Linux Administrator Needed

[neu5eeCh]

Mods are welcome to move this (I couldn't find a place to put it). A local company is looking for a Linux Admin. Makes me seriously consider getting some training in this area. Being a builder is losing its luster.

http://www.vnews.com/employ/337934.png

http://www.vnews.com/employ/337934.html

[Bandit]

Mods are welcome to move this (I couldn't find a place to put it). A local company is looking for a Linux Admin. Makes me seriously consider getting some training in this area. Being a builder is losing its luster.

http://www.vnews.com/employ/337934.png

http://www.vnews.com/employ/337934.html

Computer Science Degree is a plus??? LOL Another HR blunder.. It gets me how many companies want a CS degree for programming.. They should be asking for a bachelors degree in Information Systems.
Computer Science degrees make microprocessors or design other computer hardware. Only programming most of them teach is basic C or C++.. /sigh.. end rant...

[F.G.]

hey VTPoet, when my first degree turned out to be useless i spent years doing various manual labour jobs, including construction though most undoubtedly less skilled/well paid then what you probably do, in various different countries. i found my self beginning to feel like i was in a bit of a hole. i went back to school, did a CS degree, and now couldn't be happier in my new line of work. if the subject interests you (as i assume it does) and you're bored of your current career and if you can afford to (commitment-wise and financially) i would highly recommend doing some more training i enjoyed studying this one way more than anything i did in my first one, or at school.

hey Bandit, i guess 'CS' means a different thing where i come from, everyone where i work has a Computer Science degree, and they all studied programming.

[mips]

Computer Science Degree is a plus??? LOL Another HR blunder.. It gets me how many companies want a CS degree for programming.. They should be asking for a bachelors degree in Information Systems.
Computer Science degrees make microprocessors or design other computer hardware. Only programming most of them teach is basic C or C++.. /sigh.. end rant...

Over here a B.Sc Comp Sci is mostly programming while a B.Eng would deal with the hardware side. Then you also get a B.Sc Inf Sys
Suppose degrees differ by country, no idea how they work in Canada.

[neu5eeCh]

hey VTPoet, when my first degree turned out to be useless i spent years doing various manual labour jobs, including construction though most undoubtedly less skilled/well paid then what you probably do, in various different countries. i found my self beginning to feel like i was in a bit of a hole. i went back to school, did a CS degree, and now couldn't be happier in my new line of work.

Hey FG! I really appreciate that. I've been feeling very down lately. A vote of confidence like yours is just what the heart needs.

Do you have any other advice? What kind of work did you pick up?

[samalex]

Computer Science Degree is a plus??? LOL Another HR blunder.. It gets me how many companies want a CS degree for programming.. They should be asking for a bachelors degree in Information Systems.
Computer Science degrees make microprocessors or design other computer hardware. Only programming most of them teach is basic C or C++.. /sigh.. end rant...

At our local college the computer degrees are broken up as such for the Associates degrees, but the CS program is geared for people wanting to get a Bachelors in CS which is generally programming:
Computer Maintenance - Basically PC hardware repair
Computer Networking/Systems Admin - Setting-up servers, routers, running cable, etc
Computer Science - Programming

Maybe the designations are different elsewhere, but most 'Computer Science' degrees I've seen are centered around programming. Degrees with the basic "Information Systems" are normally like a BAT or BAAS or similar that are more general degrees, often where some life experience counts towards credit.

I'm actually working a Computer Information Systems Technology degree which has programming but also some computer logic/theory, networking, and legal courses (centered around tech) mixed in. I'll have a Bachelor of Applied Technology (BAT) once it's done, but to get a BS or BA instead would take about another 60 hours of credits which isn't worth another 3 years of school since I already have 15 years of experience.

[Bandit]

At our local college the computer degrees are broken up as such for the Associates degrees, but the CS program is geared for people wanting to get a Bachelors in CS which is generally programming:..............

