Once I open the WSL application, I get stuck with this black box… Not what we want.

Let’s head over to powershell and make sure you “Run as administrator”:

Here I am stuck… no movement

Let’s check some common causes:

Check Hardware Virtualization (The “BIOS” Fix)

1. Navigate to Task Manager

2. Select “Performance”

3. Click “CPU”

4. Look for “virtualization” - it SHOULD be “Enabled”

If virtualization is disabled, consider looking into changing this setting in the BIOS for your specific motherboard.

If virtualization is enabled, let’s check “Windows Features”

Make sure the following are enabled:

• Windows Subsystem for Linux

• Virtual Machine Platform

• Hyper-V (this option may not be present if you are on Windows 11 Home)

If you make any changes, you will likely require a reboot:

Okay, either you just finished rebooting, or you didn’t need to. Let’s go ahead and open Powershell as Administrator again and run “wsl --install”

Below you see the error, I waited a couple of minutes and then smashed the “enter” key and “spacebar” key a few times until it decided to do something…

Alright, we made some progress!

Now we need to install the distribution. I am going to install “Ubuntu” with “wsl --install -d Ubuntu”

Now, wait a little bit for the install to complete. You will be prompted to create a username/password.

Now, opening WSL for real - just search for “WSL” and you are good to go!

Conclusion

Windows 11 keeps you on your toes. I don’t remember it being this involved on Windows 10. Drop a comment if you have issues or questions!

Steps for ordering a new server:

1. You must assess the requirements carefully

2. Place the order

3. Wait for the server to arrive (weeks, possibly longer)

4. Install the server

5. Configure the server

Cons:

1. Hardware is expensive to purchase and all time spent by an engineer to complete this is time that could be spent elsewhere

2. What was the opportunity cost during this period?

3. Were orders missed?

4. Were any teams or individuals affected by the wait period?

5. What happens if this server is too powerful?

6. What if the server wasn’t powerful enough?

7. Is there sufficient rack space?

Let’s see how the cloud can solve these issues:

• Time-To-Market

  • Wait minutes - not weeks

• Scalability

  • The cloud offers methods of scaling your server/services

  • Increase the resources your server has with only minutes of downtime. (Vertical Scaling)

  • Increase the number of servers you have as demand is needed. (Horizontal Scaling)

    • These additional servers that are automatically created will automatically be removed when they are no longer needed.

• Reduced CapEx (Capital Expenditure)

  • You don’t have to purchase hardware

  • You don’t need someone to manage this physical hardware

  • You don’t require racks and other layers of additional physical security

• Prototyping

  • Generate proof of concept by quickly provisioning cloud resources and perform your testing before fully committing resources.

Conclusion

The cloud isn’t always the best solution. If you want to get your ideas or applications to a market quickly; go for the cloud. You can provision the resources you need in just a matter of minutes. You can scale up and down as needed. The upfront cost is low and it can be done quickly!

This is what I view as an optimal system administration path:

1. Strong Fundamentals

2. Solid understand of an Operating System (Linux or Windows)

3. Knowledge and familiarity with a cloud provider (AWS, Azure, GCP)

Certifications are a way to compete against the ATS that filters candidates. Experience usually trumps certifications, but the reality is, it’s hard to get experience without certifications. The market is currently very tough. To get experience without a certification to signal to an employer that you are already knowledgeable is unlikely. The path I suggest below prepares anyone without IT experience to have a clearly defined path to success. The CompTIA A+ certification has really improved over the last few iterations of the exam. I used to advise to skip it entirely, but now I do think it has relevance in the entry-level space. Learning basic linux commands and how-tos will help immensely during your cloud labs. I have recommended AWS as it is one of the most popular cloud providers, but Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud Platform are just as good!

CompTIA A+

This will open a lot of doors for getting the first job (getting into IT asap). After you get this certification, you apply to jobs regularly and you take a job that makes enough for you, but this starts to generate experience! Start applying to Help desk, Desktop Support, PC Technician and be open to relocation for your first position, if possible. Learn your common ports here, they will be helpful in interviews and future certifications.

CompTIA Net+

This will help you understand networking fundamentals/principals (makes you better than a lot of peers). Also, relevant in EVERY job. Work on this while you’re trying to get a new job. Really learn to understand the OSI model and how it is used to troubleshoot.

CompTIA Sec+

This will teach you critical security principals so you can understand a lot of “Why” something is the way it is. Also, security is relevant in EVERY job. Work on this while you’re trying to get a new job.

Linux Essentials

This will teach you HOW to use Linux and common commands and demonstrate that you CAN navigate inside of a terminal, manage files, permissions (security), understand important system files and what they are/what they do. Linux skills are a great way to open doors to development, system administration, cloud administration, devops, and other tools like docker and kubernetes.

AWS CCP (Certified Cloud Practitioner)

This is a good fundamental understanding of the cloud. What it is, how it works, and how it’s billed. Many companies only use cloud and many companies are hybrid between cloud/on-prem.

One certification alone usually isn’t enough to change your career. It’s a combination of certifications and experience. Your certifications tell a story.

My name is Matthew Struck and I am a self-taught IT professional. I started my career in 2019 by getting my CompTIA Sec+ certification. Afterwards, I moved onto the AWS cloud with my AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification. Along the way, I paired my certification journey with my formal university education.

The path goes like this:

1. CompTIA Sec+

2. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner

3. Associates of Science in Information Technology @ Community College

4. LPI - Linux Essentials

5. AWS Solutions Architect Associate

6. Juniper JNCIA-Junos

7. Bachelors of Science in Information Technology @ Western Governors University

8. CompTIA A+

9. CompTIA Net+

10. Masters of Science in Information Technology @ Western Governors University

I’ll provide more details about the certifications individually in independent stories.

Summary of My Career:

I spent about 2 years learning the fundamentals of the helpdesk and the importance it has within an organization. I had a short stint working as a network engineering contractor until I landed a position as a cloud engineer. This cloud engineer position revolutionized my career. I was part of a small team and I became a very well-rounded engineer.

I was involved in:

• Custom development and Automation

  • Bash Scripting

  • Python

• Multi-OS Management (Redhat, Windows Server, Rocky Linux, CentOS)

• Infrastructure as Code (AWS Cloudformation, Terraform)

• Configuration Management (Chef, Ansible)

• Networking

• Cyber Security

• Cloud Infrastructure Architecture and Design

Of course, I still handled end-user tickets. Tickets will likely always be there for an IT professional!

This was my story and there will be more to come! Guides, tips and tricks, and career advice!