IT support to systems engineering
Build on day-to-day support work with the systems, identity, scripting and troubleshooting depth that systems engineering roles expect.
- Who it's for
- People working on a service desk or in desktop support who want to take on more of the infrastructure behind the tickets.
- Start with
- You handle user and device issues already and are comfortable in Windows. Some Linux helps but isn't required.
- Pace
- Self-paced and broad. Treat it as a map and go deeper where your work takes you.
The route
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Troubleshoot with a method, not a hunch
Gathering evidence, isolating the layer at fault, and writing up what you found.
Practice: Work through the connectivity drill, then write a three-line ticket note for each fault.
- Can't reach the service: a DNS and connectivity drillByteStranger lab, interactive
Networking you will actually use
Addressing, DNS, ports and TLS, at the depth that day-to-day systems work needs.
Practice: Complete the request trace on your own machine and explain each step to someone else.
- Trace a request from your laptop to a websiteByteStranger lab, interactive
Identity and access
How sign-ins, MFA and Conditional Access decide who gets in to Microsoft 365.
Practice: Predict the result of five different sign-ins in the simulated tenant before checking.
- Read a sign-in like an admin: Conditional Access decisionsByteStranger lab, interactive
Managed devices
Enrolment, compliance policies and why device health affects access.
Practice: Trace the simulated laptop from blocked to allowed by fixing only the failing setting.
- Why is this laptop blocked? Intune compliance and accessByteStranger lab, interactive
Linux servers
Services, logs and listening ports with systemd tools.
Practice: Fix the failed nginx service, then reproduce and fix it on your own VM.
- Diagnose a failed Linux service with systemdByteStranger lab, interactive
Script the repetitive work
Reading and writing small PowerShell and Bash scripts that are safe to share.
Practice: Adapt the connectivity script to a check your team runs by hand.
- Automate the checks: a reusable connectivity scriptByteStranger lab
- PowerShell documentationMicrosoft Learn
Document and hand over
Writing runbooks and change notes that someone else can follow at 3am.
Practice: Write a one-page runbook for the nginx port-clash fix, including how to verify it.
By the end
- A repeatable troubleshooting method across network, identity, device and server problems
- Working knowledge of Microsoft 365 identity and endpoint management concepts
- Small, readable scripts and runbooks you can show as evidence of your skills
Where to go next
This path is a guide for independent learning. It isn't accredited and doesn't award a qualification. The external resources belong to their publishers. Progress you mark is saved only in this browser.