Want to make the bucks? Diverse! Know all OS's, know everything about networking and security. Know cloud, know virtualization and spend most evenings just reading. Overseas it's different, here unfortunately unless you are godlike, you are a nothing. Honest truth, if you know Unix and know shell/bash really well, you are sorted!
+1
@Op
I suggest that whether it be security, or network administration, you need good grasp of UNIX. Like years of experience. And by getting that experience, install it on your box now. The sooner the better. And force yourself to use it everyday.
To understand IT, and networking you need to understand the hardware. First learn how computers work, and get an understanding of the fundamentals at the hardware level, before you focus on software.
I would say focus on learning BSD, that way you will get into the deep end of a real UNIX like environment, and what separates BSD from Linux, is it forces you to learn and use it comfortably. You will get more experience playing on BSD than you will on Linux.
But do not limit you knowledge to any one OS, system or practice. Diversity is the only thing that will get you anywhere.
Couple links which you can explore:
http://www.openbsd.org/
https://www.oracle.com/solaris/solaris11/
Read everything on this site and understand it
https://www.rfc-editor.org/
Basic networking
http://www.ece.uvic.ca/~itraore/elec567-13/notes/dist-03-4.pdf
http://www3.nd.edu/~cpoellab/teaching/cse40814_fall14/networks.pdf
Introduction to UNIX
http://www.softlab.ntua.gr/facilities/documentation/unix/unixintro/unixintro.pdf
And bottom line ___ You really do need to know some RHL.
https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en/red-hat-enterprise-linux/
http://www.redhat.com/f/pdf/gls/Red_Hat_Government_Training_Catalog.pdf
http://forumrio.org/The-Complete-Red-Hat-Linux-Training-Course.pdf
Learn Windows Server...
https://www.google.co.za/?gws_rd=ssl#q=Windows+server+pdf
When it comes to security, you can't do sh** if you don't understand basic networking. When you understand basic networking, and how computers interact and communicate with each other, you will build a security conscious mind. There are different levels of understanding which build on the other. You cannot simply jump ahead, and expect to become a security expert. You also need to acknowledge and accept that in this profession you have to be DEDICATED. Without that, you might as well forget.
Once you have gained an understanding of how computers work, and how they talk to each other, you need to learn to speak their language, SO YOU yourself can talk to them.
And that is start learning to program.
You will get people that will recommend starting with C+, C++ etc, but honestly, for quick and easy learning I would say Python.
Python is a very powerful language, and it is been used more and more in the security industry these days.
If you want to better understand UNIX, then learn C, the code it was written in.
Security is not only limited to maintaining a network from intrusions, and killing/blocking foreign nefarious IPs but also maintaining the server/daemons which are hosted. You need to constantly check and examine holes, and potential holes within the code, to prevent exploitation, and patch as necessary. And then publishing your "patches" to the developers etc, which is considered more or less ethical hacking, typical "white hat" stuff which you might be interested in taking an ethical hackers course. But these are very basic in what they teach you. But they will put you on the right track to develop your knowledge and skills further.
You need to be willing to dedicate long, long, loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong "FRUSTRATING" hours in the meta verse of the Matrix
better stock up tins of Ricoffee ... Just trust me on that one.
