In this episode of SysAdmin Weekly, the crew tackles one of the most debated questions in IT: Is university still worth it for aspiring SysAdmins in 2025?

Joining Andy is a friend of the show, Clay, a newly graduated IT professional from the Netherlands who shares his journey from tinkering with PCs as a kid to landing his first SysAdmin role. Together, they unpack how well higher education prepares students for real-world IT and where it still falls short.

Listeners can expect an honest, grounded look at the difference between theory and practice in modern IT. The conversation covers:

- Whether university programs keep pace with the speed of tech.

- What parts of formal education still provide lasting value.

- How certifications, home labs, and real-world experience stack up against degrees.

- Clay’s early-career lessons, including his first big outage (spoiler: it *wasn’t* DNS this time).

- The timeless SysAdmin truths about troubleshooting, documentation, and learning by breaking things.

This episode bridges the gap between the classroom and the server room with a mix of humor, career wisdom, and a few painful flashbacks to subnet calculations. Whether you’re a student, a career-switcher, or a long-time admin wondering how the next generation is being trained, this one’s worth your time.

Episode Resources

- SysAdmin Weekly Website

- SysAdmin Weekly Companion Newsletter

- Email the show

- AndyOnTech

- Project Runspace

- Clay’s LinkedIn

- F5 Networks breach news article

- SolarWinds Supply Chain Breach