Jobs needing linux experiance - please bear with me on this...

I have a MCSE and a few other qualifications and they have been a massive help in finding work. But I also have experience to back it up with.

If you have the experience then I'd get the qualifications. If you have no prior exams then the MCSA is 4 exams (though they have all changed to the Technology Specialist exams now).

Showing an employer that you can do the job, on more than one level, is only a good thing IMHO.


M.
 
palmy said:
If you have your heart set on Linux.. Red Hat Certified Technician would be a good starting point I guess.

Otherwise stick with Wintel, get some Microsoft accreditations to validate your experience. Then have a look at 'addons'

VMware VCP4 (expensive because you need to do the course) or XenDesktop, XenApp, XenServer CCAs from Citrix.

Alternatively you could go down the networking route and start with something like Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA).

Whatever you do get an entry level postion in Enterprise IT and don't look back, strive to improve constantly and understand/learn everything in your environment. Even at a lower level it doesnt hurt to learn at home, install test labs, ask questions of the senior staff and show an interest. Get that all important thing experience!
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If you build up knowledge of RedHat/Centos through home tinkering you can do RHCE without needing RHCT first, which will give you enough credability in the Linux world for a reasonable enterprise entry job.

It's a hands on exam however, so knowing stock answers to Linux'y questions won't help :)

Have quoted Palmy as it's EXCELLENT advice IMO, doubly so on the bit about test labs and asking questions.

Edit: Also, don't worry too much about the degree, I have a decent one and all the jobs I have been accepted for so far are due to my own learning, not university teachings. (Not that I'm saying it was a waste, just experience counts more and more)

//TrX
 
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In my experience the larger companies tend to shy away from Linux (I'm talking about the big banks here). However they have started to install it in a few places. Such companies tend to love vendor support contracts and so will often choose RedHat or Novell.

The good thing about Linux is that the skills are fairly easily transferred to Unix variants (HPUX and AIX are the main ones here although some places use Solaris too).
 
To the first posters, I have:

A+, Server+ N+ 2008 MCTS, MCTIP.
I dont want to put accross that im "one of those cowboys" because im not.

bigredshark said:
RHCT and then RHCE are the standard when it comes to Linux certification in my experience...

Not essential though, experience still counts for a lot with unix, mostly I suspect because it's fairly easy to work out someone's linux knowledge by just asking a couple of questions...
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I iwll look in to the RHCT and RHCE. Thanks
 
After looking tbh im lost. What tests to take and where. Prometric for example has Linux Professional Institute. Do I have to take this first? Any advice welcome.
 
palmy said:
Good luck, hope you make the move. I dislike small business IT, its an industry diluted by cowboys and teenagers.
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I hate statements like these.

You've just basically pigeon holed the SMB IT support industry and ridiculed it at the same time.

I've worked for 2 North East based IT support firms, then went and worked on a large project for a big company based in Essex for 6 months. Massive enterprise based IT, multiple large data centres across EMEA.

Certain members of the BAU staff at the Essex based company were not competent at all. The state of their 'enterprise' was a disgrace.

The 1st IT support firm I worked at was a Microsoft Gold Partner and were very good at what they did, and gave me a great opportunity to come in low down as I was a late starter and didn't get into IT until I was 27.

The 2nd firm wasn't quite to the same level as the 1st, I went in as helpdesk but was actually on paper more qualified than the field engineers.

My point is that there are cowboys/clueless numpties in all sorts of IT and people labelling themselves as enterprise technicians means nowt. Further more SMB IT support firms provide a valuable service to businesses that would otherwise not be able to afford a dedicated IT staff and give people like me a much needed helping hand onto the IT career ladder.
 
sr4470 said:
Yeah, some moron who had the money for MCSE will beat you to the interview stage a lot of the time - despite the experience gap. Sigh...
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Pay yourself through the MCSE like I am then?

You can't have a chip on your shoulder about some supposed 'moron' getting interviews ahead of you if you ain't willing to bring yourself up to the same level to compete. Who's really the 'moron' in this situation? It's obvious to me that getting the MCSE has paid off for someone...
 
janesssssy said:
After looking tbh im lost. What tests to take and where. Prometric for example has Linux Professional Institute. Do I have to take this first? Any advice welcome.
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You don't need to take the LPI exams prior to the Redhat ones at all, they are completely seperate.

