Some questions about jumping in the sys admin world

reddevdevreddevdev Registered Users Posts: 4 ■□□□□□□□□□
I've been doing web design and development work for about four years. My wife and I are going to be moving in about a year and a half and I would really like to take this opportunity to transition into the IT world. The only problem is, I have no experience as an "IT" employee.


Part of my current duties include managing a couple of virtualized Windows Server web servers but that's about it. Other than a couple of IT related classes I took in college, I have no official experience. My plan is to spend this next year getting certs, building a home lab, and learning everything I can. If I can knock out the the RHCSA and RHCSE and show I can work with software like Nagios, Puppet, Chef, set up DNS servers, DHCP servers, mail servers etc. etc. would that be enough to get a job as a system admin?


Of course I could always go the Windows route but everything I see is that Linux system admins are in more demand, I also prefer Linux (I host several sites on a VPS and I am familiar with the LAMP stack and nginx) a little more than Windows. Be that as it may, I certainly wouldn't mind starting off in the Microsoft world if I would have a better chance at getting a job.


My final question is would a CCNA help my chances with picking up a system admin job? I know CCNA is more for net admin but I wasn't sure if it would help make up for the lack of formal experience. Although, I think it would be really hard to get three certs in a little over a year.

Comments

  • sizeonsizeon Member Posts: 321
    MCSA would suit you better for system admin postion
  • RHELRHEL Member Posts: 195 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Aside from part-time and seasonal IT jobs, I got my start directly out of school as a UNIX/Linux SysAdmin for a very large (250K employee) conglomerate. It was an entry-level role and as such, I was only paid a meager $36K to start. Granted, this was in a very low cost of living area, so it went a long way. I had no certs and my degree wasn't IT related at all.

    My point being, such a thing does exist if your timing is right. In my situation, the key to landing this was the ability to move wherever the job was. You might not have that luxury as you're married, so perhaps going for certs and home practice is the way to go; just know that in most cases, system administration is not entry level and the employer will be expecting applicants w/ a few years experience.

    Be willing to accept that low salary at first... It is worth it. Benefits were good and the job paid 100% tuition. I used it to build up my resume and get my masters and several certs for free, then hopped ship 2.5 years later for a 65% raise. 1.5 year later, I took another 20% raise. It can be done, but not without timing/luck on your side, dedication, and sacrifices. Best of luck!

    Oh, and cert wise... I don't know if this is still the case, but you use to be able to get CompTIA Linux+ and also receive LPI LPIC-1 and two additional Novell certificates just for passing the one. For someone w/ limited experience, adding 4 certs to your resume right off the bat looks excellent.
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