winterfate

I think I love you.

1 -  YES, soft skills are very important in this field. 
 
2 - Yes/No here. I understand what you are trying to say, but doing help desk for 30k a year despite how much you love it isn't worth it. Also depending on what you want to do you might need to spend a few years doing something you hate (for experience).
 
3 - Also great information. I would also expand and say to focus on how they function with cloud services. There is a big difference how you use something via a brick and mortar owned server vs one on AWS.
 
4 - Great advice. I will toss in glorified unix (MacOS) too. The mobile platforms can also be important.
 
5 -  learning how to code/script is more important than ever. The language you start with isn't as important. Learn the basics then you can pickup new syntax as needed.
 
6 - A huge YES here. This is something I am constantly having to educate others on. 
 
7 - Yes/No on this one. This feels like a small business problem. In my experience we have people dedicated to these issues and can normally make our business justification just by metric tracking. If you can show , for example, that a server is constantly at 80% usage with spikes that make X amount of traffic to be rejected... then you just need to know how much that loses in terms of time (depending on volume). Then figure out how long payback would be (how long to pay for a new server with the money you were losing) in my experience anything 3 years or under is a good case.
 
In the end like this user has said there are lots of intricacies in the field. I think the best you can do is just get started and see what you actually enjoy while gaining experience. What i do today wasn't even a huge consideration when I started... it wasn't until I started working on getting experience that I found I was passionate about it.

On Comptia: Be aware of who you are giving your money to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9JKRItHDME
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSW0Wg32QNI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tihO2H_qUY4
 
As far as CPU design...no. ASIC design, maybe. But it would be a REALLY small ASIC or you'll be around 40 by the time you get a working design of large size. That said, yes, there are junior and senior level college courses that go over the fundamentals of CPU design and graduate courses that go into how to get fabbing done. Those courses are generally taken by people on the Computer Engineering course, and are electives at that, rather than core classes.
 
Note: You can't just raw-dog those classes. You need the prep work in lower-level sophomore/junior level classes that explain what a transitor actually is. How to make an AND gate from transistors and other components, how to actually built a (simple, MIPS normally) CPU at the hardware level. Some colleges (mine) will have you use 'emulation' tools to build the CPU, and others will teach you VHDL/Verilog. Both approaches have value. VHDL and verilog are the languages used to actually describe a CPU/ASIC/FPGA so that it can be fabricated or programmed. As in, they literally created a programming language where you can say "Connect pin 1 to pin 7; when a signal on pin1 comes in, pass it to this function, and the function defines, at a hardware level, what should happen (a, for example, 32-bit adder defined in raw AND/OR/NAND/etc gates).
 
The advantage of the 'emulator' approach is that you end up understanding CPU design at a higher level, and really understanding what you are doing at a logical level rather than down in the weeds of the VHDL/Verilog level. If you're sufficiently intelligent, you can learn either side (logical or specific) on your own once you have one of the two sides. Just depends on your personality.
 
If you really want to get started creating silicon on your own, I would buy a cheap FPGA ($30-$100) and learn how to program it. Make an FPGA that does something your CPU is bad at (implement double-sha 256 and mine some bitcoin, just as a POC; create a h265 video decoder, then create an encoder. Create an FPGA design for a complex regular expression that takes your CPU minutes to process and then watch the FPGA do the same task in milliseconds. Etc).
 
Once you can create an FPGA, then I'd dabble with creating ASICs. Once you get to the point where you want to get a chip fabbed? Good luck, my experience stops before you get there. But...just what I've talked about here will probably keep you busy for at least 10 years.

Thing that have helped me and are skillsets that I think would get you into a team:
 
1. Communication skills. Yes, I know not even tech! but believe it or not one of the key competencies needed in a team will be the ability to communicate. Either paper and documentation, or to others to express your ideas. Doing a course, or at least being able to demonstrate basic ITIL understanding will be absolutely massive.
 
2. Pick a competency you care about, and not just one you think hs the best money. the money isn't going to be worth it in tech if you're not happy doing it. there are a lot of hours being a sysadmin. overnights and responding to out of regular hours emergencies will be expected. 
 
