IT People: What should I focus on to become a system admin

[mvbighead]

Get to know the guy responsible for managing systems at work. Show him you're a willing and capable learner.

This is a very good point. A lot of times, learning from that guy will likely get a better word to the ultimate decision maker should the time come to hire a new sys admin.

As others have pointed out, A+ certification is completely unnecessary. If you know how to swap out a few pieces of hardware, that's about all you'll need to know from that perspective unless you're working for a company that spends minimal amounts to keep their systems updated, in which case they're probably not paying you to well so you just as well find a different place to prosper.

Personality can go a long way also, but you MUST have a technical background. If a problem hits your desk at the helpdesk level you should stick with it. If it seems it might affect a number of people, perhaps look for feedback up the ladder, but insist on sticking with it to show that you are ready and willing to dig into any issue to find the solution to a problem. If you consistently hand problems up without putting any of your own work into finding a solution, you will quite likely remain in the helpdesk position until they have no other choice but to move you up... but there will be plenty of other choices in most cases so don't expect the job to fall in your lap.

Other than that, MS certs are worthwhile, though not completely necessary. Cisco certs may be worthwhile, but it depends on the shop and your level of involvement with the switches/routers. I have no certs as I am not much for memorizing acronyms and other drivel that I might spend a few moments on. Fortunately, I showed plenty of desire and intelligence, as well as a set of strong customer service skills, and I was a shoe-in when a LAN position opened up. I beat out a helpdesker that had gone to the same school as myself, had a couple certs under her belt, and was in the same position as I was (but a bit longer than I had been) as I was a much stronger, smarter, troubleshooter and people person than she was.

Just saying, certs can be great, but they don't mean much if the person reading the application knows you're an idiot.