From the course: Career Essentials in System Administration by Microsoft and LinkedIn

Keeping your skills sharp

From the course: Career Essentials in System Administration by Microsoft and LinkedIn

Keeping your skills sharp

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- I get asked all the time about whether certifications or a college degree is more important. My answer differs depending on the type of area they're interested in. In general, it's always a good idea to have a degree. A two-year associates degree is not as long or as expensive as a four-year degree. And with certifications, this should get you in the door of most companies as a sysadmin. In some cases, there is no way a candidate can afford college or attend for various reasons, certificates are a good alternative in that case. As an employer, I would have loved to see everyone have a master's, dozens of certifications, and five years of experience but that's unrealistic. When interviewing for your first job, many sysadmins wished they started with an IT team rather than on their own. You'll learn more from your coworkers than any other source in your first few years as a sysadmin, not everything that is important is written in a book or spoken on a video. Requirements are going to vary depending on where you live in the world but for those who want to work in the US, here's what I suggest for the average sysadmin entering the field. I recommend a four-year degree in technology at an accredited college. I also suggest at least one or more vendor certifications. Maybe you start as I did, with the A+ from CompTIA, followed by the Network+ or similar exams. These are good generic non-vendor specific certifications that are recognized all over the world. Just because I recommend a four-year degree, doesn't mean you have to have one. You can also go in with a two-year associates and see if the employer will pay for the rest of the degree. This will get you experience and save you money. Be prepared to make less money until you graduate. Vendor certifications are the best way to improve your knowledge, stay up to date, and earn more money as a sysadmin, many colleges will offer certification courses, or you can buy study materials like books, eBooks, practice tests, and videos to get you the knowledge you need. Most certifications will last three years before having to renew them, so keep that in mind when choosing. I suggest you ask your employer what certifications they value most, you can even ask this during an interview. They'll likely say the certifications for the equipment and software they use on a daily basis. Some certifications can be expensive so don't be afraid to ask your employer for reimbursement of costs for the tests and materials. You can also get a good idea of what certifications to earn by looking at the help wanted ads on LinkedIn and websites like indeed.com. They'll tell you what's important for these types of jobs. For government positions, go to the government websites, where they list degrees and certifications required for each type of job listed. After you have your sysadmin dream job, plan out the next few years of certifications that you want to earn and ones you'll need to renew. Try not to go too overboard in any single year in a way that may jeopardize your job duties. To see what's trending in technology, be sure to have a list of favorite technology news websites so you don't end up with stale knowledge and outdated certifications down the road. Continuing education depends on you and your interests. You may find what excites you today as a sysadmin may change over the course of time.

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