What’s the Best Path Into Networking, Linux, Cloud, and DevOps as a Beginner?

Think of the path as networking → Linux and operating systems → infrastructure as code → cloud. Security is important throughout, but it can run alongside those subjects rather than becoming a separate starting point. The valuable skill is connecting the layers: understanding how a networking or operating-system problem can appear as a cloud or application failure.

Don’t expect to master all of this quickly. Becoming broadly strong across these areas takes years, so focus on building a solid foundation and steadily expanding it instead of trying to finish every topic at once.

Start with Linux and networking, preferably through the command line rather than relying on graphical tools. Learn the fundamentals, then immediately apply each topic in a lab. A sensible progression is Linux and networking first, followed by Docker, AWS, Terraform, and Ansible. Save Kubernetes for later, once you understand the systems underneath it.

For a Mac-based lab, OpenWrt and VyOS can be useful, inexpensive options. They are not perfect copies of every enterprise networking platform, but they let you practice routing, configuration, and automation. Do things manually at first, then introduce infrastructure-as-code and other abstractions. That makes troubleshooting much easier because you understand what those tools are actually changing.

Use a learning roadmap as a guide, not a checklist. A small home lab is a good starting point, followed by beginner certifications and increasingly realistic projects. Practice platforms that provide broken systems to troubleshoot can also be useful.

For a first role, help desk, NOC, junior sysadmin, or support positions may be more realistic than jumping directly into cloud engineering. The key is being able to explain your lab clearly: what you built, why you designed it that way, how you secured it, and how you diagnosed failures. Certifications can help structure your study, but they work best when supported by practical experience.

Networking and security deserve serious attention, even if your long-term goal is cloud infrastructure. You don’t necessarily need to become a specialist in every routing protocol before applying for jobs, but you should understand addressing, DNS, routing, VLANs, firewalls, VPNs, and packet troubleshooting well enough to diagnose real problems.

A small lab can grow over time: create separate networks, run Linux services, add monitoring and backups, automate the setup, and document everything. Smaller nonprofit organizations may also offer practical project opportunities, but make sure anything you deploy is simple to maintain and has clear documentation. They may not have the budget to repair a complicated system later.