If you go to the Redhat UK education site it explains what the courses are which you should do before the exams, (although as I mentioned earlier the RH300 course and exam is a revision course not a training course so you need to know the subject manager beforehand) ... they also have multiple choice questions so you can establish if you can skip any of the courses.

The first LPI exam isn't that difficult if you know the subject matter ... the RHCE stuff is supposed to be more hands on and is harder.
 
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Download / Install Centos as stated.
Play with for couple of months, follow online tutorials etc.
Attend RH133 course (if funded), get RHCT.
Tinker with for another couple of months (preferably for work)
Attend RHCE course, get RHCE.

Get involved with some Virtualisation, maybe KVM will be in major use by this time.

Have fun :)
Edit: If you struggle to get a job at an enterprise/larg-ish firm, lots of Universities use Linux/Unix so you could get a Junior Sysadmin Job there to start :)
 
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Thanks for the advice!

Rwac said:
Download / Install Centos as stated.
Play with for couple of months, follow online tutorials etc.
Attend RH133 course (if funded), get RHCT.
Tinker with for another couple of months (preferably for work)
Attend RHCE course, get RHCE.

Get involved with some Virtualisation, maybe KVM will be in major use by this time.

Have fun :)
Edit: If you struggle to get a job at an enterprise/larg-ish firm, lots of Universities use Linux/Unix so you could get a Junior Sysadmin Job there to start :)
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It wont be funded by my employer unfortunately, as linux isnt used with in my current role. So is it possible just to do the RHCT exam only (RH202 RHCT) I know you can its £260 + Vat, but what will be needed to pass. With my microsoft exams and my older Comptia, all that was needed was to read a book and play around with the software alittle. Plus I use the tech every day.

Currently im downloading centos and fedora. Any recommendations? £1500 is too much at the moment to practically change career path.
 
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janesssssy said:
Thanks for the advice!



It wont be funded by my employer unfortunately, as linux isnt used with in my current role. So is it possible just to do the RHCT exam only (RH202 RHCT) I know you can its £260 + Vat, but what will be needed to pass. With my microsoft exams and my older Comptia, all that was needed was to read a book and play around with the software alittle. Plus I use the tech every day.

Currently im downloading centos and fedora. Any recommendations? £1500 is too much at the moment to practically change career path.
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You certainly can just buy the exam. They have tests on the RH site to loosely test your knowledge and see what course is best for you.

As above, centos is more like what you will come up against. Fedora is 'cutting edge' and fun to use as your desktop machine. Lots of the guys in RH actually run Fedora on their lappies rather than RHEL Desktop :)

RHCT wouldn't be too hard to pass after a bit of practice, RHCE would probably be the bigger jump. Look at the modules covered in the RHCT, and specifically on the site there is a section on what a RHCT would need to do, and what a RHCE would need to do (e.g. using the Logical Volume Manager)
 
Hi mate,

Have you thought about working within an IT dept for a (med/large) company, instead of for an IT support company? That way you can work within a group of people and will be supporting the same people (i.e. staff within that site or various sites) and improving one system rather than supporting randoms and running around a lot.

Just a thought :)
 
Certs are great in some arenas and somewhat irrelevant in others. I've got a bunch of A levels, a CCNA and 5 years experience in a fairly decent sized company. ~1200 employees in the UK. But the expereince I do have is completely unique and there's plenty of case studies I can put on my CV that shout louder than any generic cert. E.g Being part of a team of 3 guys that migrated the whole company from netware 4.x to Server 2003 based AD environment with exchange. I'm also responsible for a complete re-design and modernisation of the LAN and WAN infrastructure (using tech way above CCNA level to which I'm 'formally trained'). I'm currently testing and working towards implementing a SAN.
The reason I managed to be a part of that kind of project with such an empty portfolio is because I got in the door as a junior and quickly showed what I can do.
You don't need certs to get places, but some companies do have a fap about them, personally if a company is more interested in letters after my name than what I've done in the real world I'd rather not work for them. I'm a person with skills and inginuity not a certificate in a shirt.
Outsourced IT Support you will need some certs unless you want to spend the next 24 months in a call centre resetting passwords, but at the same time that's just one sector of the industry which spans lots of other industries. Specialising in IT within an industry also helps open doors. Banks for example ALL want candidates who have had experience working in the financial sector, so that immidiately sets you above about 60% of the applicants if you can tick that one.
 
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