Seeking Career Advice: Navy IT Veteran, current Sysadmin, Feeling stuck

Hey everyone,

I’m a 6.5-year Navy IT veteran with a TS clearance, currently working as a System Administrator for a military schoolhouse making $70k/year. I’ll be graduating with an associate’s degree in Computer Information Technology later this year, and I’m starting to think about my next steps—but I’m feeling a bit stuck and would love some guidance.

The job I’m in now feels easy, and while I’m grateful for the stability, I don’t feel very challenged. I’m considering pursuing a bachelor’s degree next, either in IT or Cyber Security since both fields interest me. However, I’m not entirely sure what I want out of IT anymore, which is making it hard to map out my path.

For those of you who have felt this way, how did you figure out what direction to take? Should I focus on leveling up my certifications, shifting into Computer Science, or exploring a different path like cloud engineering or software development?

Any advice, insights, or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

*Edited to add additional information:

I want to add I am leaning heavily towards Computer Science as programming interests me. But I have a mathematical learning disability where I struggled for a while to pass college algebra (but I did!). However, CS requires higher level mathematics like calculus. IT would be easier to obtain but doesn’t quite align with my interests as it seems to focus mainly on IT management aspects. Cyber Security would be another easier one to obtain. I already have Security+ cert.