Completely agree with the CCNA & CCNP idea, those are really good in-depth qualifications which will go through the vast majority of Networking Foundation for you.
On the VMware side of things, dependant on your machine, you can setup and run a lot, especially if it's Linux based :) Since you know the CompTIA side of things too, not 100% relevant, but while your studying and waiting ot do your CCNA look at doing the Server+ and maybe Security+ there not expensive, and with a bit of hunting around only (or jsut buying a few books in from Amazon) you can get all the course material you need.
On the plus side ofc if your looking to move into Network Admin, they will look good on a resume.
Good Luck!