I’m a junior sysadmin working with Google Workspace, Okta, JumpCloud, Apple devices, and Azure. My employer is willing to pay for training and certifications, but I don’t have much guidance on what to study.
Which three would be most useful for building skills and improving my prospects for a future job? Paid training suggestions are welcome too.
I’d start with the stack you actually administer. AZ-104 is a good target if you’re managing Azure resources and want to move toward cloud administration. If Azure is still mostly unfamiliar, AZ-900 can be a starting point before you tackle it.
For the other two, look at the Google Workspace administrator training and Okta Certified Administrator. Those fit your environment better than collecting unrelated certs. Check the current exam requirements and training options before asking your employer to pay.
Don’t overlook networking. CCNA covers fundamentals that can help you understand what’s happening when services can’t talk to each other, even if your company doesn’t use Cisco equipment.
That said, it’s a bigger commitment than a quick fundamentals cert. If your work is mostly identity and cloud services, an Azure or Okta cert may pay off sooner. I’d still make time to learn networking basics either way.
For the Apple side, look at Jamf 200 or 300 if Jamf is actually your device management tool. Apple management can be a useful specialty, but a Jamf cert is a less obvious choice if your environment uses something else.
Whatever you pick, pair the course with documentation and hands-on practice. A cert can open a conversation, but you’ll still need to explain how the systems you administer work in an interview.
c41!turnkey_783:
That also applies to zero-touch deployment. Study the enrollment process and the management tool you use, not just the exam objectives.
Three certs by the end of the year might be doable, but I wouldn’t make the number the goal. Pick one that fills a gap in your current work, finish it, then decide what’s missing.
Ask for the exam fee and relevant official training materials. Free documentation is worth using too. You’ll get more out of paid training if you can connect it to tasks you actually do.
Another route is Linux+ plus some Git training. Linux knowledge can broaden your options, and Git gives you a way to version control your own projects. That’s less tailored to your current stack, so I’d choose it if you want to move toward Linux or automation work rather than specialize in your existing tools.
Answers are reviewed before publication.
!turn~the+teacup:
How much you do in Azure matters here. AZ-104 makes more sense as a priority if Azure administration is a real part of the job you want next.