Can you run a Ubuntu VM if you're a Canonical systems administrator?

[TeamRocket1233c]

Hiya! I'm considering applying as a Systems Admin for Canonical, and I'm wondering, can you run Ubuntu in a virtual machine to do the job, or do you have to run it on bare metal? Because I'm kinda strapped for hardware atm, only got one computer that works. And I could self-teach the required stuff as well, started teaching myself Python last week, and according the the description, Python an shell are preferred, although I also wanna teach myself C# or C++ sometime soon as well.

Also, what's the pay on average for this position?

And if a Ubuntu install on hardware is required, I'll have a computer free once I get my first desktop build overwith in the forseeable future, already a third of the way there by scrapping my old computer, and saving the case.

This is a serious question too, looking for some sort of employment that pays better than the part-time work-study I currently have, and home-based so I can just relax at the kbd.

[grahammechanical]

Why not dual boot?

[TeamRocket1233c]

80GB hard drive. Working with what I got here.

[oldos2er]

I think you'd have better luck getting your questions answered if you contact Canonical directly: http://www.canonical.com/about-canonical/contact

[MartyBuntu]

I did not know Canonical was hiring SysAdmins...

[TeamRocket1233c]

https://ch.tbe.taleo.net/CH03/ats/careers/requisition.jsp;jsessionid=2CFBFAA5F49F18A578955C0 7EE35F10B.NA10_primary_jvm?org=CANONICAL&cws=1&rid=751

Link pretty much says it all.

[RichardET]

I have a Lenovo W530 which uses Windows 8.1 as its main OS, and I have two 64bit VM's of Ubuntu on it, 12.04LTS and 13.10; I prefer VMware, others perhaps something different.
It works with Ubuntu natively, as I have tried it, but the best video performance is still as a Windows main system, so I VM Ubuntu. Try it, its great.

[Bucky Ball]

https://ch.tbe.taleo.net/CH03/ats/careers/requisition.jsp;jsessionid=2CFBFAA5F49F18A578955C0 7EE35F10B.NA10_primary_jvm?org=CANONICAL&cws=1&rid=751

Link pretty much says it all.

^^^
This.

[lykwydchykyn]

I can't say for sure, but if I were hiring for that position, I wouldn't be impressed by a candidate who was running Ubuntu only in a VM. I would be thinking that either you didn't have the expertise to install and maintain it on real hardware, or weren't passionate enough about Ubuntu to want to commit your only machine to it. That's not what you want them to think about you if you want that job.

[CharlesA]

I can't say for sure, but if I were hiring for that position, I wouldn't be impressed by a candidate who was running Ubuntu only in a VM. I would be thinking that either you didn't have the expertise to install and maintain it on real hardware, or weren't passionate enough about Ubuntu to want to commit your only machine to it. That's not what you want them to think about you if you want that job.

That's pretty much my feelings on it, but also, keep in mind that everyone has different priorities for what they use their computers for. I use Windows 90% of the time, but I also use Linux a fair amount.

[TeamRocket1233c]

I guess I can just wait until I'm able to build a better computer for use as my primary one, that way I can use my current computer as a secondary one for installing LTS on, which hopefully by then I'll have taught myself a few programming languages already, and that position is still available. :D

[RichardET]

To learn any language, you need a plan, and a project. I would buy a book and follow the examples.

[lykwydchykyn]

That's pretty much my feelings on it, but also, keep in mind that everyone has different priorities for what they use their computers for. I use Windows 90% of the time, but I also use Linux a fair amount.

I understand, but I'm just putting myself in the place of the person hiring and trying to imagine what conclusions he/she might jump to.

[CharlesA]

Good point. :)

[SeijiSensei]

I've been using Linux in a variety of settings for nearly two decades, and I do not possess the required skillset in that advertisement.



Cisco IOS (or similar) experience to ISP level, particularly routing (BGP and OSPF) and switching (802.1q, VTP, STP)
Experience with cloud computing (OpenStack)
Experience automating infrastructure (e.g. Juju) or deploying/upgrading configuration management systems
Experience with apache, squid, haproxy, iptables, nagios, asterisk, cassandra, postgresql


I have a lot of the last item, though not all, particularly Asterisk. But I don't have any experience with IOS and high-level routing protocols like OSPF, and my experience with cloud computing comes from having servers in the cloud at Linode. You need to know a lot more than just Linux and Ubuntu to be qualified for this position.

[Dave_L]

And if you got the job, I'm sure the salary would enable you to a buy a new Linux laptop. :)

[Copper Bezel]

Yeah, no kidding. I wouldn't hire someone who made any decision like this on the basis of "a larger hard drive is too expensive." Hell, I put $500 of hardware and a Windows install into teaching at a fake online school.