[Ale-study] Linux system administrator

[Matthew]

To my complete surprise,  I was recently hired at Indiana University as the
GitHub admin. Not that I wasn't qualified, but the fact I don't have a
degree was what surprised me. In this field, usually it doesn't matter
whether or not you have a degree,  as long as you know the work. There are
exceptions, such as schools and hospital's that have the prestige thing
going on. Certs can help a lot. Granted a lot of them we as professionals
see as a joke, but HR and gov't doesn't.  There are certs that do mean
something such as the RHCE or OSCP. I currently hold the Linux+, net+,
sec+, A+, LPIC1.  My other certs are medical related.

Just get an OS going, crash it, break it. Google how to fix it. Come up
with scenarios you would like to use. Oracle's virtualbox is handy. Stil do
a dedicated box though.
Howtoforge.com is a wonderful site.
On May 2, 2014 10:46 AM, "B. Robert" <buzibar at gmail.com> wrote:

> Lots of good advice from all of you
>
> JD, ill attend the next meeting, would love the opportunity to learn from
> you after the meeting
>
> When is the next meeting and where does that take place
>
>
> On Fri, May 2, 2014 at 10:16 AM, JD <jdp at algoloma.com> wrote:
>
>> On 05/02/2014 09:41 AM, B. Robert wrote:
>> > I moved here 2 years ago and looking to start a new career in IT,  I
>> work 2 jobs
>> > to support my family and looking to do Linux system administration
>> > It would be tough to enroll in a main stream college program and my
>> background
>> > has not been strong in computers as i am a High school.
>> >
>> > I need some advice on how to go about this, from a professional point
>> of view or
>> > experience from someone who has been through the same.
>> >
>> > Looking forward for any guidance
>> >
>>
>> Everyone seems to find their own way into becoming a UNIX admin. There
>> isn't a
>> set way to do it. Mine was strange too. Come to an ALE or GA-400 Linux
>> meeting
>> and I'll share the story after. I have ZERO formal training, but have
>> been doing
>> UNIX/Linux administration since 1996 in 1 way or another - never as my
>> only job.
>>
>> So - the best way is to get the company to pay for you to get trained by
>> Redhat.
>> If you want to make money, Redhat Certification is the best, most-likely,
>> way to
>> get paid in the end.
>>
>> Lacking getting the company to pay, get a current Redhat Cert book, load
>> up
>> CentOS and start working through all the chapters systematically.
>>
>> It should go unsaid that you need to use only Linux all day, every day,
>> only
>> dropping back to Windows when absolutely necessary. The struggle matters.
>> Fedora is the desktop distro that RH people run.
>>
>> It should be noted that I'm saying this as an Ubuntu Server Admin and
>> Debian
>> lover. That just is not where most of the money flows.
>>
>> Most companies willing to pay well for admins (in the USA) will run RHEL.
>> There
>> are exceptions, of course.  Similar thoughts happen for virtualization -
>> VMware
>> ESXi is the money-earner, XenServer 2nd, followed by all the free
>> solutions.
>> Virtualization is a core skill for any Linux admin now.
>>
>> DevOps is a buzzword too - real admins have been doing DevOps since the
>> beginning of time, but the tools are better today. This is also a core
>> skill for
>> any Admin, IMHO.  Puppet, Chef, Ansible, CFEngine ... tools like that.
>>
>> Being on projects with a budget matters. Just sayin' - RHEL, ESXi, Puppet
>> are
>> the skills to get paid.
>>
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>
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