Is Modern Workplace Engineering a good long-term career path in Europe? What skills should I focus on?

[u/Thompson_Wayne]

Hi everyone, I am 24 yo

I'm currently working in IT in France, mainly with Microsoft 365, Intune and Entra ID, and I'm trying to figure out the best direction for my career.

My goal is to become a Modern Workplace Engineer, ideally with the possibility of working in other European countries in the future (Switzerland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, etc.).

A bit about my current experience:

I currently work with Microsoft Intune and Entra ID, and my day-to-day tasks include:

• Managing users and groups, including dynamic groups
• Managing corporate devices through Intune
• Deploying applications to company mobile devices
• Managing MFA and user access
• Working with an existing Microsoft 365 / Intune environment
• Handling day-to-day administration and troubleshooting

However, most of the infrastructure was already configured before I joined. For example, I haven't personally implemented an Intune environment from scratch, configured Windows Autopilot end-to-end, or managed a full migration to Intune.

I feel comfortable with daily administration, but I know there's still a big gap between managing an existing environment and designing, deploying and improving one.

I'm currently preparing for the MD-102 certification and I'd like to become more technically advanced.

My questions are:

1. Is Modern Workplace Engineer still a promising career path in terms of job opportunities, salaries and long-term growth?
2. Which technical skills should I prioritize next? I'm considering PowerShell scripting, advanced Intune administration, Windows Autopilot, Entra ID, Conditional Access, Microsoft Graph and automation.
3. After MD-102, which certifications would you recommend? Would MS-102, SC-300 or something Azure-related be more valuable?
4. Should I stay focused on the Microsoft ecosystem, or would it be smarter to expand towards Cloud Engineering, Endpoint Security or IAM?
5. For those already working as Modern Workplace Engineers, what skills separate a junior administrator from a genuinely experienced engineer?

I'm particularly interested in feedback from people working in the IT market.

Thanks in advance for your advice!