Linux / UNIX career path?

VIDEODROME

I went to college to see if I could get into IT and got an Associates in Cyber Security. I now feel like I made a mistake. Some people at my college where hyping security so much and I don't know what they were thinking. I haven't seen anything resembling entry level opportunities in security even if I had Security+ or even CEH with no experience.

A side benefit of college though was I enjoyed discovering Linux and did a lot of experimenting with it on my own. I have also worked with FreeBSD even installing it on my HP Mini Netbook. I'm wondering if I could turn this interest into a more realistic career path and what I might need to do.

For now, I have my Associates in Cyber Security and I'm working on A+. Would I have to go back to college to get a degree with more focus on Linux or just try to get Linux related Certifications? Or attempt to transfer my 2 year degree to a University? I do have a lot of concern over the extra debt from 2 more years of college, but if it's unavoidable I'll have to think about it.

Also, I should ask what jobs are out there that people with Linux skills can do.


EDIT: Actually, I'm wondering if I should just dive into a Linux Cert now? I see so many mixed feelings about the value of A+ or CompTIA in general I wonder if I should put my focus elsewhere.

jamesleecoleman

Head over to Job Search | one search. all jobs. Indeed.com and type in linux for the job section....

You can for sure get into a career path for Linux. Check out certifications for Linux such as Linux+/LPI-1, RHCSA or RHCE.

You didn't make a mistake with your degree, never think that you did. You can never make a mistake in learning something and I encourage you to get a 4 year degree, even though it might be tough for you to get an entry-level security position.

A lot of pentesting tools are used in Linux.

Do you have an entry-level IT job yet?

Hello from Grand Rapids!!! I just noticed your location.

VIDEODROME

Oops.... I just updated my location. I'm now in Iron Mountain, MI in the Upper Peninsula staying at my folks place until I get some kind of steady employment going. It's great I can stay here, but the location isn't very good for Tech jobs. At the moment, all I have going is a kind of Internship thing at a small PC Shop. I don't get a chance to do much actual hands on work there though except erase some hard drives.

I wish I lived in a place like Grand Rapids or Ann Arbor or maybe Lansing. I do look at Indeed.com, but I mostly focus my search on Green Bay, WI and sometimes Milwaukee or Madison.

As for security, I no longer think that is realistic. I do enjoy Linux and would be happy if I just became a junior tech in a datacenter or something first and then worked toward security afterward. Anyway, thanks for the feedback and hi from da U.P.

Expect

you could go for RHCSA or LPIC-1. there are many jobs that require Linux knowledge, and most of them pay pretty well.

MeanDrunkR2D2

Honestly, if you are focused on getting a BS, I would definitely advise on it, especially if you are young and are motivated to get it done with. Yea, I'm with you that the extra tuition would stink to have to pay back, but it's a big investment that will usually pay itself off in the long term. However, if you are working in IT, or get an IT job that can help you offset those costs some it's beneficial in the long term.

As far as Linux goes, there is alot of money to be made in that field and if you truly like it, I say jump head first into those certifications as they will definitely help you out in landing a gig doing that type of work. Now, you could get a linux job with your AA and certs, but you may eventually hit a wall at some point where a company wants that BS degree. That can be something you work on slowly, or do the online university path and rush though it like with WGU.

VIDEODROME

Thanks for all the feed back. I'm actually 38 and trying to start over in this awful economy.

I really appreciate the thoughts on just diving into Linux where my passion really is. I have worked through building up the desktop from CLI on systems like Arch, Slackware, or FreeBSD and felt it was rewarding to assemble a personalized system on my PC.

I will look into both RHCSA and LPIC-1.

darkerosxx

If you're worried about job security, I can tell you we can't find enough qualified candidates to fill our positions focused on Linux. It's been that way for years. For the industry as a whole, the experienced (5+ years) Linux professional pay is good and there are lots of remote (work from home) jobs. And for the last 7 years (which is only as long as I've been watching), there have *always* been well-paid contract jobs available. The Linux field is one where the lazy get weeded out and the exceptional make good money. The mediocre dependable ones can always have a steady mediocre-paying job.

