IT Employment·20,059 discussions

Seeking criticism/guidance on my career plan

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Tags: It employment, Linux, Windows

I am currently a Data Center IT infrastructure/operations technician with no college degree (will not be getting one) and I really want to try and get into systems administration and hopefully eventually some type of cloud role. It seems that help desk and desktop support technician roles transfer far better to this goal and it’s been hard to even get any consideration coming from my current role. I have an entry level Linux Cert and I have used GNU/Linux on my desktop for awhile although I would describe myself as a lower-intermediate level user with barely any scripting ability and not much experience that is useful in an enterprise environment.

My plan is to acquire the RHCSA, Security+, CCNA, and possibly a Microsoft Cert while concurrently creating/tinkering with several personal projects along the way that make use of relevant technologies so that I can learn and have fun with tech again. I am going to document my progress and projects in a blog that I’m going to create on AWS which will be linked to a GitHub repository containing some of my code. I also am planning on attending various tech meetups and events in order to learn and seek the advice of established professionals.

I’m hoping this will equip me with the knowledge and credentials to get started on the software side of IT even without a degree.

Can anyone provide some guidance and tweak this plan a little bit maybe? Possibly suggest some things I should be aware of or would help me? I.e. additional or superior choices of certifications, any technologies that you guys could see being advantageous to know in the next 1-2 years?

I’m 23 and I’m beginning to stop sleepwalking through life. I am currently a wellspring of energy, I just need a little guidance.

Thanks folks!

-Michael

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[janirenaldo99]

Reply To: Seeking criticism/guidance on my career plan

In reply to Seeking criticism/guidance on my career plan

I am currently a Data Center IT infrastructure/operations technician with no college degree (will not be getting one) and I really want to try and get into systems administration and hopefully eventually some type of cloud role. It seems that help desk and desktop support technician roles transfer far better to this goal and it’s been hard to even get any consideration coming from my current role. I have an entry level Linux Cert and I have used GNU/Linux on my desktop for awhile although I would describe myself as a lower-intermediate level user with barely any scripting ability and not much experience that is useful in an enterprise environment.

Note: unrelated commercial link removed by moderator.

• This reply was modified 8 months, 3 weeks ago by janirenaldo99.
• This reply was modified 8 months, 3 weeks ago by kees_b.

Reply To: Seeking criticism/guidance on my career plan

In reply to Seeking criticism/guidance on my career plan

It’s feedback on your work, not a criticism of you as a person. Sure, it will hurt sometimes but this type of feedback can be turned into a positive and it is an opportunity to show your employer how professional you are and that you do in-fact have the skills to excel in your role.

[lynnstuart89]

Reply To: Seeking criticism/guidance on my career plan

In reply to Seeking criticism/guidance on my career plan

When used properly, constructive criticism: Provides clear and understandable feedback to guide employees in their job roles. Enhances trust by demonstrating employer commitment to employee development. Helps to establish clear expectations for performance.

• This reply was modified 4 months, 2 weeks ago by lynnstuart89.
• This reply was modified 4 months, 2 weeks ago by kees_b.

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