I see people grinding certifications and still stuck without interviews 😤. I used to think more certs meant more job offers 📚➡️💼. What most people don’t realize is certs are just table stakes, not leverage ⚠️. HR uses certs to filter, not to hire 🧠. The real decision happens when a human asks “Can this person do the job?” 🤔. That’s where most cert-only candidates fall apart 💥. I’ve watched people with fewer certs get hired faster because their strategy was right 🎯. Certs matter, but only when they’re paired with proof and positioning 🔗. If you’re stacking certs without a plan, you’re burning time ⏳. I put together a simple framework that fixes this fast 🚀. Comment "CERTS" and I’ll DM you my Cert Strategy Cheat Sheet.

So far I have: - Shut down the file server and put over 200 people (locally and abroad) temporarily out of work - Messaged users randomly on Teams about adding their phone numbers as an MFA option, only to have them email my boss because they thought it was spam - Look like a dummy countless times in front of my boss But hey that's okay! I didn't get fired. The first three to six months I can afford to make mistakes and ask simple questions. Asking questions is encouraged where I work. Because the top two priorities are: Security and Production Is what I'm doing going to maintain or decrease security? Is what I'm doing going to get folks back to work or keep them from working? When I shut down the file server I was reminded of the importance of working in a live environment. That means no experimenting, no testing. Because I could mess the business workflow. My main job is to always keep security in mind. As long as I "do the work" that will keep my boss happy. Since I started it's been slow. I was told IT is either "feast or famine." Meaning it's always busy and you can't get to everyone that day, or it's so slow you just update your documentation and How To's for the Knowledge Base. Or read the sysadmin subreddit. Here are some skills I wish I had known before starting this gig: How to Troubleshoot common Microsoft Teams and Outlook issues How to fix common display monitor issues How to leave a remote server session without shutting it down I'm lucky. My boss knows I'm very new and doesn't expect me to be an expert in Microsoft or AD or their ERP system. He wants me to be proficient in the tools they use. It'll take time. And I got time. And thanks to Evan for his help at the beginning of my journey into IT! To all you newbies feel free to ask me any questions about my role, happy to help!

Life happens and it did take a few more weeks than originally planned with the AZ-900 Speedrun but we made it! Special thanks to @Evan Lutz @Kelsey Sotello

Passed the AZ-900, so the journey continues!

I passed my network +! if anyone has any questions regarding the test and how it's laid out feel free to message me.