Seeing the good response James got on his "CCNA - Advice" thread, 
I thought it would be an opportune time to ask this.

Say I'm working towards being a System Admin,

What is the right place to start?
What skill set do I need to have?
What I'm I required to do in terms of professional courses, private study etc?
Are these possessional courses over-rated, is there such a thing as the self taught System Admin?

Regards,
//James