I'm an 18-year-old from Montenegro, still in high school, and I'm reconsidering my career path. Initially, I wanted to pursue electronics engineering, but lately, I've been really interested in system administration. I've heard that the RHCSA certification is valuable for landing a Linux sys admin job, and I can take the exam in nearby countries. My question is whether it's realistic for me to switch gears and dedicate myself to Linux administration full time, since I truly enjoy it much more than electronics. I've used Linux for a while, I'm familiar with many commands, and I even built my own LinuxFromScratch a few years back—it's basically my daily driver!
6 Answers
At 18, the world is your playground! Switching paths to sys admin is definitely an option. Just make sure to find some practical experience to go along with your certs. Home labs can really make a difference.
I’m surprised no one mentioned this: a certification alone won't do much. You’ll need some hands-on experience too. Setting up a home lab is a great idea, especially in the US.
You might want to study for the RHCSA certification while pursuing electronics engineering. That way, you can get the cert before finishing your degree. If you change your mind later, you'll still have the engineering background to fall back on. Good luck!
Honestly, if you're considering the self-taught route, I recommend sticking with a reputable engineering specialty first. You can always pick up certs later. Nowadays, sys admin roles often require programming skills as well, so keep that in mind!
You're only 18, so switching to sys admin is totally doable! The job market is competitive, but it is for electrical engineering too. Just so you know, sys admins tend to earn less on average than electrical engineers, but you don’t need a degree to get started. Some certs, like the RHCSA, will definitely help you.
True! The PE license is only needed for specific situations, mostly government stuff. But getting the RHCSA certification is definitely a solid step in the right direction. Plus, knowing about scripting and performance tuning will really give you an edge.
Maybe aim for more than just a basic sys admin role. SRE and DevOps jobs require a good mix of sys admin knowledge and a comp sci background. That could be a fun path to explore!
I’m a self-taught DevOps engineer, and I wonder what I might be missing out on without an engineering degree. I know I should improve on some theories, but I’m curious about other blind spots I might have.