This issue has been discussed in this list a few times IIRC.

Having said that see my PoV below.

On Sat, Feb 26, 2011 at 2:33 PM, balaji sivanath <[email protected]> wrote:
> Hi,
> I am a final year engg. student. I am using ubuntu as default, I have
> knowledge in basic commands,linux basics & knowledge of
> opensource/free software.

Ubuntu IMO is a desktop distro.  Most likely the server deployments
are RHEL or Novell SLES in the environments you are seeking
employment.
So you need to hone your admin skills on these distros.  The free
equivalents are CentOS and openSUSE resp.   You can try them out as
Guest OSs using VirtualBox VMs.

> When going for some interview they asked for RHCE certification, I
> said "I dont have that certification" the next question from them is
> "Then how do you know linux?",

Certification IMO is an affirmation of the work place skill you claim
to have which in your case does not apply to you being a fresher from
college.  Very sad, shows that the interviewer knows much less than
you do.   Do not feel afraid to tell your interviewer where s/he is
*wrong*

Do you really want to work for such people?  Only you can answer this
for yourself.

My personal experience with the candidates who have certs.  - the
majority of them are paper tigers.   So chase certification after you
have gained knowledge in the specific domain of the certificate.

In your shoes, I would look for employment with a company that will
let you learn/grow with some degree of freedom, let you get your hands
dirty on systems.  Frankly, you will not get such an opportunity with
the big companies w/o any experience.

Look for employment in a smaller company, smaller team.    I am
confident that it will give you the combo of challenge, growth
opportunity.

> I explained to them as "I have attended
> some conferences, using linux system as default & I have interest in
> it", Dont know whether this help to convience them to choose me.

You should be proud of your honesty; it may not help you clinch the
job but as I said earlier you are probably better off not working at a
place that emphasizes on paper.

> Now coming to the point
>
> 1) what skills corporates need from me for linux jobs(fresher)?

See above - get familiar with administration on the following CentOS
(RHEL), openSUSE (Novell SLES), Debian (Ubuntu),

> 2) what actually those RHCE certified persons are learning?

Read the syllabus which I think is online (search for it) and do the
same for the CCNA exam.    System and Network admin go hand in hand.
More importantly you should train your mind on how to apply the
knowledge.  Unfortunately, I have found this aspect to be lacking.

> 3) how to show that i am able to admin a linux system other than RHCE

See answer to 1) above

> certification (RHCE costs some big amount which i am not able to do it
> (15k for training & another 15k for exam)) ?

Your game plan should be practice, practice, ..........  and practice
and skip the training institute part.   If you can find a local mentor
so much the better.

Believe me, in my experience, most  training institutes lack this
aspect in their training and they will not be able to substitute your
hands on practice.   Join as many Linux mailing lists as possible and
read the types of problems others have faced and how they have been
solved.   Also, when you know the answer post your solution.

Finally, a word of advice regarding your career - do not jump ship
every 6-12 months; it does not speak well in terms of commitment.  If
you find a company where you are learning stuff, hang in with them for
at least a couple of years.

HTH
-- Arun Khan
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