity that gives me more direct experience with users and cloud systems.