speaking as someone with a background as a Tech support guy for two years (Windows Server environment/Active directory) and having used a GNU/Linux on my personal computers for five years (Running a light http/ftp server), I've also palyed some online wargames like smashthestack (IO) and others at overthewire and crackmes.de.
and I feel that the best starting point in a security career for me would be as an analyst in a SOC.
what skills should I focus on?