System Administrator Roadmap

Complete Learning Path

Follow this step-by-step roadmap to become job-ready

Linux Fundamentals

Duration: 6-8 weeks

Linux Basics & Command Line

What to Learn:

Linux distributions (Ubuntu, CentOS, RHEL), file system hierarchy, basic commands (ls, cd, cp, mv, rm), file permissions (chmod, chown), text editors (vim, nano), package management (apt, yum), process management (ps, top, kill)

Free Resources:

Linux Journey (comprehensive free course)
Ubuntu tutorials and documentation
Linux Command Line Basics (Udemy free course)

Hands-On Practice:

Install Ubuntu on VirtualBox, practice 100+ commands, create users and groups, manage file permissions, navigate entire file system

User & Group Management

What to Learn:

Creating and managing users (useradd, usermod, userdel), group management (groupadd, groupmod), sudo privileges and sudoers file, password policies, user authentication, /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow

Free Resources:

Linux user management tutorials
Ubuntu Server Guide
Red Hat documentation (free)

Hands-On Practice:

Create 10+ users with different permissions, configure sudo access, set up shared directories with group permissions, implement password policies

Networking Basics

What to Learn:

TCP/IP fundamentals, IP addressing and subnetting, DNS configuration, network configuration (ifconfig, ip), ping, traceroute, netstat, SSH configuration and usage, firewall basics (iptables, ufw)

Free Resources:

NetworkChuck YouTube tutorials
Linux networking documentation
CompTIA Network+ study materials

Hands-On Practice:

Configure static IP addresses, set up SSH access, configure firewall rules, set up local DNS, troubleshoot network connectivity

Server Management & Services

Duration: 8-10 weeks

Web Servers (Apache & Nginx)

What to Learn:

Apache installation and configuration, virtual hosts, Nginx basics, reverse proxy setup, SSL/TLS certificates (Let's Encrypt), load balancing basics, web server security

Free Resources:

Apache official documentation
Nginx beginner's guide
Digital Ocean tutorials (excellent quality)

Hands-On Practice:

Host multiple websites on one server, configure SSL certificates, set up reverse proxy, implement basic security hardening

Database Management

What to Learn:

MySQL/PostgreSQL installation, database creation and management, user privileges, backup and restore (mysqldump, pg_dump), basic SQL queries, database security, performance tuning basics

Free Resources:

MySQL official documentation
PostgreSQL tutorial
Database administration crash course

Hands-On Practice:

Install and configure MySQL, create databases and users, implement automated backups, practice restore procedures, secure database access

System Monitoring & Logging

What to Learn:

Log file locations (/var/log), viewing logs (tail, grep, less), system monitoring tools (top, htop, vmstat, iostat), disk usage monitoring (df, du), setting up monitoring alerts, log rotation

Free Resources:

Linux logging and monitoring guide
System monitoring tutorials
Open source monitoring tools documentation

Hands-On Practice:

Monitor system resources, analyze log files for issues, set up log rotation, create monitoring dashboards, configure alerts for critical events

Backup & Recovery

What to Learn:

Backup strategies (full, incremental, differential), backup tools (rsync, tar, dump), automated backup scripts, backup verification, disaster recovery planning, off-site backup solutions

Free Resources:

Linux backup and recovery guide
rsync tutorial
Disaster recovery best practices

Hands-On Practice:

Create automated backup scripts, test restore procedures, implement 3-2-1 backup strategy, document recovery procedures

Automation & Scripting

Duration: 6-8 weeks

Bash Scripting

What to Learn:

Bash basics (variables, loops, conditionals), script structure, input/output handling, error handling, functions, scheduling with cron, practical automation scripts

Free Resources:

Bash scripting tutorial
Linux shell scripting cookbook
ShellCheck (script validation tool)

Hands-On Practice:

Write scripts for: user creation automation, log analysis, disk cleanup, backup automation, system health checks

Python for System Administration

What to Learn:

Python basics, file and directory operations, subprocess module, system information gathering, network operations, APIs for automation, scheduled tasks

Free Resources:

Automate the Boring Stuff (free book)
Python for system administrators
Real Python tutorials

Hands-On Practice:

Build automation tools: server monitoring dashboard, automated deployment script, log parser, configuration management tool

