Which Linux Certification? 93
dirvish asks: "I am trying to break into the Linux Server Administration field so I have been doing quite a bit of studying lately. I figured while I am studying the subject I might as well work towards a related certification. I am leaning towards the Linux Professional Institute Certification. Other certifications I am considering are CompTIAs Linux+ and Red Hats RHCE. So which Linux certification is the best? I would say Red Hat is the most reputable of these three but I am concerned that their certification might be too Red-Hat-centric, and I don't want to be locked into one distro. Which one is the easiest/cheapest to obtain? Which is the mostly highly regarded in the industry? Are there others that I missed?"
Slashdot Certification is easiest/cheapest ... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Slashdot Certification is easiest/cheapest ... (Score:3, Funny)
On the first post of the test, I clicked on the provided link and was immediately presented with a box that said:
"Anti-RTFA Section Status: FAILED"
It wouldn't even let me continue. Something about "learning the basics"
Re:"Which one is best?" (Score:2, Interesting)
What does that have to do with getting a job? You must be an employer.
Re:"Which one is best?" (Score:3, Insightful)
The fact that you answered the question in this way indicates _you_ do not understand the question. The question is: "What will get me more money and be most relevant to my job for the least amount of effort on my part?" It's a damn good question, It shows he's willing to work, but doesn't want
Re:"Which one is best?" (Score:1)
The parent (and aunts and uncles) are entirely correct; the grandparent seems to be confusing his wishful thinking with everyone else's reality.
Re:"Which one is best?" (Score:5, Informative)
In the IT field there aren't many certifications if any that are equivalent to the PE but that's just a matter of time. Consider security-related certs like the CISSP and GIAC that demonstrate knowledge and in the case of the CISSP that the holder has documented past experience (4 years) working in security-related IT jobs. Someday IT certifications will carry as much weight as any of the current professional certifications and will allow the holder to sign and attest to the validity of the design or security or implementation of some aspect of IT
To the original questioner, reading down below it sounds like the LPIC is the harder. Frankly, I'd be inclined to get the LPIC and try and add to it a security certification like the CISSP or GIAC. If you don't have the applicable 4-year-time experience for the CISSP then you'll have to get the GIAC. Both are hard and well respected in their areas. The CISSP is a bit more director/consultant/CSO oriented while the GIAC is more engineering oriented so it may be more useful to you for now. Either way, get a security cert as well. Just knowing how to administer makes you a candidate. Knowing secure administration makes you a stand-out candidate.
Re:"Which one is best?" (Score:3, Insightful)
On the contrary, past behavior is the BEST predictor of future performance. A person who has a history of taking intitiative and solving problems will be the person who continues to do so. I bet you're one of those people that asks questions like, "why are manhole covers round" at interviews.
Re:"Which one is best?" (Score:2)
They're not. They're square. [netfunny.com]
Re:"Which one is best?" (Score:2)
I have to nitpick this. The original poster said that "experience is no guarantee of future performance."
In this, he is right. Past behaviour is indeed the best predictor, but it is by no means a guarantee.
When it comes to certifications... (Score:2, Funny)
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Why Bother (Score:3, Interesting)
Just because I don't have an MCSE, doesn't mean I cannot solve your problems. But I do want to do the studying for them to get myself up to speed on some of the server components that I don't know too well yet.
A
Re:Why Bother (Score:3, Insightful)
I myself have no degree but a numer of certifications and have had more success finding and maintaining employment then many of my colleagues who do not.
Re:Why Bother (Score:3, Insightful)
They certainly are no substitute for job experience, but they are far more relevant than a degree.
It does make a difference WHICH certs you have. MCSE's aren't worth the paper they are written on. Current CISCO certs are in style.
Re:Why Bother (Score:2)
After he discovered that all his information was gone and his programs needed t be reinstalled, he resotre some backups from several months ago along with a virus that was pretty harmless but consumed alot od cpu cycles
Do Bother (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Why Bother (Score:2)
It all depends on the certification and company though. One military contractor place I am looking at also has a high amount of n
Re:Why Bother (Score:2)
Ok, I will freely admit to working for a University, and not the private sector. Are certifications really held in such high regard out there? I know here they mean squat ...