Really.. ? Hmm makes me wonder what the crack heads are on here.
Take a look at what I have been dealing with around here. Here are some links for 4 year Bach programs for Computer Science.

Ole Miss http://www.cs.olemiss.edu/academics/course_catalog

MS State http://www.cse.msstate.edu/academics/understud/compscience.php

[CharlesA]

That looks like mostly programming stuff. I guess all CS degrees aren't the same. :p

I'm working on my BS in IT dealing with security and I've got a couple programming classes, some web development (which is going to be a snoozefest probably), project management, business management, ethics, SQL and database stuff.

Sounds like a whole boatload of fun.

At least the IT portion of the program is stuff like security risk management, network infrastructural admin, database security and what have you.

[Bandit]

That looks like mostly programming stuff. I guess all CS degrees aren't the same. :p

I'm working on my BS in IT dealing with security and I've got a couple programming classes, some web development (which is going to be a snoozefest probably), project management, business management, ethics, SQL and database stuff.

Sounds like a whole boatload of fun.

At least the IT portion of the program is stuff like security risk management, network infrastructural admin, database security and what have you.

Yours sounds like the Associates I got. So much in my AAS in Web and Computer Programming, it was 79 hours worth of classes. Almost to hard to fit into 2 years even when not working.. But worth it. Between it, a few certs, cnc and military background I got a position working for a growing company working in Research & Development for the CEO of the directly.

[CharlesA]

Yours sounds like the Associates I got. So much in my AAS in Web and Computer Programming, it was 79 hours worth of classes. Almost to hard to fit into 2 years even when not working.. But worth it. Between it, a few certs, cnc and military background I got a position working for a growing company working in Research & Development for the CEO of the directly.
That is a ton of class. Mine will be going on for a while cuz I'm not even 1/4 done yet.

[Ms. Daisy]

... some web development (which is going to be a snoozefest probably), ...
Not into web development?

[CharlesA]

Not into web development?
Nah, it's Web Development I and I've been working on web pages for a while.

Oh well Free A :p

[Bandit]

Nah, it's Web Development I and I've been working on web pages for a while.

Oh well Free A :p

LOL no telling how many days in most all my IT classes that I sleep through the entire class. Only time they woke me up was when I started snoring.. hehe
My instructors know I know enough to teach the material and I always got an A on everything. They actually tried to avoid asking me to many questions in class when I was awake because I would start dwelling to deep in to the subject more then the class neeeded and we had a lot of material to cover. :lolflag:
If they actually start teaching any Linux or other IT classes I have a job there waiting on me. They both said they would push for me, but the way the state is still cutting the education budget here. I dont expect it to happen any time soon.

[Ms. Daisy]

Nah, it's Web Development I and I've been working on web pages for a while.

Oh well Free A :p Oh got it. I thought you were saying you didn't like web development. So they won't let you test out of it? That would suck.

[CharlesA]

Oh got it. I thought you were saying you didn't like web development. So they won't let you test out of it? That would suck.
I'm not sure. I've got a while until that class comes up, but I might contact them and see if I can test out of it. That would be nice, if I could.

[keithpeter]

My instructors know I know enough to teach the material and I always got an A on everything.

Be very, very glad you are not in my Maths class :twisted:


If they actually start teaching any Linux or other IT classes I have a job there waiting on me.

Have you thought of just running a few workshops locally? Coffee shop with good wifi, max four participants, they bring their own laptops, how to set up Xampp, basics, install wordpress/other cms/configure/themes. Or just how to use Twitter's bootstrap templates to make a site that looks different.

You might find a market. Could be people like this chap (http://munyukim.wordpress.com/2012/04/13/how-i-created-and-launched-a-website-from-the-internet-cafe-in-zimbabweafrica/) only in a richer country. It would be good coaching experience.

[F.G.]

Hey FG! I really appreciate that. I've been feeling very down lately. A vote of confidence like yours is just what the heart needs.

