On Tue, 9 Sep 2003, Tommy Becker wrote: > All, > I'm new to the mailing list and am considering getting a RHCT > certification. I have substantial Unix/Linux experience, but not in > System Administration. Right now I'm stuck in a App Support role which > is beneath my skill level with nowhere to go at my current firm. I have > the skills to be a developer, but I've decided that I have been happiest > when working with *nix to script small tools and such, basically admin > stuff. So the question I have is if I spend the time/money to get this > certification, will it be possible to get my foot in the door as a > sysadmin in this area? In other words, is it worth it? If so, what is > the ballpark salary I could expect? One of the reasons I've been so > loathe to make a lateral career move is fear of taking a substantial pay > cut. Also, if I do this, I would most likely subsequently pursue a > RHCE, but judging from RH's description, I'm not quite ready for that > level yet. What are your thoughts? >
I don't have any real good thoughts on how helpful the RHCT would be. I received the RHCT certification at the beginning of this year, but it didn't have any tangible benefit for me as I'm not looking for a new job, and I work for government so pay increases aren't really based on things like that. (Mostly everyone gets the same small raise each year based on state legislative action; it's not based on merit.) I do think the RHCE is well-respected, but real experience cannot be duplicated. (Also, you will find it tough to pass the RHCE without good hands-on experience.) Fortunately, with a broadband connection and a few extra computers, you can set up your own network and gain this experience yourself. Start a web site, use technologies like LDAP, NFS, Kerberos, NIS, etc., run some databases -- begin your sysadmin career at home. While certainly it isn't as positive on a resume as real work experience, it can help a lot. If you're interested in the RHCE study group, which would also be useful for preparing fo rthe RHCT, please join our mailing list at http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/rhce/ Hope this helps, Jeremy -- /---------------------------------------------------------------------\ | Jeremy Portzer [EMAIL PROTECTED] trilug.org/~jeremy | | GPG Fingerprint: 712D 77C7 AB2D 2130 989F E135 6F9F F7BC CC1A 7B92 | \---------------------------------------------------------------------/ -- TriLUG mailing list : http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/trilug TriLUG Organizational FAQ : http://trilug.org/faq/ TriLUG Member Services FAQ : http://members.trilug.org/services_faq/ TriLUG PGP Keyring : http://trilug.org/~chrish/trilug.asc
