Education · 1 of 5

The path

Degrees help, but this field hires on demonstrated skill more than almost any other.

1. 1

   High school diploma

   Grade 12

   Any computer class, plus math. Build something at home: a home server, a website, a game server for your friends.

2. 2

   Learn the foundations

   1 to 4 years

   Networking, Linux and one scripting language. A two-year associate degree, a bachelor's degree, or a stack of certifications all get you here.

3. 3

   Get any job that touches real systems

   1 to 2 years

   Help desk, desktop support, junior system administrator. This is the step people try to skip and cannot.

4. 4

   Certify on one cloud

   3 to 9 months

   Pick Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud and go deep on one. The foundational exam, then an associate-level one.

5. 5

   Move into a cloud role

   Ongoing

   Usually inside the company you already work for, because they know you. Then keep specializing.