Becoming as Systems Administator

I’m looking to change careers. I would like to become a linux/unix systems administrator. I’ve been using linux at home for 10+ years and spend alot of my spare time tinkering with it and feel that I would love doing it for a living.

I don’t have any on the job experience (I’m currently a statistical analyst for an insurance company). I have a master’s degree in mathematics which probably isn’t worth much as far as becoming a systems admin is concerned.

So, I’m looking for advice on how to accomplish this….schooling, certifications……any advice would be greatly appreciated.