How to Break Into IT With or Without a Degree

Before I get into my recommendations on breaking into the Information Technology (IT) field, it is important to define the reality of the market and the mindset you need to have if you are going to be successful. These concepts are applicable for both high school/GED and college graduates looking to get into the IT field. These things will give you an edge over another person applying for the same job. If college is an option for you, you should definitely go to college. It is secure, and you will always have it to open doors.

Know How You Create Value

In the eyes of a business, IT is a cost center - not a profit center. Whether you hold a degree or not, your salary appears on the expense side of the ledger. You may not be able to help your company with profits but you can create value in other ways.

• Risk Reduction - protecting company assets, preventing breaches, maintaining uptime, and keeping downtime costs (CDT) as close to zero as possible.
• Time Savings - automating repetitive tasks, eliminating manual processes, and building small internal tools that make entire departments more efficient
• Direct Business Enablement - occasionally stepping outside pure IT to solve real operational problems

When you interview for an IT position keep your value in mind. Some examples of ways to save your company money from my own career (all built on company time, with company equipment, and still in production years later):

• Wrote a .NET desktop application that allows non-technical staff to run pre-approved SQL queries safely
• Fully automated SSL renewal across the entire environment using LetsEncrypt Certificates - saving thousands annually in certificate costs
• Securely configure remote management solutions so I could solve co-worker issues without intruding on their work day.

To identify areas that would create savings for other departments I reached out to my co-workers to find out what their biggest time consuming items were. I looked for ways to solve the problem and learned how to implement a solution to those problems. The .NET application I made is a simple Windows Forms application which was quick to learn and simple to create thanks to Visual Studio. I may not be a developer but knowing how read and write code has made me a better admin, a better security researcher, and a more well rounded IT Professional. Your path may be different based on your solutions and interests. I happened to enjoy coding which improved my admin scripting skills the more I learned. The ability to learn something in 30 seconds or envision how something works with limited information is a skill I have developed and one I recommend you work on if you wish to stand out from your peers.

How Do I Compete With a College Degree?

If you are on LinkedIn you probably have seen IT job seekers dislike that so many open positions want you to wear too many hats. Those broad-responsibility roles are gold for entry level IT workers (especially for those of us without a degree). Typically these job roles are for smaller organizations. The person who gets the role will gain hands-on experience with production systems, domain controllers, firewalls, cloud platforms, and real business processes that most large-enterprise specialists never touch.

Wear Every Hat

Take that job and wear every hat. When you find an area you like, focus on developing it in that role, alongside your other primary responsibilities, of course. The average IT professional changes specialties every 4–5 years. Each move is built on real-world experience gained in the previous role. After a couple of deliberate leaps, you become the scarce, high-value expert who commands top-tier compensation.

This entire guide is designed to get you into exactly those “wear every hat” environments as quickly as possible, accelerate your experience curve, and position you for the specialized, high-impact roles that follow. Experience remains the single most valuable currency in information technology. Treat every assignment - no matter how broad or unglamorous - as paid training for the career you really want.

Prepare for the Job

When you get your first job, college graduate or not, you will be afraid to make changes to things you are not sure of. Your livelihood is on the line. One wrong click, missed alert, half-hazard change, and you are costing your company money with the entire executive team looking for the guy who has them looking at their CDT (Cost of Downtime) numbers. The way to get that confidence is through manufactured reps: fixing things, breaking things, automating things, and knowing - deep in your bones - that you can figure out the next problem out too. If you have not done something before, create a virtual environment and test out your change. It is great practice, it pushes your brain's thinking power past its limits on what "too much work" is. Research common tasks that may be expected in a role and learn how to do them.

Step 0 - Type 60 WPM

Information Technology (IT) requires typing. If you still hunt-and-peck, fix it. Today. 30 minutes a day for one week is all it takes to stop looking like an amateur. Muscle memory solidifies while you sleep. Practice typing right before bed and you’ll wake up noticeably smoother. Do another short session when you wake up (or even take a 60–90 minute nap after practicing) and the gains double. This is real science, not bro-science. I improved my typing speed using free online courses and speed tests, trying to beat my best score by simply typing over and over. I included a few good sites to help you with typing below:

• keybr.com
• 10fastfingers.com
• monkeytype.com

15–30 min a day → 60+ WPM in a couple weeks.

Step 1 – Master Your Computer

I have seen infrastructure level admins who did not know how to set an IP address on a workstation.
Be better than your competition. Consider tasks that may be expected of you in your future job role and know how to do them. Every computer has properties and configurations that you, as an IT professional will be expected to be familiar with.

