linux careers

[LashSilence83]

So I'm wondering how many of you out there have unix/linux related jobs and how in the heck did you get your foot in the door in the IT world to lead up to these jobs. Also,(in your opinions) is it more about college degrees, certs, a combination thereof, or just dumb luck? I've met a few people who have pretty decent jobs that pay quite well and some of them just sort of fell into it without so much as a single cert or more than an AA degree. It seriously baffles me to no end...

[Oliver.BS]

In any job its who you know and not what you know.

[inobe]

what he said.........

me personally, i put my info up at job banks :lolflag:

[beniwtv]

Yes... server administrator here for 15+ linux servers.

I go that job basically because I knew much about Linux and servers beforehand, and could demonstrate it in the first meeting with the boss and the senior IT guy (I have no degree).

And not that I have stopped to learn since then. I'm always learning something new about computers, be it Linux on servers, my new Linux powered Mobile phone, etc...

Demonstrable experience is highly valued in our sector.

Cheers,

[Oliver.BS]

Very true I am working for this new company and I have no Degrees but I showed I knew the Tech Space,Demographics and had good knowledge in the industry the company is in and they gave me the job. I learn something new all the time either SEO,Tech anything I try to learn something new as much as possible.

Now I am doing a degree for when I leave.

[LashSilence83]

That's totally amazing! I'm sitting here going through my certs and going to a school that I absolutely hate just so I can hopefully get my foot in the door somewhere. So do you guys just ignore it when a job listing says you need a 4 year degree and so many years experience, etc. ? Lately when I've been looking for anything tech related, and I do mean ANYTHING, I see all these "entry level" positions that expect candidates to have a 4 year degree and blah blah blah tons of experience. It's so annoying for someone like me who is totally capable of doing very well in some of these positions but they seem to expect such an impossibly high amount of credentials. Do I just seek the jobs out anyway and in the interview talk about my personal, 'non-job' experience and knowledge when they ask about my lack of official creds? It's really hard for me to know what the heck to do with all of this...

[m_ad]

Most employers look for the degree and accomplishments for dedication and work ethic. You can be the smartest person in the world and have a terrible work ethic and you're worthless to any employer. What good is employing a person who knows everything to do the job, but doesn't show up to do it?

Take this into consideration; two people demonstrate their knowledge and experience to an employer, one with a degree in the field and one with NO degree. Who is the employer going to hire?

Like I said, employers (in my opinion) are more interested in work ethic.

[beniwtv]

You know, you can't get anywhere without trying. Go for a simple tech job first. Maybe even a computer repair shop. Then move to better jobs. The experience you build up will certainly help you.

The company I'm working for too required certs, but experience is what they wanted. And as the boss told me, the requirement for a cert in the advertisement was more to "keep the script kiddies out" (his words). :lolflag:

If you have something to demonstrate them, in the job area of what they are looking for, you may impress them - other companies won't even bother if you have no certs, sadly.

But you certainly should go for certs if you have the time and money, just don't forget to also build up experience of your own in the meanwhile, as this will also help you to get better jobs.

Cheers,

[LashSilence83]

I've gotten a couple of the compTIA certs and I'm scheduled to take my linux+ in a week. After that I suppose it's on to the redhat and lpi tests. The only beginner level jobs I've seen lately are phone tech support. I know I could get one of those but would it really make that much of a difference in my resume? Also, I have a few computers lying around that could potentially be used to teach myself some new things. Besides a file server, what other projects could be done with these machines to help me learn more?

[toupeiro]

Can't say I completely agree with this:


In any job its who you know and not what you know.

Who I know got me a two week temporary job for a workstation refresh at the age of 17. Getting it done in 4-5 business days and helping everyone else on that team get their other projects completed ahead of time is what turned two weeks into a career for ten years.

Don't be afraid to ask questions, but don't second guess yourself either. Knowing people is always great to get your foot in the door if you have that angle. What you know is what is going to make the foot in the door worth your time and effort, and theirs.

[beniwtv]

The only beginner level jobs I've seen lately are phone tech support. I know I could get one of those but would it really make that much of a difference in my resume?


It certainly would. My job partly requires me to do tech support as well, and indeed it does make a difference. Not only on the technical level (you learn a lot while helping people), but also on personal level. You will be able to get along better with customers (yes, you _will_ get angry customers), get better at solving problems in general (sometimes, the solutions are so simple we don't see them), and you most likely will learn to work in a team. That is provided it's a small company, and you actually have to solve the problem yourself. :).


Also, I have a few computers lying around that could potentially be used to teach myself some new things. Besides a file server, what other projects could be done with these machines to help me learn more?

That is exactly what I meant - any old computer will do to teach you server administration in Linux. Samba would be a good start there, and potentially LDAP (depends on the company size though). Oh, and a mail/web server.

But don't try to specialize on one task just yet - get good at the things you like, but learn other, more boring things as well.

For example, when I started to work, I merely got into the computer repair business, in a local store (I hate repairing computers). From there I got into my actual job, where I also started to do general things first. Now, two and a half years later, I'm the senior server administrator and software developer here (We're not that big to have two people for this :)). But I still can do a website/webapp if required. The basic things, once learned, you will never forget, and you could develop a solution if required on your own. And that's what makes you an actual IT guy.

OK, enough already before this turns into a speech or something :lolflag:.

Cheers,

[LashSilence83]

Many thanks go out to the wealth of perspective and information displayed in this thread. Thank you! :) It's so difficult to get any advice or info from most of the people I've met without also getting the bulk of their ego and condescension.