Get any Linux sysadmin certificate! The world’s infrastructure runs on Linux, CI/CD-pipelines have a heavy Linux bias, and compared to how Oracle or SAP certs have developed, anything certifying you as capable of installing, setting up, and administrating a network of productive Linux servers is imho the straightest way to a solid job.

None of my carts have done me any good, I wish you better luck in your search!

I should really get around to getting my CCNP… it’s been my plan since 2002. I probably need to retake my CCNA, come to think of it.

But yeah, depends on your specific field, but the cisco certs are generally highly regarded.

I have always taken whatever my employer wanted to pay for. Especially the larger consulting shops were keen on that.

Really worth it? Rarely. The ones where I already knew the trainer and knew that he was good.

Also got no certificates. Worked in a PC repair shop and now just started my second helpdesk role. Gone back down from 2nd line to 1st line because it came with a pay rise and a much better commute. Working conditions also seem quite a bit better and none of my coworkers are showing clear signs of stress.

Early 30s now, I earn enough to easily live comfortably and I don’t have to work for an evil corporation to do it. Although a job that does something good could interest me, currently it just feels neutral. Not evil, but not a massive benefit to society either.

30 years in IT here, but didn’t get my degree until about 13 years ago.

Certs that I have (obsolete or not).

CCNA/CCNP/ Network +

MCSE

CLP (most certainly obsolete. Who runs Domino any longer?)

LEAN Six Sigma Green belt.

ITIL v1 Foundation, Incident, Problem, Change, Config, Service Delivery.

V4 Foundation and Incident

Of all the certs it has been ITIL that has gotten me employed the most and why I’m currently employed as an Incident Management Process Owner for a very large manufacturer.

I would look at your potential career path and go for certs to support that. Cisco certs for networking, Azure/AWS for cloud-based infrastructure, etc. Before starting any course though, I would check with your company to see if they would foot the bill or reimburse you for any of them. They might be looking for something specific and more willing to pay for you to learn it.

In addition to what other commenters have said, A+ is easy enough to get, mostly focused on hardware and troubleshooting and if you’re looking at smaller-medium companies they tend to like that one.

Microsoft learning is where you can get MS certs in house. Start with MS-900 365 fundamentals. Then move toward Entra/Azure related certs. CCNA is good for networking (and a pretty decent overview of IT related operations) but not strictly IT, however CCNA as a cert does have solid implications for employability. You can do a course on something like Udemy and just not do the exam until you desire if it’s more about a skill brush up. I’ll try to add some more specific certs later.

Realistically, when I did my first trainee position in IT we did the MS certs (and the certs provided CMS/CRM), I think I would have rather the 15 years experience to put on my resume though. The best coworker when I worked at an MSP had a degree in IT so maybe a degree by correspondence while you work if you’re able but hard to say over something like a degree in networking. Depends on if you want to stay in IT or have flexibility.

CompTIA Networking and LPI lvl 1 Linux.

I’d recommend looking at some job postings and getting certs that would support the ones you think you could land.

For me AWS / Azure certs are a clear frontrunner

I’m debating on whether to go down this career route.

Accountancy is a dud these days and I think I’d get more value from doing CompTIA or Cisco certificates and trying to branch out into IT.

Where I’m skeptical is that it’s being pushed a lot by all these learning providers advertising cybersecurity career paths and boasting potentially misleading statistics. I’ve heard from differing sources that IT is both easy and incredibly hard to get into.

But to answer the OG question, I’ve heard that Cisco CCNA is like the king of IT certifications, but is hard to pass and is expensive to both take and study.

ITIL, Ms-900 and Az-900 are a good start, followed by Sc-900 and from there look further.