As a senior Linux sysadmin with 10+ years in the field, up to date with most recent techs and patterns but little programming knowledge (basically bash/python scripting), no academic background nor CS degree, what's the best path to aim for a true SRE position like Google's or Facebook's? How to learn and understand algorithms, data structures etc? Is a good idea to take a sabbatical year to dive deep in these concepts? Is there anyone on HN that took the same path and is willing to share his/her opinions?