Canadian Linux Admins : Best path to become Jr Linux admin with no experience?
Posted by manuce94@reddit | linuxadmin | View on Reddit | 13 comments
Do I stand a chance to become a Jr Linux admin if I have some sort of Linux cert like Linux+ or RHCSA or do I have to grind through help desk jobs with A+ and net+ and then start applying for Jr Linux admin roles in Canada (Ontario region). Thanks
Also can anyone from Canada recommend any good college course that they attended or are you all self taught professionals. Thanks
Attunga@reddit
The BS in Computer Science will do you well and it is a fantasic start that should giving you coding and general IT base of knowledge.
To enhance this, I would lean towards getting a base Linux certification as a way of incentivizing you to learn the material and ensure that you like working with it. Keep in mind that if you want to go down the Linux route then learning in your own time to keep up with technology will be an ongoing exercise.
There are a few certifications out there that you should be able to do online, the RHCSA material would be an excellent base for many businesses looking for a Junior Admin.
You might consider looking at the Sander van Vught material, it is relatively cost effective and he is an excellent trainer.
You would then go well with a small home lab, just an old PC with ProxMox would work well to fire up a few VM's. These could either be Rocky/Alma or get a free Red Hat developer account to get a bunch of free RHEL VMs.
Having the RHCSA and a Computer Science degree should make getting your first job relatively easy and you would then end up doing real work rather than wasting time in a help desk position.
fokines@reddit
Best path is keep trying until you get your first job. I started looking for my first job when I was in my first year at university. I was aware that I didn't get any job being a freshman but I had a lot of interview. This is also an important experience. Not sure if it was mentioned, so I say it. Apply even if you know or familiar only with 50% jf their stack. I have already changed three work places and for all of them I was familiar with 50% of technologies they use or even less. Good luck!
Envelope_Torture@reddit
Some good advice in here already, but if you're gonna do certs
RHCSA > LPIC >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Linux+
Kahless_2K@reddit
Step 0: install Linux on your main machine as the only, or at least main OS.
Step 1: do everything you possibly can using the command line Interfaces.
When I got my first help desk job, I had been daily driving Linux for 10 years. I had run game servers on it even longer.
In about 5 years, I went from that help desk job to being a Senior System Administrator.
BloodyIron@reddit
BUILD A HOMELAB/HOMEDC.
flaticircle@reddit
No one is running Canadian Linux anymore, so it's probably better to tinker with Debian, get a free RHEL dev subscription, or do some BSD.
abotelho-cbn@reddit
Homelab.
moderatenerd@reddit
As daft punk says, "get lucky."
magnezone150@reddit
I took an unorthodox approach, While I was in College I just started my own Linux Adoption Business, was a member of my local board of trade and the experience I got from that really helped as a spring board. In your case, since you have a Computer Science diploma over time you could also march towards Engineering (Linux/Software Engineer)
Amidatelion@reddit
See here - if you choose to pursue a college course, make sure you get on with a co-op.
The chance of making it to a junior sysadmin position without getting through helpdesk is slim. Technically I did, but 2/3rds my co-op was helpdesk.
I went to Seneca, through CTY. As mentioned in that thread, Ontario colleges are diploma mills, but there is content worth learning. As you already have a degree, I'd go for as short a diploma as possible that gets you co-op experience.
Certs like CCNA and RHCSA are worthwhile enough - Seneca gave discount on them on completion of related courses. In Canada, CompTIA is completely worthless (as the only cert worth anything is Security+... if you want certain US government jobs). Get any other cert.
justinDavidow@reddit
My Linux experience started back as the kernel was written.. all self taught back in the early 90's.
These days, the people I lean towards hiring all have either home-brewed experience combined with certs, or existing job experience.
I've yet to meet someone from a purely education based background (except ones who actually home-lab USING that education) that actually understood Linux fundamentals.
As /u/LinuxLeafFan mentioned: if you do well in the education system get a com sci degree. There is a LOT of critical theory that you'll learn and it will open up a lot more doors to you over time.
LinuxLeafFan@reddit
No matter what you do, you’ll likely have to start on help desk. Maybe you can avoid it if you get into a good co-op program. As for schools, I have no recommendations at this point because I’m too old. I attended a 3 year course focused on networking and got a diploma. After about 2 years working various service desk jobs, I decided to write Linux+ and before I even received my card I was able to find a junior admin role. The cert alone wasn’t what got me the job though. It was my experience on service desk, my personality, and the fact that I pursued further training on my own that put me ahead of other candidates.
If I was to do it again (and had the money), I probably would have gone for a degree in computer science. It’s not like it will better prepare you to be a Linux administrator or anything but it’s being demanded more and more in the industry.
Anyone who tells you that you “don’t need a degree to be successful” is telling you the truth but they’re also likely very proud and biased that they’re doing well in spite of not having a degree.
manuce94@reddit (OP)
Good advice, yes I have a 4 yr BS degree in computer science but trying for a career switch at the moment from computer animation to IT in Canada and job market is very tough here for career switchers.