You also need a lot of experience too since certs alone won't land you a job starting off as a Systems Administrator. 90% of all Systems Administrator jobs requires around 3-5 years of experience or more. You have to start out at the Help Desk before moving up into an Admin role.
That is the way I did it. I started out on the help desk in 2020. Got promoted to Sr. Help Desk analyst in 2021. then in 2022, I got promoted to the server team as a systems administrator with no certifications besides ITIL. Then in 2023 my organization funded my ODBA certification. Hopefully in 2025 they will also allow me to get my ECSA certification which they will pay for as well.
I definitely hate what I'm doing now and im trying to get into the IT field. I have zero knowledge about any of this besides basic troubleshooting, where should I start? I'm in my mid 20's and I dont want to go to a 4 year college nor take a huge loan for tech schools.
How's it going for you now? Certs and degrees aside, I just hired a guy in a help desk support role. Not because of his degree (he had none), or certs (he just had the basic network+ and Microsoft server certs), but because he made a home lab with virtual box. He also networked it into a separate VLAN with virtual routers and switches from his home network. He even remoted into his home lab from the interview and explained every step with a network diagram he brought along. I hired him on the spot, with no hesitation. He wasn't a typical interview. He thought outside the box, and showed a true passion for IT. That's what got him the job. Hope that little story helps if the job search isn't going well. Even if you don't have professional experience, you can still build your portfolio with home lab projects.
All are telling you their fake stories of network a admin or sys admin. If you have a basic troubleshooting skills get a compliant A+ and look it to a help desk or desktop support role then from there once you gain the skills you look for those admin jobs.
He gotten most of his training on the job working as a government contractor which is how be became a Systems Administrator. He only took a few college courses at his local community college called Anne Arundel Community College but never acutally went for a degree.
Most certs are bollocks, they just mean you passed the exam. For example I'm technically a Microsoft Certified Professional because years ago I past the Vista for Business exam. It was awful because Vista was awful. We ended up never using it at work and I forgot it all after I walked out the exam room despite passing. And CompTIA have pissed me off after I found out they are against Right to Repair and lobbied against it.