• OS & Build Version
• IP address, Subnet, Gateway, DNS
• MAC address
• Hostname / domain
• RAM
• CPU
• Disks
• Route Table
• ARP Table
• Last Reboot Time
• How to Update
• How to Reboot|Shutdown

Learn to pull information and perform configuration tasks such as adding routes and setting IP addresses from the command line. Know also how to find and configure these items using the GUI. Below are a few useful Command Prompt commands to start you off. PowerShell commands you will see are more intuitively named.

dir
cd
echo
mkdir
del
robocopy
ipconfig
systeminfo
arp
getmac
mstsc
sc
route
sfc
dism
chkdsk
net
netsh
netstat
wmic
ping
tracert
netdom
repadmin

Know useful key shortcuts and hotkeys. You are an IT professional. Learn this stuff. How you navigate a device creates an impression of you. Make it a good one and you will inspire confidence in the person you are helping:

• Win + x, i → PowerShell
• Win + x, A → PowerShell with Elevated Permissions
• Win + x, y → Open Windows Settings to About area
• Win + Pause/Break → System Info
• Win + v → Clipboard History
• SHIFT + ALT + S → Screenshot Selection
• Ctrl + f → Find, allowing you to search for text
• Ctrl + h → Find and Replace in most text editors
• Ctrl + SHIFT + B → Toggle your web browser's Bookmarks bar
• Ctrl + a → Select All Text
• Ctrl + c → Copy Text
• Ctrl + v → Paste Clipboard
• Ctrl + Shift + Esc → Task Manager

Step 2 – Learn Basic Scripting

The most powerful things an admin can know are PowerShell and Bash. They allow you to build tools, complete tasks quickly, and automate actions that will save you time. Bash and PowerShell rarely change so scripts written in them can last decades without needing to be updated.
Start learning by looking up the top 10 most common helpdesk tickets. Learn how to solve them using the command line (And in the GUI). Once you know the commands you can script a solution. For example, "reset a users password"; script an interactive solution you run whenever that ticket request comes in to accomplish it quickly saving you and the user time. I provided a possible solution to this in one of the items below. I know how to make a much better solution than the example I provided, but it is simple and it works. This is your goal. Make something simple that works. You can master it later if you enjoy it.
Find ways to complete the others:

• Reset a user's password - Invoke-Command -HideComputerName domaincontroller.domain.com -UseSSL -ScriptBlock { $ADUser = Read-Host -Prompt "What is the sAMAccountName you wish to reset the password on? "; Set-ADAccountPassword -Identity $ADUser }
• Disable or Enable a User Account
• Map a Network Share (Shared Drive)
• Check disk space and free up disk space if needed remotely

Step 3 – Get Certified

I think anyone with a CompTIA certification knows who Professor Messer is. He has very helpful and free videos on YouTube when studying for the beginner CompTIA certifications. Goodwill has done promotions where they pay for you to get a CompTIA A+ certification. I wish I was studying for it when they did that promotion. Something to keep an eye out for when you are looking to take the exams. I recommend starting with CompTIA certifications because they cover the foundational knowledge every IT professional should have.

1. CompTIA IT Fundamentals not required but it never expires. Good stepping stone to the A+.
2. CompTIA A+ is mostly service desk type information.
3. CompTIA Network+ is good background information. This will not qualify you to be a Network Administrator. Use vendor specific certifications for that. Preferably Cisco or Juniper.
4. CompTIA Security+. This is a well respected certification and makes you DoD 8140 certified.

Step 4 – Build a Virtual Environment

Create 2 or 3 virtual machines that you are able to practice on as a mini environment at home. Configure an Active Directory domain environment with different services like DNS, DHCP, File Shares, Print Servers, WinRM, FTP, and IIS Sites. Don't do this blindly. Search the internet for how to set up each one and follow the instructions so you do it correctly. Once you have your servers configured, work on applying CIS Benchmarks/STIG recommendations. Windows does not log properly Out Of Box (OOB). Use a tool such as LOG-MD to help you enable logging based on the Windows Event Logging Cheat Sheet. Look at events that show you things you have done on the machine, such as RDP login evidence or successfully elevating your permissions. If you ever have to investigate an account, knowing what information in the logs and where that information is becomes invaluable.

