How to become an Azure admin without system background

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Hi everyone,

I have somewhat an unsettling question regarding new Microsoft certification path/direction; I have been asked by my company to get certified in Azure 900 and 103, however, I am currently a help desk with only 2 years of experience. When I started pursuing AZ-103, I have noticed that it was geared towards system admin who has a decent work experience around windows systems and networking. What's even more confusing now, Microsoft is retiring its MCSA and MCSE track! So, how would new IT guys learn Azure if they do not have an MCSA or MCSE level of knowledge? (E.g. lets say 3 years from now, new kids fresh out of high school that never heard of MCSx, and without any IT background would be able to become a Microsoft certified professional if they never had a chance to learn system administration!).

Any help or guideline will be much appreciated. I found myself watching the MCSA course more than the AZ 103 just so I can grasp the AZ subjects. Moreover, Microsoft is the only vendor that doesn't have a beginner path in their certification, all the certs requires proficiency in Powershell, networking, and security; unlike Cisco or other vendors who has learning materials geared towards beginners! Please advise.

With regards,

@Khalil-Bouada ,

I hope all is well. There are a few different things that may help to make a path available for someone such as yourself, or those you describe.

While Microsoft itself does not offer formal certifications that may be "entry level", other vendors do, such as CompTIA. A typical path would include some of the CompTIA certifications along with self study and practical experience, perhaps as outlined below:

A+ --> Network+ --> Security+ --> self study and hands-on practice with basic Microsoft technologies such as:

Active Directory
DNS
DHCP
PowerShell

You can use the PracticeLabs associated with many of the Microsoft certification shows in the library to practice these skills, and / or, you could build a small virtual lab and use it to practice as well.

The key is being able to get comfortable with he technologies by spending time working with them. You do not have to be an expert with years of experience to take and pass exams, but you do need to have a basic level of comfort/familiarity with the products and solutions that you will be asked about.

Specific to Azure, as Cherokee and Mike and Ronnie and myself all talk about across our shows on Azure and Office 365, you can setup a free account and create a tenant that will allow you to practice as well. You can go to the following link to see all the details:

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/

It can be confusing to be asked to "jump in" to a new area when you feel you may not be fully comfortable or ready, but with some time and practice, you will be successful. Focus on getting the CompTIA basics set first, and then work through the AZ900 show, as it is a great overview of what to expect and what to know for Azure and for the AZ103 exam.

Good Luck !!

Cheers,

Adam

Hello,
Yes I would suggest the same that Adam is talking about. Start with A+ and so on. You can watch some videos. A+ is very basic, but still a lot to learn. You already have a help desk position, therefore you do not need A+ to get a first job. Network+ is much more difficult, but it is more interesting.

As a beginner it is the best to use a lab environment with a fixed task, but if you do not want to spend much money there is a cheaper way.
You can buy a book, spin up own VMs with Active Directory and learn how to install it from scratch. It is a bit more tricky, because you have to learn at least one Hypervisor as well. After that you may try the same tasks in Azure. Azure is free for 12 months, so you can try a lot.

@Adam-Gordon said in How to become an Azure admin without system background:

@Adam-Gordon Thank you so much for your response. I will start with the courses and labs you have described, and I will move onto AZ-900 afterwards. Thanks again Sir.

Best regards,

@Stefan-Waldvogel that's what I was thinking too. I will start with network+ and maybe do some refresher with A+. Thank you for taking the time to answer my question sir.

Regards,

@Khalil-Bouada @Adam-Gordon

I have the same question and concern as Khalil-Bouada, If your working or studying at an entry-level position (Help-Desk/A+) with little or no real world experience, and with the new changes with Microsoft certification (NO MORE MCSA/MCSE) still to this day why Microsoft got rid of these certifications, why they are doing this makes no sense to me, How can you prove or show to a potential employer that I understand (Windows Server 2012/2016) products or technology without these types of certifications (MCSA/MCSE) or even back in the days of MCP (?? Microsoft Certified Professional) with passing of one exam technology like MS Exchange or Windows 7 , can't remember the exact year (90's or 2000's)? Starting with AZ-900 Azure and without any certs or experience in the System Administration /Background to prove to a potential employer, that yes I know how to do this. I also forgot to mention, that Microsoft does offer entry level certification called the MTA which stands for Microsoft Technology Associate, just not sure if they are common or popular with Employers in the IT Market compared to the CompTIA A+ or Network+ or Cisco CCNA Certification.

@Daniel-Loyer , I hope all is well. As we have mentioned in response to your post(s) about this issue/concern in other areas of the forum, the move in general, across ALL vendors is towards skill/experience based assessment and certifications that reflect that.

Gaining one or more of those certifications IN ADDITION TO building a set of core skills through hands-on experience that employers are looking for is vital to ANY I.T. professional's longevity.

The trick is to gain that experience and then tell compelling stories about it... put it proudly on display in your C.V./resume as well as via social media and digital badging.

Employers are looking at you holistically, and if you are narrowly defining yourself, you are ONLY showing them a small piece of a bigger picture, one which may not be enough to entice or interest them.

Write up your experience in a blog posting on LinkedIn... Tweets, etc... Share your knowledge with the world as loudly and proudly as you can...

If you are struggling to gain access to opportunities to build knowledge, see if you can shadow people at work, volunteer to help out with ANY PROJECTS ... no matter how small or trivial... see if friends or peers or colleagues can offer insights and guidance... basically BUG EVERYONE YOU CAN to gain as much knowledge as they are willing/able to share. THE MORE THE BETTER !!!

Keep at it !!!

Good Luck sir...

Cheers,

Adam