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Hi I’m new to the Spiceworks Forms i graduated TN collage of applied technology in Elizabethton TN in 2013 in IT with a certificate in Network security specialist. but when i graduated I had to put my IT career on hold due to family obligations. but now in 2023 I’m looking to officially start my IT career but am not sure where to start getting my IT foundation back knowledge wise and my skills what certifications. would help me get into IT without having to go to collage for a IT degree. and also what would be the best way to setup a HomeLab Enviromint to use for learning purposes i do have a Ryzen PC with 32GB of ram and a 5600x CPU that I could use for a type 2 hypervisor or if a type 1 would be better I’m open to advice and recommendations.

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Type-1 is best for hypervisors, if you’re running Windows 10/11 Hyper-V is built-in assuming you have pro or higher OS, this is a type-1 hypervisor.

For a lab that isn’t you main machine, start with anything, build it up as your knowledge grows.

I have no formal IT qualifications, so don’t let that be a show stopper, be sure you can demonstrate your skills, be active and help on here, learn from here, join the homelabs section, ask questions or ask for tasks to lab - do tell us where you want to be in IT, which field.

Be prepared to start at the bottom and work your way up, taking advise from your peers.

Don’t give up, and don’t be afraid to ask for help - we all need it some times.

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awesome thank you so much for your help i was considering using vmware workstation pro for my windows server vm but would you think hyper v would be better also im trying to figure out what IT certification to focus on also gaining IT experiance with a homelab setup.

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Hardware specs and a shopping list are irrelevant.

Prove what you can do, not what you have.

How to get back into IT with a home lab? Figure out a solution to a problem. Degrees and certs are meaningless without hands-on experience as validation, even if that means creating and managing a domain within your home with multiple workstations. Plenty of more contemporary resources out in the wild that don’t require sitting in a classroom anymore.

Do you have kids who have devices like iPads? Deploy an MDM. Manage their content, despite their protests. :blush:

Do you have multiple workstations and laptops in your home along with printers and IOT devices? Create and manage VLANs for them. Be your own red team and try to find vulnerabilities within your network. Invite friends to do the same (ESPECIALLY this, because if you designed your network, you’ve already accounted for vulnerabilities that you know about – they’ll find the ones you didn’t think about).

Document all of your efforts to tell the story at your next interview.

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Getting a sandbox would give you a platform where you can learn. If you can get your hands on a used dell or hp server from ebay, you could install VMWare ESXI. You could then then install and learn free versions of Linux like Ubuntu. You could install Observium and learn network monitoring using snmp. I use a sandbox like this to practice for my Cisco CCNP Advanced Routing test. Learning by doing is the best. There is a wealth of free information online and youtube. Believe in yourself, do the work required to learn and don’t quit. And ask questions.

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If you are looking to explore the cloud, Azure offers free credits:

Build in the cloud with an Azure free account

This also will assist with gaining certifications with Microsoft (if this is the route you are trying to achieve). As the others have stated already, you should try your best to find a problem (one that you are really interested in) and see if you can solve it with technology.

If you are into websites, see if you can fire up a webserver (Apache) whether it is local with XAMPP or on the cloud with an Azure VM.

Good luck!

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If you can spare the time and money, go get your CompTIA Security+ cert. That’s good way to rebuild your foundation. Simultaneously, look at the job postings you think you want and build up those skills. Unless you’re looking for desktop support, a lot of the basic needs have shifted in the last 10 years, thanks to cloud everything. Yet desktop support is probably going to be your first job. So, brush up on your people skills.

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Find a local group of IT pros and get involved. Find a non-profit and offer your services. Just get in the game and make some connections.

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There are a lot of options for you. CompTIA has information and ways of taking classes. Also so does Cisco with the Cisco Packet Tracer app which is free to download and has simulations. I have used CBT Nuggets as well getting back into the IT field. Microsoft has free learning as well with test questions and simulations Credentials | Microsoft Learn When you go to these sites they will also let you know which certs are obsolete and what certs are new. AZ-800 Study Guide: Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure This one was one of my favorite courses for free from Microsoft. Back in 2001 I spent $7000 for MSCE 2000 and CCNA. I am glad there is free training out there. Hope this helps.

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I’d suggest that you expect to begin most of your learning once you get your first job and as you’re faced with the problems facing that particular business, you can begin to build up an understanding of what tools are out there, how to solve things, best practices, etc. Smaller companies in particular might have more simple and basic needs (meaning you can help them even without prior job experience), will be more likely to be desparate for help, and are more likely to expose you to a wider breadth of technology problems than a large company that is looking to slot people into narrow job roles. This experience will likely be key for getting you into a more specialized role later on.

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Here are a few things that come to mind:
-Home Lab for AD (Azure?), exchange (O365?), servers, and server OS included. Maybe some cheap used hardware from a recycling center or something.
-A+

-Net+
-Security+

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CompTIA issues certifications for the information technology industry. It is considered one of the IT industry’s top trade associations. What kind of certifications they are looking to achieve? Check out the different career pathways and their certs here: Which Certification is Right For Me | CompTIA IT Certifications

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Keep up to date on your skillset through linkedIn Learning or another online platform.