That doesn't apply everywhere, son. I also work for a University (part of Big-10) in the enterprise support area, and I just recently hired a Linux Admin. RHCE was something we looked for in our candidates - we have already standardized on Red Hat Linux, so RHCE certainly applies. I won't say it's a deciding factor, but those who
Re:Why Bother (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
I would go with a vendor (Score:2, Informative)
RHCE...Does IBM or Novell offer anything yet?
It's always best to certify for the job you have, or want to get.
Re:I would go with a vendor (Score:1)
Novell's (Score:1)
Re:I would go with a vendor (Score:1)
The Novell Certified Linux Engineer (and their other Linux certification options) are suprisingly well thought out.
I'd see this as a good certificaion to get under your belt, although it does deal with SuSE a little more than just generic Linux and Unix, you could say the same about the RHCE
My advice would be to go for the RHCE or Novell/SuSE option. But the one thing you have to remember is - certification is worth jack without real experience to back it up
By real experience I mean dealing with crazy
UserActive (Score:3, Informative)
ScreenSavers quote (Score:2)
Re:ScreenSavers quote (Score:2)
Bah, it was free and didn't take too much thinking.
Re:ScreenSavers quote (Score:3, Insightful)
Another coworker who'd been hired at the same time studied hard for it, and was very pleased to pass
Re:ScreenSavers quote - Amen (Score:1)
for what? (Score:3, Informative)
If you want to get a job with IBM/Novell then an LPIC will do just fine. These are the only companies I have ever seen an LPIC listed as preferred or required for.
If you want to know which is a harder and more relevant cert it is the LPIC hands down. The LPIC actually certifies you know vendor neutral linux and how to do things the hard way. The RHCE can be passed without every touching linux, it is similar to the MCSE.
Re:for what? (Score:1)
Re:for what? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:for what? (Score:2)
The redhat-config-network and up2date pop quiz?
Re:for what? (Score:1)
IIARHCE, and the RHCE test is 5.5 hours, absolutely NO written material. You work on a machine, if you fix it you pass, if you don't you fail.
I have no idea what test you are referring to, but you have your facts wrong.
Re:for what? (Score:2)
LPIC (Score:4, Informative)
I actually have the LPIC-1 certification. The test itself was surprisingly hard for an entry level linux certification, but fair. I read somewhere that the failure rate is near 60%, so don't expect to just walk in and ace it.
I wouldn't bother with the Linux+ exam. While it might bamboozle some HR departments, I wonder if it's hard enough to demonstrate any real competence with linux. The only CompTIA certification I have is the A+ (paid for by a former employer) and it was a *total* joke. A monkey could pass it.
Re:LPIC (Score:2)
Cheap tests offered at the Ottawa open source weekend last year - I think $50CDN/test - I was able to take 3 tests in that time, and while dificult and wide ranged, they were passable with not studying if you are a sad pathetic looser with no life - ie me.
Seriously, they are not bad, and deserve more recognition in the industry.
Any of them or none of them. (Score:5, Informative)
It works like this, I'm looking for a linux system admin, and I have a stack of way more people than I want to even call back.
A is fresh out of school with no particular qualifications, but he claims to know Linux. He goes in the "no" pile.
B has ten years of Windows and Novell sys admin experience, but no professional Linux experience, although he claims to know SUSE. OK, he goes in the "maybe" pile.
C has ten years of Unix system administration experience, including NIS, LDAP, and five years of professional experience with several Linux distros. He goes in the "call back" pile.
D is fresh out of school with no with a certification in Linux administration. He goes in the "no" pile, after the briefest moment of delay.
E has ten years of Windows and Novell sys admin experience, no professional Linux experience, but he has a certification from Red Hat. OK, so he goes in the "call back" pile.
.200. A certification might raise a .200 to a .210 or a .215. Which is enough to be worth considering.
.800 or .900. Doesn't mean you'll get to home, but you'll almost certainly get to first base.
You see how this works? The certification doesn't make up for your lack of professional experience. If I want an experienced system administrator, I'm going to hire one. I'm going to prefer ones with knowledge of the platform, the best way is if its on their resume, but I'm more open to a guy who has the real world admin skills that could be transferred than I am to somebody whose certification only establishes a theoretical knowledge of Linux administration.
