Here is what I did. I bought an IBM ThinkServer and put as much ram as I could in it (32GB; keep in mind this was 2015). Then I loaded it up Windows Server by itself and played with the Windows and its features. Then I loaded Hyper-V to play with virtualization and created my first domain environment, learning DNS, DHCP, GPOs, an Exchange Server, and VPNs. I ended up throwing a 4-port NIC in there and set up pfsense on a VM to act as my firewall router so I could learn VLANs, traffic shaping, and security. Then I put ESXi on there and learned vSphere and vCenter. You can sign up for an NFR key from Veeam and play with backing up a virtual infrastructure.

There is so much you can do. I started out on Helpdesk in 2015 and now I am a Senior System Engineer that works with the VMware platform all day. If you invest in yourself, it will directly invest in your future and how quickly the promotions happen, and the amount that the responsibilities increase. Feel free to reach out and DM me if you have any other questions that I could help with. Good luck to you!

Leave. It's all going to hell.

This sounds like a conversation for you and your manager. I've had a few with my team that have resulted in different solutions for different people.

With one we established a monthly 1h call for her to explain where she is stuck, what she has tried, and we brainstorm how to get through it. This is separate from our usual weekly check-ins and focuses on issues related specifically to complexity and ambiguity.

With another, he created a list of what she thinks needs to happen and puts together ideas on how to get through it. I review it and then give him feedback. He liked this as over time he built confidence on his ideas as my feedback more often than not was "exactly what I would try, go for it".

Finally, sometimes is about reducing the work load on that team member until they get a good foothold and slowly start adding more.

Shot answer, no one solution or easy path, but communication with your manager and hopefully a good manager is your besy bet.

Don't get overwhelmed if the task seems too difficult or complex. Take time to write it out on paper, break it down in smaller parts and tackle them in turn.
But... Also be honest with yourself if you're struggling, there's no shame in admitting that you need the help of someone more experienced.

Specialise in an area AI won't be able to do in five years time.

Do some study in your own time.

If you aren't sure what to do and like servers etc, just do the Microsoft courses. Having these on your resume gets you ahead of people that don't have them at all.

Relevant thread: https://programming.dev/post/572051

One of the best things a Senior Eng taught me was to understand and ask questions about every single line of code in a file you’re touching.

It’s daunting, and time consuming but the rewards are vast and eventually it will be much quicker. Of course it’s easier to follow patterns and make quick changes, but it’s more valuable to fully understand what you’re doing instead of suggesting changes that should work.