• Use a hypervisor such as VMware Workstation Player, Hyper-V (Windows), LibVirt (Linux), Proxmox VE, or VirtualBox
• Use Windows 11 and Windows Server 2022 and Windows Server 2025 evaluation ISOs to build Virtual Machines (VMs). Free trials of these can be obtained from Microsoft to learn on
• Use Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) for Linux as this distro is the gold standard in Linux and designed for Enterprises (RHEL|Alma|Rocky|CentOS|Fedora).
• Another Linux distro you may learn on is Debian based (Ubuntu|Mint|Kali|Debian). This distro has some similar options to make it more enterprise applicable.

Step 5 – Gain Experience

Consider forming an LLC and registering a domain for the business. You can use that domain to build and host a professional website with platforms such as GitHub and Cloudflare, giving you a real, low-cost environment in which to apply what you have learned.

Secure the domain and website by configuring HTTPS, DNSSEC, CAA records, security headers, and email authentication controls such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Tools such as Hardenize can help you evaluate your implementation, document the results, and identify opportunities for improvement.

Your business domain then becomes both a professional presence and a working portfolio project. Instead of merely listing security concepts on a résumé, you can show prospective clients and employers that you implemented them in a real environment. This provides tangible evidence that you can apply similar protections to their domains, websites, and email systems.

If you perform freelance work through the LLC, consult qualified legal and tax professionals to understand the protections, obligations, and limitations associated with your chosen business structure.

After earning your first certification and building your own environment, consider contacting newly registered businesses or small startups. Many states provide a public Business Entity Search through the Secretary of State’s website. You may be able to sort or filter the results by Date Filed or Registration Date to identify businesses formed within the past 30–90 days.

Example: Colorado Secretary of State Business Database → Advanced Search → Filing Date

When contacting a business owner, explain that you recently earned your certification and are looking for an opportunity to gain practical experience. Propose a small, clearly defined project that benefits the business while allowing you to apply your skills.

DNS configuration and email authentication are excellent areas to evaluate because much of the relevant information is publicly accessible, and improvements can provide a quick win for a small business. However, never access accounts, scan private systems, or make changes without the owner’s explicit written authorization.

Hi [Name],
I recently earned my [Certification Name] certification and am looking for an opportunity to gain practical experience while helping a local business.

I would be happy to volunteer a limited number of hours to review an agreed-upon area, such as your public DNS, website security, or email authentication configuration. I would document my findings and would not access or modify anything without your written approval.

Would you be open to a brief 15-minute conversation?

Thank you,
[Your Name]

A successful project may lead to paid freelance work, an ongoing client relationship, a professional reference, or even a job opportunity.

Under the Experience section of your résumé, include any authorized freelance or volunteer projects you completed for real organizations. Describe the problem, the work you performed, the technologies you used, and the measurable improvements you delivered.

I went a step further and formed my own LLC, registered a business domain, built a website, and secured the supporting infrastructure. This gave me practical experience with domain and DNS management, website hosting, Cloudflare, HTTPS, security headers, DNSSEC, and email authentication technologies such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC-skills that certification material alone did not fully teach me.

Documenting this work demonstrates initiative, practical technical ability, and the capacity to take a project from an idea through implementation. It also gives prospective employers tangible evidence that you can work independently, solve real problems, and apply what you have learned in a production environment.

Step 6 – Continue Learning

Every week, learn something outside your job description. Offer assistance to your escalation contact if you have one:

• Help with Office 365 / Azure AD
• Set up backups
• Automate something painful
• With every request I get, I ask myself "Is there a better resolution?"

The more hats you wear willingly, the more well rounded you become as an IT professional and the more possibilities you create for yourself.

What Should You Do Now?

1. Start typing drills.
2. Practice basic scripting in "Notepad" with your newly developed typing skills.
3. Book the first A+ exam in 30 days and start studying.
4. After passing that take the second exam to complete your A+ certification.
5. Purchase your name as a domain from Cloudflare.
6. Build a simple HTML website and upload the files into GitHub. Cloudflare allows you to host your GitHub repository as a website for free.
7. Make a website about you. Add your certifications and qualifications and a link to download your password-protected resume so a recruiter can visit your site and learn about your qualifications.
8. After getting your A+ Certification, message 10 startups and try to gain some experience. You could also start building your list of startups now since the search results may only go back so far.

Do all this to change your life drastically in 6 months.

You don’t need permission.
You don’t need a degree.
You need raw determination and a work ethic that won’t quit.

If you use this advice, did something similar, or you feel like bragging I would love to hear nothing more. Reach out by emailing me at rosborne@osbornepro.com I would be happy to hear your story.

Tags: no degree, IT jobs, self-taught, CompTIA roadmap, break into tech

Published & Last Updated: November 23, 2025
Author: Robert H. Osborne