What do you do if you're struggling to overcome challenges in your System Administration career?

To overcome challenges in System Administration: 1. Identify specific areas of challenge to find solutions. 2. Engage in continuous learning through courses, books, and workshops to stay updated. 3. Connect with fellow administrators online and offline for support and solutions. 4. Seek mentorship to refine skills and gain guidance. 5. Hone problem-solving skills by practicing troubleshooting techniques. 6. Manage time effectively by prioritizing tasks based on urgency. 7. Maintain balanced documentation to streamline processes and share knowledge. 8. Don't hesitate to ask for help when needed; it's a proactive step toward improvement.

1) Go back to the basics of the OSI Model 2) When you can’t verify a specific step try other options outside of the scope to confirm if it’s part of this issue or not (a server can’t reach the internet, can other servers in the same network attempt the same test with success?) 4) research not only the problem, but if you have identified what layer you are stuck on, other tests you can do 3) reach out to vendors within a timely manner (don’t dive into the rabbit hole for multiple days before asking for help)

Ask yourself questions that you dont know, find the answer before its an emergency and your expected to solve in 2 min. Then you already have the rca, its just paperwork after that.

"To overcome challenges in System Administration: Identify specific areas of challenge to find solutions. Engage in continuous learning through courses, books, and workshops to stay updated. Connect with fellow administrators online and offline for support and solutions. Seek mentorship to refine skills and gain guidance. Hone problem-solving skills by practicing troubleshooting techniques. Manage time effectively by prioritizing tasks based on urgency. Maintain balanced documentation to streamline processes and share knowledge. Don't hesitate to ask for help when needed; it's a proactive step toward improvement."

You don't have to solve every challenge on your own. Sometimes, you may need help and feedback from others, such as your colleagues, managers, mentors, or experts. Asking for help and feedback can save you time and effort, as well as improve your skills and knowledge. For example, you may ask your colleague to review your code, your manager to clarify your priorities, your mentor to advise you on your career path, or an expert to teach you a new technology. By seeking help and feedback, you can also build trust and rapport with others and expand your network.

No one is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes. However, mistakes are not failures but opportunities to learn and improve. Instead of being afraid or ashamed of your mistakes, you should embrace them and learn from them. For example, you may have accidentally deleted a file, missed a deadline, or configured a wrong setting. Instead of panicking or blaming yourself, you should analyze what went wrong, how to fix it, and how to prevent it from happening again. By learning from your mistakes, you can also develop a growth mindset and a positive attitude.

La célèbre citation de Mandela peut servir à relativiser les échecs, Les formations techniques ou thématiques peuvent renforcer ce qui doit l'être. Seuls ceux qui ne font rien ne font pas d'erreurs...

Technology is constantly evolving, and so are the demands and expectations of your users and clients. To stay relevant and competitive in your field, you need to keep yourself updated on the latest trends, tools, and best practices. For example, you may need to learn a new programming language, a new framework, a new cloud service, or a new security standard. To keep yourself updated, you need to invest time and effort in continuous learning and development. You can use various resources, such as books, courses, podcasts, blogs, or webinars, to learn new skills and knowledge.

Get yourself updated and also try to understand the base technologies under every system. Knowing the base components will let you understand the real origin of the different issues or also what you’ll be able to do with that system because you wont be limited to the partners documentation, youll be also able to gather information from the different components and achieve solutions faster.

One of the biggest challenges in your system administration career may be setting and achieving your goals. You may have many goals, such as getting a certification, landing a promotion, completing a project, or switching to a different role. However, not all goals are realistic and achievable, and some may be too vague or too ambitious. To overcome this challenge, you need to set SMART goals, which are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. For example, instead of saying "I want to learn Python," you can say "I want to complete a Python course and build a web app by the end of the month." By setting SMART goals, you can also track your progress and celebrate your achievements.

Last but not least, you need to take care of yourself and your well-being. System administration can be a demanding and stressful job, and it can take a toll on your physical, mental, and emotional health. To overcome this challenge, you need to balance your work and life and practice self-care. For example, you can set boundaries and limits, delegate and prioritize tasks, take breaks and vacations, exercise and eat well, meditate and relax, or pursue your hobbies and interests. By taking care of yourself, you can also boost your energy, productivity, and happiness.