3. Virtualization - If you can demonstrate your understanding of Virtualizations, and competencies or expertise in enterprise virtualization, you will have an easier time. Especially ESXI if you are looking to be a sysadmin in corporate. 
 
4. Operating systems? Don't pigeonhole yourself in being only a linux expert, or only a windows guy. Understand basic administration of both. you will work with both. it is inevitable. Active Directory, whether in the cloud (Azure) or on premise is going to be the backing credential management in just about 90% of enterprise. Learn how to make Windows and Linux talk with eachother.
 
5. Python
 
6. Networking. if you cannot explain, or at least understand how everything connects and communicates, you are going to have a bad time. networking, especially enterprise is far more complicated than home networking. 
 
7. Learn some business. honestly. take an entry level accounting course if you can. Learn what budgeting is. how businesses do their math. As a system admin this seems like it's irrelevant. it's not. You are going to be constantly fighting with bean counters. you will always want more than they are willing to spend. if you can speak their lingo, it's far easier to convince them to get you what you want. Example, if you just ask for a million dollars in equipment, you're not likely going to be given much attention. But if you can show a business case, budget for it, schedule for it on their amortization and costing and can show them why it's in the busineses best interest monetarily. You will be given a far wider benefit of the doubt later.

The only area of IT that pays 70kish at entry level is InfoSec. On top of that you do need to know the ins and outs of pretty much everything in the IT umbrella. With the shortages a degree or even a few certs might get you in the door at some places... after that experience is king anyways.
 
If that interests you then I would say learn the ins and out of how a machine (Linux or windows) operates. Then from there focus on networking. The flow of data, handshakes, etc. Those are the most important things you need to get in this field.

Getting at least 3 certifications in 2 years is definitely doable, even slow in some instances. However, going from an entry-level IT position to $70k in 2 years is going to be extremely unlikely.

Not that it can't happen, but so many things would have to align (location, company, role), and you'd have to show supreme skills and experience. Most companies simply don't pay that kind of money unless you have a lot of experience with real systems (in addition to your certifications), or at least a bachelors in CS, and a few years in a legitimate role.

If you're truly interested in such a career path, and going for a CS degree isn't an option, I'd be leaning towards networking and security certifications and experience. The other high-paying tech jobs are typically in engineering, and data architect/science, which will traditionally rely more on degrees. 

Most places are only looking for a bachelors of CS. Positions requiring more are pretty few and far between, usually reserved for jobs that also involve high level management.
 
That said, you don’t NEED a degree to be the next Elon. He (and others like him) are really just people with good ideas and even better connections with a healthy dose of charisma. Business courses would be more valuable in this scenario than an actual technical degree.

Basically, one option gives you a great chance at earning a white collar salary and stable employment, the other gives you needle in a haystack odds to earn some Jesus money. 
 
Not everyone is CEO material and most everyone doesn’t have the random luck to land a great idea and investment. I’d go the other route and get an IT degree, just about anyone can do that and land a job after as long as you’re motivated.

I will be pursuing certification in CompTIA ITF, A+, Network+, and Security+, plunging tip-first into the IT world. Having done that, I will be then pursuing over the - fairly prolonged - course of time my CISSP and CBAP. For the time being, the "end" goal is to become a Computer and Information Systems Manager. That is my day job goal. In free time, I will be doing additional studying and most likely developing AI models via Python and implementing papers, and perhaps writing some of my own. My hope is that I might eventually compose something valuable enough to sell of or offer as a cheap service and gain a considerable sum of money, and be able to purchase various machines and equipment to further snowball my knowledge and experience into a great glacier of tech and mats goodness by tinkering and developing on the fly. On a sidenote, has anyone got a lead on one-man processor development, and maybe like a course on chip architecture and the deepest internals of any and all computer components? Not sure what field that falls under. CompTIA is just operation and maintenance.

so what are your current qualifications, do you have any degree in the IT field or any other formal education into that direction?
 
generally if you wanna be a sys admin and you really want to understand all fundamentals you should aim to be "fluent" in linux and by fluent i mean you are at the point that you prefer using command line for everything instead of and kind of GUI, you know becoming that annoying asshole telling everyone how superior command line is while fully neglecting why GUI´s exist.
 
beside this get a university degree in a field of your interest and run with it, also dont listen to Elon Musk about this stuff, the main reason he got Tesla running is knowing rich people that gave him money.
If you dont know rich people that stuff doesnt work like that, also Elon is not a genius by any means, he had some good ideas and made some money with it, he knows many things and hes very LOUD about it which makes people think hes a genius for some reason.