In the end it doesn't matter much which one you get. None of these certifications are like getting a CPA, which carries weight because it implies a number of years of hands on experience plus a strong theoretical grounding in accounting. My advice would be to get the certification that you think has the greatest "brand name" recognition.
Think of it like batting in baseball. The goal is to get to home, but even a tremendously talented hitter only gets to first base on his own skills less than one third of the time. Getting the job is coming to home; getting the interview is first base. At this stage, you're very lucky if you bat
But also work your network. You don't have one? Well, maybe. Don't you have friends working in the field? Suppose you have a friend working as an app developer. If he happens to drop your name to a supervisor looking for a sys admin, and follows up by hand delivering your resume, your batting average is going to go way up -- more like
Also consider non-standard ways of finding that job. So, that fortune 100 company that has the full page ad for linux admins in the Sunday paper? Unless you have a resume that's going to stand out, forget it. But that small non-profit that needs a "computer guy" that has a card up in the job placement at the university? Go for it. That's how I got started.
Re:Any of them or none of them. (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Any of them or none of them. (Score:2)
Re:Any of them or none of them. (Score:3, Informative)
I started by becoming a very low level SA for my university the ye
Re:Any of them or none of them. (Score:5, Informative)
Yup, it sucks, but imagine how much more it will suck on the other end of your career, when you're too senior for most of the jobs that are out there. The point is that job searching is about rejection. You get rejected and rejected and rejected and rejected. Unlike you're mom and girlfiend, they don't know how wonderful you are, which is why getting a friend to put in a good word is so valuable.
I may have painted too bleak a picture. I've hired guys right out of school -- when I'm looking for somebody cheap to fil a junior position. What I'm saying is don't expect anybody to be impressed with your "certification".
I've installed gentoo on a few boxes, repaired mandrake, used redhat 9 and SuSE, but nothing professionally. Are you saying I should start by joining in a non-profit organization and work my way up?
Not necessarily. Work your way up, yes; be aware of different avenues for finding jobs, yes. But don't expect me to count any of that mucking around as system administration experience. I think it speaks well of yoru curiosity, but it's not experience. You might get a job in a large data center, but it definitely won't be running it. Don't be to offended if you are asked to make coffee. In fact if you're wise you get that phase out of the way by getting an internship. Interns are easy shoe ins for real live jobs.
WRT the non-profit, that's just an example of the fact you can take different strategies. It's not for everyone. Another strategy is get in on the ground floor of a big outfit and climb through a Darwinian process to the top of the heap over everyone else. It's a good strategy, but every strategy has its disadvantages too. You aren't going to have a lot of autonomy to do things the way you like, until you have risen to become master of the universe. Getting to the interview stage is going to be tougher.
But are non-profit orgs professional experience? And how do we make money in the meantime?
Yes: a job is a job. If you had one or two years of professional experience in a small company (a non-profit was just an example), you're well positioned to get into the rat race. Another advantage is that in a smaller company you get more decision making power right from the get go. However I wouldn't stay in that area too long unless you want to track your career that way. For one thing, you'll miss out on having colleagues (your future employment network).
Don't let a job become a career track unless that's what you really want.
In many ways, the sweet spot for hiring a junior person is somebody with a year or two of real world experience. Somebody with an internship in exactly the kind of situation I'm hiring would be ideal, but somebody with 1-2 years of professional experience looking to change industries is definitely ahead of somebody fresh out of school.
I'm really curious as to the answer to those questions, because they're most likely the ones I'll be facing in 3 years.
You've got lots of time, but don't waste it. Go for a summer internship. Be cheerful, useful, and a pleasure to work with. Cultivate people. I you have a summer internship, keep in touch with the people you've cultivated through the year, see if you can't get odd jobs during winter break for example. Once upon a time, there were two classes of people: entrepreneurs, who worried about getting ahead, selling, networking and all that stuff.
