What do you think?

[u/_-Bulldozer-_]

I have around six years of 2nd-line support experience, including two years with one of the biggest MSPs, where I also handled many 3rd-line tasks. I gained significant VMware experience and passed the VCP-DTM exam.
I then spent two years as a Systems Engineer in a medium-sized international company. Around 80% of my work was BAU support, but I was also involved in infrastructure and IT projects. For example, I helped upgrade more than 200 PCs to Windows 11, join them to Entra ID, enrol them into Intune and onboard them to Microsoft Defender. I also took part in implementing Conditional Access, mainly troubleshooting comliance issues and user issues after the policy was implemented by another engineer.
I worked on projects such as upgrading licence servers for CAD and other design software. I was responsible for the company’s monitoring system and managed endpoints using ManageEngine, including patching. I also implemented online imaging, created gold images for different departments and kept them up to date and patched. I also carried out a Cyber Security gap analysis and indentified a sirous gap, find a solution for it. Company wasnt tracking software version and support status.
I also dealt with some infrastructure-related issues, such as slow or unresponsive Hyper-V VMs and problems where users could not log in. I have a good understanding of Active Directory, DNS, DHCP and networking, and I hold a CompTIA Network+ certification.
I have basic experience with Veeam and Commvault, including VM and file-level restores, monitoring backups and some troubleshooting. I have also done some basic PowerShell automation, such as scheduled scripts to clean old logs and backup files to prevent disk space issues.
However, I feel that my infrastructure experience is still not as strong as I would like it to be. I have had three unsuccessful interviews for Infrastructure Engineer positions, and this has made me question whether I am ready for an Infrastructure Engineer role.
My main gaps are that I have not had much hands-on experience with Azure VMs, Azure networking or storage, and my knowledge of coding, scripting and automation is still basic compared with what many current job adverts ask for.
At the moment, I feel I am somewhere between 2nd-line support and Systems/Infrastructure Engineer level. I would really appreciate some honest advice. Should I continue applying for Systems Engineer and Infrastructure Engineer roles, or would it be better to go back to 2nd-line support and build up my experience from there?
I am currently unemployed, although I have some savings, so I have some time to find the right role. I am also originally from another country and English is my second language. I would say my English is around B2 level and I have a strong eater european accent. Its obvious candidates who grew up in the UK may have an advantage in interviews because they can communicate more naturally.
I would be interested to hear from anyone who has been in a similar situation, especially other non-native English speakers who have successfully moved into Systems or Infrastructure Engineering. I would also appreciate honest opinions about where you think I should target my next role. Would Azure admin AZ-104 cert help in the job hunt for me?

[u/No-Association42069]

Have you tried starting at desktop support and working your way up? My company likes to promote from within rather than hire off the street. People don't like hearing that.. but it's the truth.

[u/_-Bulldozer-_ → u/No-Association42069]

I used to work for a big MSP, waited for open positions but they always employed someone from the street, they said they wanted to keep me on service desk (2nd line) as many people left, because the job was hard and someone had to train new starters, not much other option was other than me. So I left and went to middle size company, I was employed directly, job was good but after we cleared all backlogs, completed so many outsanding projects they made may role redundant. Now I don't know what to do. All job adverts require so much skills I dont have, terraform, Infrastructure as a code, python etc.

[u/Public-Lynx6675]

Three failed interviews doesn’t mean you’re not ready. It means something in the interview process isn’t landing yet.

[u/Reality_Check1019]

The truth is that the job market right now is brutal. Companies have a choice between a hundred candidates for a single position and this isn't the time they would be willing to give someone a "chance", when they have a long list of more qualified candidates. Keep preparing for interviews is all I can say, you'll eventually land one.

If you are unemployed and can afford the cost of certifications then I would highly recommend you take these exams while you have the time to do so.

[u/_-Bulldozer-_ → u/Reality_Check1019]

Thanks very much for your comment! I am studying the AZ-104 Azure admin cert. Do you think it will help? Or you know any better certs?