Need more info. What type of system admin? Or do you mean network admin...(btw Focmaester...BOFH is a net admin, not sys admin :P ) Basically, a system admin knows the system they are workin on inside out. What do you want to work on? Linux boxen? Windows workstations? Windows servers? AIX? Solaris? BSD? SCO? etc etc. Sysadmin is a general term for a lot of different jobs. You just have to pick one. Basically, figure out what kind of system you want to work with, and learn it. Once you know it, then you really start to learn it. Then, go find a copy of the OS and use it. etc etc.