Do you have any other advice? What kind of work did you pick up?
hi VTPoet, sorry it took me a while to get back to you. i got a job as a junior developer for a fairly large international software house pretty much as soon as i finished my degree where i work we use Ubuntu, centOS, redhat, solaris and windows. in fact i received my results via post the morning of my (rather gruelling) interview for the job. i should point out that i have been quite lucky, principally because in london there is a good job market in software development, and over here there are a couple of MSc CS 'conversion' courses that do not require a CS bachelors (they require a bachelors in an unrelated field good math/science at high school level and aptitude).

however i do get the impression that software development is always a good area to find a job, wherever you are. also it is an area which requires continuous learning which is a good thing (if you're like me and get bored otherwise).

my advice would be to do some research into local courses and see what reviews they get and what the students say they have gone on to do. maybe there are some evening courses that will allow you to work during the day? other things to look for are programming meetups, coding dojos and graduate recruitment events (although these aren't that necessarily that useful, you never know...)

I would suggest that before investing in anything, learn a programming language, either from a book or an online course (there are loads). i mean you don't you don't need to learn it well (although obviously that would be better), but that will give you a strong indicator of wether the subject is for you or not. the course i did,did see people drop out, postpone it, and fail it, if you find a good course be prepared for it to be challenging.

the fact that you use ubuntu should make it easier to learn this stuff, and your experience with it should stand you in good stead. be prepared for the fact that a lot of courses use Windows and things like Visual Studio, Borland or Turbo C++ (all windows compilers) so you may wind up having to install one of them. programming languages many people suggest for beginners are C, C++, Java, python, ruby. any of these would be fine. Personally i would recommend learning C++, and learning it really well as it covers both object oriented stuff, lower level C data types and OS specific stuff, however as just a taster maybe it is not essential. i started with C and learnt it from "schuam's outline of programming with C" which was a pretty good book (also really cheap) and that worked well for me, (although my motivation at the time was somewhat different and principally academic at the time). also Bash is a really good scripting language to learn, although it is linux specific so probably not ideal as a first step. here are a couple of links to threads about that stuff:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1959814

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1853823&highlight=programming+language

there is also loads of discussion and resources in the 'programming talk' section.

regarding the sysadmin role you put in the post, i think that kind of thing is pretty tough to get into, mainly because of the responsibility involved. i would look for junior dev roles, where you can continue to learn and gain experience (and progress to developer/senior developer etc).

anyhow, good luck with it all. feel free to PM me and ubuntuforums is obviously a great place for support and help. if you can find some local forums, they will probably be useful too.

[Bandit]

Be very, very glad you are not in my Maths class :twisted:..........

Oh No....

That lady threatened to throw me out the first 20 minutes of class.
I had to take Algebra class during the summer, after 10am and with 4 cups of coffee and or a mix of 5 hour energy or some of my weight loss energy pills (from GNC). Needless to say when I went in that class I had enough caffeine in me to run the NYC Marathon barefoot and with a vengeance.

Sleep Apnea can be rough on an old man.. :lolflag:

[keithpeter]

That lady threatened to throw me out the first 20 minutes of class.

In the last 20 years the only student I have had removed from a class had been detained under the mental health act and was lead out by 5 police officers... that's a long story.

I meant that I don't have passengers: everyone learns something new/gets challenged. Don't care if you are Grade A* or Grade G you get stretched.

Good luck with it all

[neu5eeCh]

hi VTPoet, sorry it took me a while to get back to you. i got a job as a junior developer for a fairly large international software house pretty much as soon as i finished my degree...

That's all great advice. If I pursue this (and I need to do *something* to bring in some income) I'll let you know.

[MG&TL]

Keep us (or just me :P) posted, I imagine I'll be in the same boat a few years down the line.

[lisati]

In the last 20 years the only student I have had removed from a class had been detained under the mental health act and was lead out by 5 police officers... that's a long story.
Ouch!

[tmaranets]

"...written communication skills required." C, C++, basic,... Does it matter?