If I become addicted to studying and learning, will I become a hosting expert?

If I put in 80% of my time into studying for web hosting field, and study for like 8-10 hours a day, will I become a hosting expert in the near future? I have basic knowledge on how to install software for VPS or dedicated servers but I am not sure I can do everything in this field.

it depends how you are studying the things .. if you are just reading the things then it will give you theoretical knowledge , however in real life you may face issues that you have not seen before so there you will need technical expertise which comes by learning practically and not theoretically.

I agree with sh-admin, learning practically is the best way to learn. Also it would be easier for you to understand the therms; there are some things you can only learn through doing and experiencing, that is for sure. Best of luck!

I would focus your efforts on the following:

1. Linux
2. cPanel
3. DNS
4. Domain names
5. Web development HTML. CSS, PHP
6, MySQL
7. System Security
8. Networking

That's a short reading list to get you started
Thanks to cheap VPS or running them on your own PC for study is so easy these days.

I would recommend you start doing rather than studying. You can always start with hosting your own stuff which will force you to figure out how to deal with the unforeseen problems you are unlikely to find in any books.

I have been involved in hosting for 18 years, setting up thousands of servers and just about every hosting related concept there is, and I still run into situations that pop up that had never popped up before.

When I started doing hosting, I only had a useful level of knowledge of Linux. There were no control panels (that I knew of) and even RPMs were just starting to exist... You can always figure out stuff as you go and if you do it with your own content, then that will drive you to fix things quicker.

Once you feel like you can keep things online in a stable manner, then you can delve into hosting others.

My $0.02.

JoseQ

You do not need to invest 80% of your time, you just need to have the passion and drive for it. As long as you investigate a certain field, study it and practice it (use VM or cheap VPS) you will become great at it. there are no hidden magic doors.

One thing I do say to you is that do not invest too much time on it as it could wear you out and cause you to loss interest.

Consider throwing yourself into the industry. Open up a business in it and you'll learn faster than anyone. Books are great and I can't knock them. I learned everything I know about programming from books and the internet. It's hard to fail when you can't!