Is becoming a server administrator right for me?

The first step to choosing a career is to make sure you are actually willing to commit to pursuing the career. You don’t want to waste your time doing something you don’t want to do. If you’re new here, you should read about:

Overview
What do server administrators do?
Career Satisfaction
Are server administrators happy with their careers?
Personality
What are server administrators like?

Still unsure if becoming a server administrator is the right career path? to find out if this career is right for you. Perhaps you are well-suited to become a server administrator or another similar career!

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How to become a Server Administrator

Most employers seek server administrators who have some combination of education and experience. It is becoming more common for employers to seek out job candidates who have an associate's or bachelor's degree as well as professional certification. Many community colleges offer associate's degrees in computer science or information technology. Classes could include programming languages, scripting, network structures, and information security.

Server administrators usually train or obtain certifications for each vendor. The main IT certification exams are through Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA and Redhat. Most of these exams test the applicant's skills in regards to administration of UNIX or Windows servers, including knowledge of RAID (redundant array of independent disks), systems recovery, command-line tools, and troubleshooting malfunctioning networks.