10 inspiring career guides for sysadmins

Career opportunities are plentiful for sysadmins, even as we continue to cope with and recover from the pandemic. The "Great Resignation" and local skills shortages (especially as some borders remain closed) are affecting companies. We sysadmins need to make the most of the mounting career growth opportunities as IT organizations work around their needs for skills while the world slowly opens up.

From increasing your salary potential, to soft skills and communication building, raising your profile and developing your technical skills, moving up the ladder, and taking on new roles, Enable Sysadmin published many helpful career-related articles to help you prepare for what lies ahead.  (There are also real-life funny stories and anecdotes from your fellow sysadmins to entertain you.) Equip yourself through these features and stories, and be ready to enter the door of opportunity once it's open to you.

Top 10 career articles of 2021

1. 3 skills that every Linux sysadmin should bring to the table: Silvana Carpineanu presents three essential skill sets to work on for a better chance of being a successful sysadmin, leveling up on your existing role, or landing your dream job in 2022.
2. 6 ways to increase your Linux sysadmin earning profile and potential: Joseph Tejal points out that your ability to earn and sustain yourself is one motivation for why you work. Increasing your earning potential alongside career growth, personal fulfillment, and enjoyment give you the impetus to go further.
3. 5 essential soft skills for sysadmin self-improvement: It's not just the technical skills you know that make you successful. Pratheek Prabhakaran digs a little deeper into five soft skills essential for sysadmins and some resources to improve them.
4. Seven (more) things I wish I'd known before becoming a sysadmin: Consider some of these anecdotes from Damon Garn and find ways to mitigate them. I'm pretty sure you have stories and frustrations that all sysadmins can relate to! You might find yourself smiling and nodding "yes, yes" as you read along.
5. 13 essential skills sysadmins need to make a career move into management: Thinking about moving up into a management role? Here are some valuable tips from Joachim Haller to guide you on your path and make you comfortable and successful in your new leadership role.
6. 5 questions to ask during your next sysadmin interview: Ace that next sysadmin job interview by asking your interviewer these five questions, which can set you apart from the rest of the pack in a competitive job market. Ken Hess shows you how to turn the table around and make your interviewer sweat with these questions.
7. Tales from the field: A system administrator's guide to IT automation: Learn from sysadmins' real-life experiences with automation. Emma Van Sant curates Enable Sysadmin's exclusive automation eBook, also published in 2021.
8. 11 considerations for effectively managing a Linux sysadmin team: Sysadmins have the under-appreciated task of keeping all the IT systems up. Joachim Haller uses real-life experiences as examples to teach you how to effectively sustain and manage your sysadmin team.
9. A how-to guide for your first remote Red Hat certification exam: Remote exams are now widely available. Check out what you need to do to prepare for your next Red Hat examination from the comfort of your own home or office. It shouldn't be too hard—and Joseph Tejal shows you what you need to know to succeed.
10. The 5 things I wish I'd known before becoming a sysadmin: Want to be a sysadmin? You might wish to read this article by Ken Hess, so you won't be surprised when you get into the job. Check if the opportunity meets your expectations from someone who has already been there.

Wrap up

I hope you enjoy a restful holiday with the people you hold dear and spend a little time reading these articles while you sip your morning coffee. I hope these authors will inspire, encourage, and give you food for thought as you come back and plan your development and career goals for 2022.

And if any of these authors' words inspire you, consider writing about it for Enable Sysadmin. Continue the tradition of knowledge sharing that makes the sysadmin community so great.