Here’s my situation: I’m somewhat advanced in my career. I’ve been working in media for over a decade. I’m currently unemployed and looking for more work, but I haven’t been finding a lot of success. And the truth is that most of the media jobs available to me are deeply uninspiring: the kinds of producing/shooting/editing roles that I’ve done for a long time, and that no longer bring me joy.
But there’s one thing that HAS gotten me excited over the last few years: Learning more about self-hosting and FOSS. Since ~2021 I’ve been on a journey, building my own computers, setting up my own home server, changing my workflow over to FOSS apps, and slowly moving more of my devices to Linux. I love the idea of using my skills to break up the power of tech giants and their consumer lock-in. This is political for me, and I love it.
Is there any way that I could transition my career to something along those lines? I’m not experienced or knowledgeable enough to be a systems admin. But is there some role I could perform that would let me pursue this passion, learn more about it, and get paid?
A good starting point for people coming into the industry is usually tech support (L1). Maybe you can find a position in a company where they use many FOSS applications (they are quite widespread). From there you can specialize yourself and transition into a system admin.
But keep in mind that “breaking the power of tech gigants” will most likely not pay well (unfortunately).
Edit: depending on your degree you might also fullfill the criteria for graduate training programs. They will usually put you in a higher ranking position in a shorter period of time.
I moved from academia into working with linux. I did some selfhosting before and was well versed in linux. Look for sysadmin or devops roles – I did not know what devops was before I started this. Look for companies that are in process of moving to linux or recently has, they may be looking for increased workforce to handle to move or are in the process of replacing consultants with more permanent staff. Look for companies which have development in C, C++, maybe also rust? Chances are their software ay be running on linux in one way or another, and may need a devops and/or sysadmin. Some banks, companies doing embedded systems, industrial tools and machinery, are examples which fit here that I know of. Might not be the most interesting companies, but the work could be ok.
If you are looking to get a foot in in some open source project, then it is a bit different. I have almost happened to slide into some projects. Use a product, get to know it, read the issues. Maybe closed issues just to find a solved one and try to figure out why that solved it. Start solving open issues. If you think you have something to contribute when a project asks for input, leave a comment. See what sticks. Some projects may take years to get back to you and your contributions, others may ask you to review something after a few weeks if it clicks. That is my feeling at least, but I just have sporadic contributions, more well established folks may have more insight.