Configuration Management (Ansible Basics)

What to Learn:

Ansible fundamentals, inventory files, playbooks, modules, roles, idempotency, managing multiple servers, infrastructure as code concepts

Free Resources:

Ansible official documentation
Ansible for beginners tutorial
Infrastructure as code guide

Hands-On Practice:

Create playbooks for: web server deployment, user management across multiple servers, security hardening automation

Windows Server & Security

Duration: 6-8 weeks

Windows Server Basics

What to Learn:

Windows Server installation and configuration, Active Directory basics, Group Policy, PowerShell fundamentals, Windows services, user management, file sharing (SMB)

Free Resources:

Microsoft Learn (free courses)
Windows Server documentation
PowerShell tutorials

Hands-On Practice:

Set up Windows Server VM, configure Active Directory, create users and OUs, apply Group Policies, practice PowerShell automation

System Security

What to Learn:

Security best practices, firewall configuration (iptables, firewalld, Windows Firewall), SSH hardening, SELinux/AppArmor basics, security updates and patching, intrusion detection basics, security auditing

Free Resources:

Linux security hardening guide
CIS Benchmarks (security standards)
OWASP security guidelines

Hands-On Practice:

Harden Linux server following CIS benchmarks, configure firewalls, implement fail2ban, set up automatic security updates, conduct security audit

Virtualization Basics

What to Learn:

Virtualization concepts, VMware or VirtualBox, creating and managing VMs, snapshots and clones, resource allocation, networking in virtualized environments, Docker basics (containerization)

Free Resources:

Virtualization fundamentals
Docker getting started guide
VirtualBox documentation

Hands-On Practice:

Build home lab with multiple VMs, practice VM lifecycle management, experiment with Docker containers, create network of interconnected VMs

Portfolio & Job Preparation

Duration: 3-4 weeks

Build Your Home Lab

What to Create:

Complete infrastructure setup with multiple servers (web, database, monitoring), automated deployment, monitoring dashboards, documentation of entire setup, GitHub repository with all scripts

Portfolio Items:

Home lab architecture diagram
Automation scripts collection
System administration playbooks
Troubleshooting documentation
Security hardening guide you created

Interview Preparation

What to Prepare:

Linux command line scenarios, troubleshooting methodologies, networking fundamentals, security best practices, scripting examples, system architecture discussions, behavioral questions

Practice Resources:

System administrator interview questions
Linux troubleshooting scenarios
Mock interview practice

Get Real Experience

Ways to Gain Experience:

Manage servers for small businesses or non-profits, contribute to open source infrastructure projects, set up and maintain servers for side projects, offer freelance server management, participate in online communities helping others

Where to Find Opportunities:

Local businesses needing IT help
Non-profit organizations
Open source projects needing infrastructure
Reddit r/sysadmin community

Portfolio Projects to Build

Build these projects to showcase your skills to employers

🏗️

Complete Home Lab Infrastructure

Build a multi-server environment with web server, database server, monitoring server and backup server. Document architecture, implement automation and create disaster recovery plan.

Linux Networking Virtualization Automation Documentation

🤖

Automated System Deployment

Create Ansible playbooks that automatically deploy and configure LAMP/LEMP stack, including security hardening, monitoring setup and backup configuration. Make it fully automated and idempotent.

Ansible Automation Configuration Management Security

📊

System Monitoring Dashboard

Set up comprehensive monitoring with Nagios or Zabbix, create custom checks, configure alerts, and build dashboard showing system health. Include log aggregation and analysis.

Monitoring Logging Alerting Dashboard

🔒

Security Hardening Implementation

Harden Linux servers following CIS benchmarks, implement firewall rules, configure fail2ban, set up intrusion detection and create security audit scripts. Document every step.

Security Firewall Auditing Best Practices

💾

Disaster Recovery System

Implement complete backup and disaster recovery solution with automated backups, off-site replication, documented recovery procedures and tested restore processes. Include monitoring and alerting.

Backup Recovery Automation Testing

📝

System Administration Toolkit

Create collection of Bash and Python scripts for common sysadmin tasks: user management, log analysis, system health checks, automated reports. Publish on GitHub with documentation.

Bash Python Automation GitHub

What is System Administration?

Key Facts

Career Progression Path

Junior System Administrator