How I became an IT system administrator with no college degree

In this video, I talk about the skills that helped me land a sysadmin gig with a help desk background.

0:00 Intro
1:15 Context of helpdesk gig, educational background, and experience
2:35 Learn a ticketing system
3:21 documentation
4:20 Cloud certification
6:18 Scripting language
8:22 Conclusion

[WAKYZACKful]

I remember watching this video 6 months ago, one of the first I watched on your channel. Now I’m start as a Jr Sys Admin and getting a degree in cloud computing. Thanks for the inspiration GPS!

[fiskblack]

"I'm aware this is a junior role" that's the most awareness I've ever seen from an HR manager I've seen in my life.

[MadeByGPS]

Tech can be lucrative, but it takes time and isn't fast money. It took me 8 years to go from $15 an hour (about $30000 a year) to $175000 base salary. I want to answer all your questions so let me know and let's get you into tech!

[joelrobert]

I’m also a sys admin for a financial institution. I would say a critical skill is always ask questions, especially if you’re not sure about something

[neverhomepnw]

I started as a cable puller in construction sites and years later I now have a engineering role at a large company's data center making more dough than I ever dreamed of. I have no college education, did grab security+ and network+ though. Now I am working on CYSA+ and in a debate between system admin, SOC, or stay in the my data center role. Congrats on your success.

[theseriallearner-tech]

So glad you mentioned taking your time on certifications to soak up the knowledge. That’s what I do and I’ve actually secured positions over others with more certifications than me.

[yowthubert]

Nice to the point vid. Biggest takeway: Automation along with Bash and taking your time with certs to let knowledge sink in.

[shiloh]

Thank you for bringing definition to each i.t. role that you cover. That "sys admin is abt automation" declaration is huge. That made alot of gray/questions very clear in one concise sentence. Its nice to feel like you can go into an interview with the right tools in your skill set. some of these job posting's "ideal candidate" skillset wishlists are almost comical. But again, knowing helpdesk generally = abc. Sys admin generally = xyz. That helps so much.

[jubriledun]

You are literally the most realistic tech YouTuber i know... Thank you

[_Anna_Nass_]

I like how you mention some of the soft skills like interviewing well and just generally having a problem solving mindset. Proper communication via documentation, all great points of advice. Thanks!

[equinoxway]

I love how real she sounds about her process, and calm.

[louisdiamond]

Thankyou for takeing your time out to help in the it field.

[BigRedAdventures]

Gwyn did a really good job, relaying the skills that she learned from each job role and how they help in her new job roles. Sometimes you miss some important career skills if you start directly at the top of the chain. And I totally agree with Gwyn in actually learning what is in the cert curriculum. And to take it further by following it up with a cloud build itself to make sure you retain what you learn. For me that is very helpful in making sure I learned/retained the knowledge. You will thank yourself later.

[brianrandell]

Outstanding, I sit for my AWS Cloud Practitioner next Thursday. After that its working with Python, bash and some Linux as I have no experience with them while working on the Solutions Architect Certification. I plan on using your Learn to Cloud info with the ACloudGuru info. Hopefully in 6 months Ill be ready to sit the 2nd exam and be more prepared for a new role. Thank you again, Great work!

[siphoduma]

I'm a fresher in the IT world as I worked as a Tech Recruiter and had an interest in going to Tech so I had started my Network+ e-learning with CompTIA and I am based in South Africa, Johannesburg. I really look forward to this journey and your advice will be appreciated. Thanks

[GBlunted]

I like how you walkthrough your experiences! 👍🏽

[Microkingu]

Unfortunately the median income nation wide is $85k. Sys Admin and below roles generally pay garbage unfortunately, HR has been disrespecting the knowledge necessary for these roles with low pay, my last 20yrs in the biz has been frustrating!
Appreciate you explaining how you got to a living wage finally. 😎

[mishy_mix]

Amazing, straight forward tips. Thank you!

[sonrt]

This best thing i ever did was grab a dell server for labing and putting vmware or proxmox, spinning vms helps you learn the software. But doing this also requires some hardware knowledge. And networking for switching.

[oluwatobiokebrainweb]

Thank you so much, I will start now. Do you have any training or recommend Ticketing training