I’ve worked in IT and software development. I moved back to IT because I need customer interactions to derive job satisfaction. It’s great because I’ve been at a managed service provider (MSP) and now at a gov org. MSP is a great way to speedrun a bunch of technologies and build proficiency. The gov job is far less demanding and is like being on cruise control.
Build yourself a PC and start a homelab. Read stuff on r/homelab (and same on Lemmy, but the old site has way more content for exposure when you’re new). Check out questions on ServerFault to find out about things you find interesting. Ask questions. People are generally helpful.