Re:Any of them or none of them. (Score:2)
The same way those people with experience got their first jobs: they took jobs that didn't require it. I didn't take off my cap and gown and walk into a room with raised floors and too much air conditioning. I took a job doing entry level support work. There I learned new real-world skills and gained the kind of professional experience that started to make me qualified for something with more res
Internships (Score:2)
But seriously, put yourself in an employer's shoes. Would you rather have someone with professional experience in a position similar to your
Re:Any of them or none of them. (Score:2)
Re:Any of them or none of them. (Score:2)
Re:Any of them or none of them. (Score:2)
If that's the case, you're doing something wrong.
Re:will document API's for food (Score:2)
Re:will document API's for food (Score:2)
New RHCE (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:New RHCE (Score:2, Funny)
Right-o, and who's the guy who doesn't have to panic when X shits the bed? Who's the guy who can get control of that server remotely when the network is hosed by DDOS?
That'd be you.
The certification is the wrong career move. You need to do three things:
Re:New RHCE (Score:2)
Re:New RHCE (Score:1)
Re:New RHCE (Score:1)
And scream "I'm going into the server room"
When I go in just to stare at the server cabinet.
Better than none (Score:1)
RHCE... (Score:3, Informative)
I've got an RHCE from Red Hat 7.3 which is now "non-current". I do plan to re-certify under Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 even though my present company doesn't use Red Hat (erm, sorry, PNAEL), but its CentOS clone. I find most of the information garnered from the courses and/or exam can still apply to other distros with some modification, though some topics are still somewhat Red Hat technology centric (Kickstart/Anaconda, various GUI tools).
Overall, I think if you can pass the RHCE, you've indirectly demonstrated a general working knowledge of Linux administration as well. Some of the topics I've learned in the RHCE process have helped me settle into other distros as well (i.e. Gentoo, SuSE)
If you're ambitious, and have lots of money to spend, by all means go for the LPI and other certs as well.
Re:RHCE... (Score:2)
I've never really understood this. The high school ACT and SAT tests have different questions on the Saturday and Sunday administrations, and often two or three different tests at one testing site. Why can't Microsoft write a new test occasionally? Can they not afford it?
Speaking from experience (Score:3, Interesting)
In response to "Which one is the easiest/cheapest to obtain?", I would say Linux+. I have it and obtained it with minimal study, but much hands-on experience. Is it too easy, no, I am just saying that if you are a regular power user, you should be able to peruse the objectives and take the test. A note of caution: Linux+ is not and end, it is a beginning. After obtaining it, I went to RHCT (Red Hat Certified Technician) then RHCE (both significantly more challenging, but not impossible with a lot of hands-on experience).
In response to "Which is the mostly highly regarded in the industry?", it depends on your industry. Red Hat and LPI are both highly "recognized" along with Novell's Certified Linux Professional and Certified Linux Engineer (http://www.novell.com/training/certinfo/#cert/ [novell.com]).
To sum, it depends is lame, agreed, but when I began down this path, I earned Linux+, obtained an entry level Linux SA position, then went to training (paid for by employer) and now sit in a mid to senior level SA position.
I believe the path I took was worth it, but the important thing is to take the plunge, do somethinhg and then move around.
Step One Importantance (Score:3, Informative)
Here at my company, I get resumes and check them out and say, this person, yes, that person, no, and the others in my group do the same, and whoever someone REALLY wants to meet, or who most in the group kinda want to bring in get brought in.
We're smart, know the field, know what certs show and don't, etc.
But we're not stage one. We're stage TWO. Where did those resumes come from in the first place? Who went out on Monster and other places and pulled resumes to show us? Who screened the resumes he/she got sent due to a posting?
Screening/First Selection is stage one. Certs are searchable as key terms. They get you placed above another person with equivilent qualifications in the mind of HR.
That's where you want them. If you have experience, and have a lot of buzzwords on your resume which can be searched for, you don't need certs for stage one. But they won't hurt.
And that gets you to stage two. Now, you might not make it past stage two. But your chance of making it past stage two are ZERO if you don't get grabbed in stage one.
Hence certs.
That said, I believe that certs can HURT you in stage two. Some of us think some certs are crap, and will actually diminsh you in our estimation. So for THAT reason, get good certs, if you go that route.
Read _Sweaty Palms_ by H. Anthony Medley. It's a great book on interviewing and the job application process.
