Sounds like you’re gunning for a sysadmin job. It requires you to be somewhat of a jack of all trades. You need a bit of networking, a bit of security (some very basic math), and fair bit of development skills which entails things like coding, software engineering project management theory, data structures and algorithms, also basic management skills for a non junior role. Also, you’d need hardware and software experience to be effective.
Typically once you go too deep in any direction you no longer care to do sysadmin work.
Junior roles/jobs do allow for major gaps in knowledge in the portfolio above, but the idea is that you’d be able to make up for it with enthusiasm and sweat that over time your seniors could mold you into a useful member of the community (same as any junior role anywhere).
I’d recommend you start with something like setting up Linux from scratch or Gentoo, and try running some php web apps there. Learn how to setup and use a something something server (start with http like apache or nginx and bind) and in parallel to that, run through CCNA for networking, and look at MIT courses for security (e.g. nikolai zeldovich had an interesting semester from a few years ago) and for algorithms and datastructures (also mit).
About 2 years of a regimented approach starting like that should get you employable as a junior sysadmin at a major organization that can afford to have you develop further on the job, or depending on your personal skills you could “lie” and if lucky land a smaller gig where you’d be in hot water for a while and you’d be challenged to maintain a bunch of crappy stuff for a smaller org (this learning more organically).
On the list of useful experience skills for sysadmin roles are various cloud things… don’t start with those. Cloud is just a set of managed services running in datacenters with automated provisioning and billing. Build your own for learning, try using when you get the money.
You could go with alternative routes, starting as a coder and into software development and engineering… Your best “in” as of right now is through Android and iOS apps for phones ; React JS for the web apps (still) ; and Tensorflow for machine learning. It’s risky because if one of these doesn’t sit well with you, you’ll spend a bunch of time on nothing before you can get paid.
CCNA (+CCNP later) + redhat cert combo + some messing around running your own stuff at home are probably the shortest path to employability (1y enough for all three). The pay is not that good unless you evolve afterwards (web app development is the easy route). Pays about 1/2 to 2/3 of a “new grad” college junior dev/sysadmin pay, which itself is about half or 2/3 of 10year (tenured) senior dev/sysadmin pay, which itself is about 1/2 or 1/3 of principal/superstar dev/sysadmin/director pay (350 - 750k /year before tax in silicon valley ; 250-400k /year in major city in Europe … work your down from there). Messing around on your own and learning is not a substitute for on the job experience.
Either way you’re playing the long game from your current perspective. Go setup Gentoo and a mail server and git server on that box (you’ll tear it down rebuild it later); and find networking 101 / CCNA training materials (books/videos) floating around the web.
And find a source of pirated books and learning materials - so you can get decent previews of courses so you can avoid dedicating time and money towards something that won’t hold your interest.
hope you are well, feel free to pm if you would like to discuss further
. One way to get your foot in the door is a tech school but that might be outside your range IDK. Depends on how you want to do it. You dont have to go to school.
do that