[Klug-general] Methods of Gaining Linux Skills to Work in Industry

[james snyder]

the most common method of gaining Linux skills to work in industry is to enrol on a course of IT certification, or as Colin the technician had pointed out to me, to get on the job training - whilst going for a certificate exam. Depends on the job. if it is a 2nd or 3rd line support job for, say, a web host company, then you would be grilled and counter-interrogated by the head techie in a pre-arranged interview lasting up to one hour.
to put it another way into a sort of seaworthy analogy, "some of the best yachtmasters who have circumnavigated around the world do not actually have any RYA certification"; they are simply, as K put it, good at what they do.

all the KLUG members that i have met so far would ace all of the above exams very easily indeed, and some people are just good at doing exams.

i think that going to a LUG meetings could be a good place to start learning and sharing more Linux skills.

if it is a Red Hat affiliated company they will insist that you have either RHCE or RHCT certification, just for starters, before you get your hands onto a mission critical RHE server.
The Red Hat Certified EngineerTM (RHCE) Exam is just a performance-based practical exam (no paper work). 
RHCE proves that a person has skills and competency at Red Hat Linux installation, configuration, debugging, setup of key networking services such as Apache, DNS, NFS, DHCP, and security, so that the person is ready from a technical point of view for professional responsibilities in managing a Red Hat Linux system for common enterprise uses.

if it is an admin or background technical job, in europe, they will aks for LPI certification, but probably not more than level 101 or 102.
at the moment, LPI rocks in Europe but sucks in the UK.
(you can do the LPI Ubuntu & level 1&2 tests at prometric in places like Maidstone)
LPI believes in the need for a standardized, multi-national, and respected program to certify levels of individual expertise in Linux. 
The LPI program does not yet satisfy the requirements of Linux professionals in the UK. 
Th LPIs goal in Canada was to design and deliver such a program from within the Linux community, using both volunteer and hired resources as necessary. 
The LPI first resolved to undertake a well-considered, open, disciplined development process, leading directly to the establishment of a recognized and widely-endorsed Linux certification body, but then died in the UK due to a number of factors that I am not at liberty to discuss on a mailing list. 

if it is an entry role job in the USA, then comptia Linux+ is OK (you can do the tests at prometric in places like Maidstone)
The Linux+ certification measures vendor-neutral CLI Linux knowledge and skills for an individual with at least 6 months practical experience. 
The target market for Linux+ certification is any individual interested in demonstrating fundamental Linux knowledge and skills.

alternatively you could do a 3rd party linux test like the ISO9001 Brainbench Linux System Administration or RH, at about 30 quid each.

i still think that going to a LUG meetings could be a good place to start learning and sharing more Linux skills. Jim. Maidstone


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