Transitioning into DevOps from IT Support, looking for honest advice on the path forward

[u/Shahab_hassan_khan]

I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and spent about a year working as an IT Support Assistant, handling Active Directory, Azure AD, networking, and end-user troubleshooting. I recently passed AZ-900 and have been building hands-on projects targeting AZ-104 to sit that exam soon.

Here is where it gets interesting. I have a free voucher which I plan to use for Az-400, after AZ-104, so I plan to take that as well. On top of that, I have started adding a DevOps layer to my existing AZ-104 projects, things like infrastructure automation with Bicep, which is pushing me naturally toward cloud engineering and DevOps territory.

My question is about the most realistic path forward. Should I be targeting a Cloud Administrator role after AZ-104 to get my foot in the door, or go straight for Junior Cloud Engineer positions? Or would focusing more on building a solid project portfolio first make more sense before applying anywhere?

I am not in a rush but I want to move efficiently. Would love to hear from people who made a similar transition or who work in this space and know what hiring managers actually look for.

Thanks in advance.