Re:Step One Importantance (Score:2)
So what do I do? I'm 15 and I'm pretty sure I can pass the MCSE exams if I study a little; it'd be a fun challenge. But would it help me or hurt me to say that I passed the MCSE as a teenager? I'd prefer not to lose a chance for a job in a non-MS area, but I know that a lot of people are pro-MS. What about a phrase like, "For those of you who like the MCSE, I have one. For those of you who hate it, I passed it at 16 just for the challenge."
Re:Step One Importantance (Score:1)
Just make sure you have what it takes to convince the person in step two that you are actually worth something, and are not just a standardized test takign monkey.
Re:Step One Importantance (Score:2)
Anyone looking for an MCSE will spot it, anyone who doesn't care about it won't hold it against you.
The ones I laugh at use the big official MCSE logo clipart to show how PROUD they are of their cert.
Re:Step One Importantance (Score:2)
I've heard horror stories of rabidly anti-MS shops turning away people at stage 1 simply because they listed their MCSE.
Then again, that's not really the kind of place I'd want to work for, anyway...but if I'm desparate for employmend I'd take anything from rabidly anti-MS to rabidly yay-MCSEs.
Remember.. (Score:4, Informative)
Get the Linuxgruven one... (Score:3, Funny)
To I am a Linux Certified Administrator (LCA) - Level 1.
Re:Most highly regarded is still (Score:3, Funny)
I'm an RHCE... (Score:2)
The way I summed it up at the time is this: An RHCE has a pretty good knowledge of how to run one (Redhat) Linux box. Without other experience, he or she would probably be a perfectly adequate junior admin... not someone you want to give the keys to the server room, but definitely worth having around.
Note tha
Go for the RCHE, then even the RCHA (Score:3, Informative)
First part is 2.5 hours. You have that much time in front of a box to fix 10 problems. 5 of them are mandatory to fix. They cover many things, and when I took this part, I had no need to really ever use RedHat specific tools.
Second part is 3 hours, and is a network install and configuration of RHEL3. Here you need to know about the installer (duh), and package managment, but that pretty much ends the Red Hat specific part once again. If you admin Linux, and sit down for a few hours with RHEL 3 and the checklist [redhat.com]. and you can pass it.
Honestly, it is one of the better certificaiton exams I have taken, due to it being practical. If they throw you a mail server setup situation, you can use your choice of server if it is in RedHat. You have to be aware of security, but they don't demand a specific method. The end result is you pass if you get the job done, it doesn't matter how.
Now, RCHE is a good first step, however as someone said, it isn't specificially a certificate to prove someone can hand full data center control to you. And let me explain:
RCHT: This is their lowest certification. It means "Hi, I can install Linux and configure some things, but not really do much on the network side". The test for this is embedded in the RCHE test now. Basicially if you don't pass the RCHE, you may still walk away with an RCHT
RCHE: This is the median certification. It means "Hi, I can install Linux, and get basic networking services up and secure. I can also integrate the box into the directory if it is simple".
RCHA: This is the highest level one Red Hat takes, and I would advise to get RCHE first. It is "Hi, I can install Linux, configure network services, design the directory services, secure and tune the box, and expand the box when the time comes. I can layout plans for an entire data center."
Or in Red Hat's words:
RHCEs provide the technical leadership for managing Linux servers and network services, as well as escalation of issues from the larger group of RHCTs. A smaller number of RHCAs provide leadership for technical planning, design and integration of an organization's worldwide open source architecture.
Story about CompTIA (Score:1)
The day of, they send a sy
Certifications? (Score:1)
Re:Certifications? (Score:1)
Not AFAIK, but apache is really easy to pick up. I learned enough to deploy Apache from the o'reilley book [oreilly.com] in about 4 or 5 working days - including trickier stuff like virtual hosting, getting mod_perl working, et al.
More generally, I guess all this cert stuff is mainly to do with motivation. Sometimes it helps you to focus if you've got some sort of framework to fit your learning into. Personally, I don't find I need that framework for techie learning, but I find it extremely useful when pursuing more a
Really simple. (Score:2)
The online material for the beginnner bundle was $900 and I asked for a refund after going through about half of it in a week and realizing there was not even a full book's
Show of hands (Score:1)
Training vs. Certification (Score:2)
What I've Seen. . . (Score:2)