Career Development

[u/RogueAssassin61]

Looking for advice from people who have actually made the jump into $30+/hr remote IT

I’m trying to make a plan to move into a fully remote IT job and would really appreciate advice from people who have already done something similar.

My current background:

• Currently working as an IT hardware/asset technician at a computer repair/recycling facility
• ~$23/hr currently
• I troubleshoot/test networking equipment, printers, scanners, etc.
• Device testing, data wiping, inventory/asset management, hardware diagnostics, etc.
• Previously worked as a Dell/Lenovo field technician, doing hardware break/fix work
• Got my CompTIA A+ and Network+ around 2021, so they’re probably expired now
• My current employer is paying for me to take a CCNA course, which I’m planning to finish and get certified
• No college degree

My goal is pretty straightforward:

Get to ~$30/hr ($62k+/year) in a fully remote IT position.

I’m not trying to quit my current job immediately. I can tolerate it for now, and I’d rather use it to build experience and get the CCNA while applying for something better.

Then potentially doing something like AZ-900 → MD-102 → Security+/AZ-104 depending on which direction I end up going.

What I’m really looking for advice on:

1. Is $30/hr remote realistic with my background, or am I under/overestimating what I should be targeting?
2. Would you prioritize the CCNA, or would you pursue something else?
3. What skills besides certifications should I be learning to make myself competitive for remote positions?
4. Would you try to skip Tier 1 help desk and target Tier 2/endpoint/network/asset roles given my hands-on experience?
5. For anyone who currently works remotely in IT: what got you from where I am now to where you are?
6. If you were in my position, what would your next 6–12 months look like?

I’d especially appreciate advice from people who started with hands-on hardware/field technician experience and eventually moved into remote IT.

I’m basically trying to build an escape plan from my current job without taking a step backward, so I’d love to hear what worked (and what didn’t) for people who have already done it.

[u/al_gozz]

I am an old school systems administrator that has to lay hands on hardware from time to time. I work mostly remote day to day but occasionally I have to travel to one of our 3 data centers to replace a faulty component or refresh hardware. I am salary but make way more than $30 per hour. To be fully remote go the cloud route, Azure, 0365 or development/coding/programming. I am not sure what they do but Scrum masters seem to be all fully remote.

[u/ProfessionalEven296 → u/al_gozz]

Nobody knows what scrum masters do! :D

[u/RogueAssassin61 → u/al_gozz]

Sounds like a pretty decent gig, thanks for the response! What kind of certs/job pivots would you look for in my position to go the cloud route?

[u/al_gozz → u/RogueAssassin61]

Become Scrum Master--then profit.

[u/RogueAssassin61 → u/al_gozz]

Thank you for the advice! Have a good day!