By employed I mean get a job in the industry either offline or online. Ideally something that would highly likely remain in-demand in the near future.
By employed I mean get a job in the industry either offline or online. Ideally something that would highly likely remain in-demand in the near future.
The first thing to answer is, where do you want to end up?
If your goal is development you probably want to start learning the basics of programming. You can get some of the academic side of things, for free, from sites like MIT’s Open CourseWare site. Their Introduction to Computer Science and Programming in Python is going to be a solid start in that direction.
For systems administration, it can be good to start with the classic CompTIA Trifecta:
The study process for these should, at least, get you understanding the language of systems. I’d also suggest spending time learning Linux and maybe even consider the Linux+ cert, even if your plan is to be a Windows admin. Learning Linux often means learning a lot about how Operating Systems work in general and you can carry that learning into the Windows world where so much is abstracted away and hidden. It’s also worth spending time learning about Kerberos, DNS (because it’s always DNS) and Active Directory. Even if you work with Linux, you’re very likely to have to interact with Active Directory (AD). Having basic knowledge of AD will be helpful for those touchpoints.
Also, if you plan to work in SysAdmin, expect to spend some time working a help desk. It’s possible to skip this, but businesses don’t like putting untested people in charge of servers. You’re going to fuck up as you learn, this is usually less damaging when done on endpoints than servers. Suck it up butttercup and get the experience.
For network admin, I’m not as helpful. As others have suggested, getting an old switch and seeking Cisco certs is likely to be a solid start.
For “Cloud” based engineering, the major vendors all have certification paths. Azure, AWS and GCP all have pages you can research their certs. I’d go with AWS or Azure, as I hear more about them. But, that may just be the bubble I work in.
If you want to go into cybersecurity, go work in either systems or network administration for a few years then come back and look at transitioning. While Cybersecurity is the new hotness, you’ll really benefit from a solid understanding of how the systems and network admin folks work. Sure, I have met some folks who went straight into security and did well. I’ve met far more who had zero clue about basic things like, “why is this sysadmin running psexec against this server?” I’m sure I’m pissing a lot of people off with this paragraph, but cybersecurity is not an entry level IT field.
Mostly, what you need is a natural curiosity and a willingness to try things and break stuff. Succeeding in IT is pretty easy, if you are willing to constantly be learning and trying stuff. The minute you get tired of learning or trying new things, it’s time to move into management.