On 8/11/05, dennis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I haven't seen much mention of linux certification here recently. Can > someone tell me whether this was merely a fad, (most of the prep books > seem to have been published in 2000, give or take a year), or whether > linux certification might actually help me find employment? > > More generally, is there a realistic path for turning familiarity with > linux into a profession? What would you suggest? > > >
I think your best bet is if you can prove you have enough knowledge of linux in an enterprise environment. Tests are great for proving that you can read and pass a test, but they dont mean much compared to real world experience. If a company is already using linux they will have specific requirements that you will have to meet, if you are trying to get a job by saying "hey look what i can do with linux" then good luck... that's not very easy, and geeks who experiment with linux are a dime a dozen. It's like trying to get into a carpenters union by saying "oh well I never *worked* as a carpenter per se, but I sure can make a slick bird house". A lot of places (where I work, for example - or maybe I should say "take my job, please" ) it's primarily windows based, but my boss loved the fact that I could set up a legally free web server and firewall instead of shelling out money for a windows license. In my case a certification didn't help me, what helped me was that I set up a working web server and a firewall. Of course I already had the job to begin with, and I just found a way to use *nix to give myself something fun to do that actually helps the company. The bottom line is that if you have hands on experience using linux in an office (where things can and will and do go wrong) then you should be able to articulate that. If what you have is a home network, maybe you can draw up a nice diagram (dia is good for that btw) and add that to your portfolio. If you don't have enough on your resume to get you the interview, then you are going to have to get really creative, or pray, or both, and maybe a certification will help you. Anyone that knows about linux enough to be using it in their company's infrastructure will probably not be impressed by a test score though, because they know that your study guide doesn't have the answers for murphy's law. Once you get an interview with someone that knows what they need from you, either you'll have it, or you won't. Mike -- http://linuxfromscratch.org/mailman/listinfo/lfs-chat FAQ: http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/faq/ Unsubscribe: See the above information page
