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View Full Version : Looking to make Linux my profession - need help



staf0048
August 9th, 2009, 05:20 AM
As you can tell by the title I am looking to get into the business side of Linux. However, all of my Linux experience is just as a general user - some shell scripting and C++, but nothing really to brag about. I'd say I'm an intermediate level user edging on advanced.

I'm wondering if a certification from the LPI or RedHat would be worth the time/effort to beef up my resume or if I can get by without it. I'm looking into System Admin positions, so if anyone has been down this road your advice would be greatly appreciated.

staf0048
August 9th, 2009, 05:51 AM
Lets give this another shot . . .

hansdown
August 9th, 2009, 06:00 AM
Hi staf0048.

I haven't been down that road, but I do admire your intentions.

Definetely, certification is a big plus, and you may learn something you didn't know.

hanzomon4
August 9th, 2009, 07:02 AM
I've never worked in it but I would say look at job postings and see what the requirements are. Compare, and knock out the ones you can while applying for entry level tech jobs.

jaxxstorm
August 9th, 2009, 11:44 AM
I'm a linux sysadmin, so i think i'll be able to help.

Firstly, the RedHat certification is hard - really hard. There are people that have been using Linux on the desktop for years that wouldn't pass because of its very specialised knowledge. You can take a pre-assessment questionnaire here (https://www.redhat.com/apps/training/assess/) to see where you're at.

The problem with the RHCE is that its specific to server environments. Being comfortable configuring a desktop, doing some shell scripting and general troubleshooting isn't going to help you with things like sterr, configuration of network interfaces and other things, especially if you use Ubuntu. RHCE requires you to have enough knowledge to fix and configure everything, right from your RAID arrangment to the DHCP service, so I'd suggest removing Ubuntu and installing Fedora as a first point of call (as its based on RedHat)

koenn
August 9th, 2009, 12:23 PM
what jaxxstorm said.

plus:
System Administration is about servers and networks. So, not only do you need to be familiar with a server edition (of RedHat, Fedora, or other, although RH still is the industry standard), you need to know about "systems" and "networks" in general. No doubt you can pick up a lot of that while trying to set up and successfully run a couple of Linux servers (yes, several : figuring out how to make them interact and complement each other is part of the job) but it doesn't hurt to get some theoretical background info, concepts, best practises, .... as well.


just being a desktop power user doesn't cut it, and 'beefing up your resume' is no alternative for actually knowing the job.

staf0048
August 9th, 2009, 03:59 PM
Thanks for the advice all!

It sounds like RH is the way to go. I have a spare computer I can throw Fedora on turn into a server. That seems like a good starting point to get familiar with the environment. There are quite a few colleges in my area, so I'm sure I'll be able to find courses I can take to gain a more solid understanding.

Sounds like it will at least another year or so until I would be ready for any kind of cert. But with a goal in mind and some direction I'm sure that year will go by fast.

To get started are there any books you recommend I pick up?