To your question of career path, get some experience as soon as possible, even if that means working on your own project in your basement. When you can score well on these tests, start looking for a job: http://smarterer.com/search/tests?q=linux

the_Grinch

You definitely didn't make a bad decision going with Cyber Security, but if/when you go for the BS I would make sure it was in MIS, IS, IT, or CS. My BS is in Computing and Security Technology with a concentration in Security. Every employer I initially interviewed with said I'd be bored, they didn't do security, or in one case didn't trust me due to the coursework. In speaking with classmates with more general degrees I found they were getting more mileage due to the lack of the need of experience to enter the field (when compared with information assurance based careers). When looking at completing your degree make sure you find a school that will focus on Linux/Unix since that is where you're interest lies. My University had three courses devoted to RedHat, but everything else was all Windows.

As for jobs, I'd look for something on a help desk with a company who has a Linux team. That way you would be able to move to that team once you get more experience under your belt. Check out GE because if I recall correctly a large portion of their IT is run out of your area (give or take). Good luck and you can't go wrong with Linux!

VIDEODROME

I even had trouble getting internships during my Associates program. People seemed to feel awkward about a security guy touching their stuff.

I have been "Job Shadowing" at a PC Shop and doing projects on the side. For a personal project, I recently put pfSense on an old Win98 PC I bought at a garage sale plus added a network card. I also like to continually dabble in trying different Linux distros.

Xavor

If you got a linux cert, and did not mind moving, you can get a job working somewhere in the U.S without a doubt. If you're working toward finishing your BS, get a job on campus supporting researchers. It sucks starting over, but it's doable if you keep your nose to the grinder.

I'd recommend picking a core distribution such as Red Hat / CentOS or Ubuntu. Learn everything about it that you can, learn something like Python, and you'll have doors open. There are so many distributions it's easy to get distracted.

I had a pfsense box running at home as well, which was an interesting project, but if I just wanted a job I should have sat down and finished the RHCSA first.

TLDR: Get a linux cert and leverage your 2 yr degree to get a job and work on the BS while employed.

VIDEODROME

Should a person take Linux+ instead of LPIC-1?

darkerosxx

I would recommend skipping those and going straight for RHCSA. I've not once seen any other entry cert listed on a linux job posting.

srj

I was lucky enough to find a Sys Admin gig after ~7 months working help desk. Now I'm working with Windows, Mac, and CentOS. I would recommend that you check out The Linux Command Line book. It is open source and a great place to start. I'd go right for the RHCSA from there.

The RHCSA is a great foundation. I'd try to find a gig in help desk in an environment that includes Linux. This would typically be a software dev company. You might have to look hard, or move, to find a position. In the meantime, try doing side projects. Setting up LAMP servers is great practice because you'll get exposure to package management, network config, firewall config, etc.

The one issue I see with security is that someone fresh out of school doesn't always understand the technology. How do you harden Linux if you aren't very comfortable with it? You don't need 10+ years of admin work, but a few years would definitely give you a better understanding of the technology and how your controls will be implemented.

Just remember to find a position where you can learn. I never thought I'd be a Linux admin in under a year. You just have to work hard and get lucky.

srj

One additional thought - for school, look to something programming related. A degree that focuses on Linux is a waste imo (even moreso for Windows). What I mean by this is that you can easily self study these topics. What you want is a program that helps you understand concepts of programming and network architecture. This will be valuable regardless of what operating system or flavor of the year technology we're using.

Programming in a statically typed language will make you appreciate scripting languages. You'll also understand data types better. When you setup a logging program and it's complaining about receiving the wrong data type, then you'll understand why and the implications. After learning C and C++, many other languages feel familiar to you.

If you end up not enjoying IT, then software development has many opportunities for positions that pay just as well, or more.

Params7

If you find a niche within IT that you enjoy doing, that's pretty much like a calling. You'll enjoy specializing in it if you like doing it, even if there might be more money in other fields.