[Sussex] Re: Linux job opportunities

[Geoffrey J. Teale]

Alan Delaney wrote:

> I do agree totally that experience is far superior to study, 
> unfortunately how do you get that experience in the first place?  The 
> problem I'm running into is that I have no formal qualifications in 
> system administration and no work experience and though I have quite a 
> bit of amateur experience from running my own home network and have a 
> fair grasp of the basics, it's not the same as working in a production 
> environment.  I can and have taken a computer from loose spare parts 
> to a functioning PHP-enabled web server in an afternoon but it's 
> difficult to convince potential employers of this.  

Even if you could convince an employer of this it wouldn't help to much, 
most network and system support work isn't about building machines.  One 
of the reasons that any kind of experience (i.e. Windows admin 
experience, or help desk) is important is that it gives you a clearer 
idea of what the realities of the job are.  Your ability to deal with 
human beings (particularly of the non-technical variety) is equally as 
important as your ability to set up a mail server.

> There are a number of companies that I'm in touch with at the moment 
> that offer MCSA and/or MCSE with a guaranteed job at the end and, 
> while this is better than nothing, I was kind of hoping someone would 
> know of any similar schemes for Linux training.  As it looks at the 
> moment though is that I'll opt for one of the above schemes just to 
> get *somewhere* (and if if works out I give it a month before I start 
> to smuggle in a few Slackware servers ;) ).


I think this is probably the best approach.  I understand the desire to 
work in a Linux environment, but frankly if you're trying to get your 
first job in I.T. that's an insanely limiting filter to put on your 
potential employers.

>
> Thanks a lot for the advice all the same.


I only hope it helps.

--
G.J. Teale
Free Software Foundation