Unfortunately companies seem to really prefer experience over just certifications, so even if you do get the certifications, you will most likely not rise to a $70,000 salary job within 2 years, unless you have years of prior IT work experience that you didn't mention. 

If you expect to be at the pinnacle of network engineering knowledge and pulling 70k+ in salary in less than 2 years with nothing but a few certifications, you’ll be very disappointed.
 
If you’re in NA you need a degree to make that kind of money in IT. Especially if you plan to do it so quickly. Without a degree, the best you can hope for is a $15-20/hr help desk job.

There is no one path through something as widespread as systems administration. You might start out as a highschool student interested in running joke programs. You might start out as a CS student who's never programmed before. You might start out as a CIA trained spy in charge of running communications and SIGINT equipment in embassies.

You might end up maintaining huuuuuuugggeeeeee government networks, supercomputers, datacenters, school system networks, small business networks, or being a contractor (kind of a sysadmin for hire) for your local area. 

Start with your personal machine. Are you confident that your personal machine is in excellent health, and is very secure? If you run into a problem with your personal machine, are you confident you can fix it? What about your home network, can you say the same things for it? After that, complicate your personal network with virtual machines, all networked together in interesting ways and playing interesting and ever more complicated roles, until you can say the same for them.

A simple and specific starting point would be to be able to answer yes to the following question: Can you get your iptables configuration loaded during system startup before your machine actually connects to the network, without installing any applications, scripts, or tools not included with the initial OS installation?
 

A bit unrelated but I personally would absolutely buy a LTT-themed custom gaming PC. Probably will be better built then anything Walmart could give me ?

I asked Luke about it, he said they're probably going to make it so you'll keep the grandfathered rate ($3/month) even if you unsub then resub, but they're not entirely sure yet, and it might come down to whether or not they or the software they use, is capable of it or not.

Not likely. They're an entertainment/media company, not a system builder.
 
You could try someone like JayzTwoCents or BitWit, but you'd be best off just going with a normal system builder like CyberPowerPC or iBuyPower.
 
Here are some of Linus' videos about common system builders. (Aka System Integrators, or SIs)
 
Maybe if you beg Dennis enough and offer him a good time he'll do it. lmao

All the channels are on Floatplane as part of LTT, all videos get posted there from TechQuickie, TechLinked, etc.

Addressing the OP's response, I don't do builds for individuals anymore unless it's part of something else - like RoG Rig Reboot which is all about hooking up people with the worst machines, etc.

I used to be the builder for NCIX's high end water cooled systems (before I hired Ivan)

linus, when he worked on ncix, he used to build pcs, but linus media group, no, they dont even build pcs for themselves, they review and create content, but build and sell pcs, no, they dont

Jay is only youtuber I know who has built computers for a living. Linus didn't do it (Ivan was the builder for NCIX). Jay has said that its too much work and annoyance to be worth it. So it either needs to be challenge and something to make views for their channel. Or you have to be someone some kids know from somewhere. So Pewdiepie or Ninja probably.

For the right amount of money, anything is possible.
I highly doubt you'd have the right amount of money, and even if you did, it's better to get it for less money somewhere else.
Unless you really just want to be able to say he made it for you.

They are not system builders, they are youtubers. Are they capable, of course they are but they aren’t in that business. If you contacted someone directly and made it worth their time then MAYBE, however as mentioned it opens up a floodgate. Also if someone contacts them to build a pc and they take the job on, and the person isn’t happy with the final product then all of the sudden they have someone dragging the company name through the mud, not saying the OP would, but there are shitty people out there that would

if you offer enough money im sure linus or someone from LMG will do it lol i dont think they would turn down a billion dollars Kappa

If you have coin to spare then I'd recommend Singularity Computers.