Below is the common list of education that everyone has seen many times over. I wanted to preface this with a little more detail though.
I have always enjoyed taking things apart and figuring out how systems work but it was not until a middle school computer lab teacher named Dennis Carter started a program at my school called Students Working to Advance Technology (SWAT) that I realized that this would be a lifelong path for me. We learned the basics of command line operations and computer troubleshooting such as determining a hardware versus software issue. It culminated in the top students assisting in the replacement of the aging IBM dumb terminals in the school computer labs and classrooms with new Windows 9x based Compaqs. A good friend of mine during that time eventually got recruited by Google and I have had a successful career in local government. My point is that if someone has a realization as I did it is worth everything to pursue and nurture that calling.
The second point is that almost every degree program I have been in and most certification tracks have additional minor certifications or certificates that they issue as certain milestones such as MCSA being on the way to MCSE. I obtained four additional certificates during my AAS (Hardware/Software Support, Microsoft Networking, Novell Networking, and Cisco Networking) and a Cyber Security Professional graduate certificate during my current Master's program. Use these as stepping stones as soon as they are available and make sure that they are issued to you as soon as you meet the qualifications.
MASTER'S DEGREE
Network Technology - Information Security
East Carolina University
2014 - Present
Epsilon Pi Tau
Beta Mu Chapter
2015
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
Industrial Technology - Computer and Information Systems
East Carolina University
2009 - 2013
ASSOCIATE of APPLIED SCIENCE
Information Systems - Network Administration and Support
Fayetteville Technical Community College
2005 - 2008
MCSE: Messaging
2016
CompTIA A+
CompTIA Network+