Is this certification worth the $400?

LeisureSuitLarry

I used Linux a lot in the 90's, but I'm fairly rusty, as was evident with my mediocre performance in a phone interview where I got unexpectedly blasted with Linux questions. So I'm looking to brush up. Would Linux+ be the best path to go, and is it worth the $400 price tag?

NetworkNewb

Does the jobs you are wanting require it? If so, it might... If not, probably not...

DoubleNNs

It helped me land a new job working closely with Linux. The new job also came with a pay increase.

Whether it's worth it for you is more of a question you have to ask yourself, considering your goals and current skills. However, the Linux+ certification isn't a highly sought after or even "impressive" cert to have. The material learned on it is invaluable if it's your first exposure to Linux or the administration side. The certification also shows your continual education and interest in Linux. But no employer will actually contact you BECAUSE of the certification.

My personal opinion - looking at your 2 certs I'd say finish the 2nd half of the CCNA instead. You can go thru the Linux+ material without doing the cert and the CCNA will make a much larger impact on your resume, even if you don't end up staying on the Networking corner of the field.

Slowhand

These days, it might be worth it to go for Linux+ since you can earn two other certs right along with it if you sign up in the correct order: LPIC-1 Linux Server Professional - Linux Professional Institute Linux Professional Institute

LeisureSuitLarry

I'm working on CCNA Wireless now (no interest in R&S). After that, I was thinking of taking up some Linux studies. The multiple certs for Linux+ is a nice extra.

DoubleNNs

I'm looking into taking the Red Hat RHCSA and RHCE certifications within a few months -- my aim is both before March 2016.

If you look at my current certs, I have almost nothing BUT CompTIAs. Linux, A+, Net+, and Sec+. Notwithstanding, I believe if anyone has to ask if any Certification+ is worth the $$$, it probably isn't, with only few exceptions.

Regardless of what you end up deciding, check out Linux Academy. I'm not alone and I'm sure many others on this forum would say they can't recommend the site enough, especially when at the beginner/intermediate level. They also have a lot of cloud and devops material there, which I think is rad.

TechGuru80

Many certifications have value beyond just the certification label.

What does a certification do? Essentially it validates you have a minimum amount of knowledge in a certain area. Linux touches many aspects of systems / networks / security.

How much time does preparation take? Knowledge is power, and the more you have the better off you will be. Not to mention there are a ton of "Windows" people, but "Linux" people are far fewer.

If you really want to know how many jobs are out there...you can search job sites for a certain certification. As long as you don't go crazy with way off the cuff type of certifications and stick to major topics you will be fine. Sometimes its hard to predict what part of your resume makes you stick out...having a variety of subjects is good.

fuz1on

For me, Linux+ was worth it - and I even failed LX0-102 the first time! I really hadn't touched much RedHat for a while so it was great refresher course for CentOS/RHEL most companies use. Also, failing LX0-102 made me re-evaluate my work ethic - pushing me harder - because I had leaned too much on my previous experience and not on using the correct resources. I made sure I passed it the 2nd time around and it's been an extremely effective HR screen filter for sysadmin roles. BTW, sometimes you can get deals on the tests so it can be a lil cheaper than $400.

Liindolade

LeisureSuitLarry wrote: »

I used Linux a lot in the 90's, but I'm fairly rusty, as was evident with my mediocre performance in a phone interview where I got unexpectedly blasted with Linux questions. So I'm looking to brush up. Would Linux+ be the best path to go, and is it worth the $400 price tag?

Seems like your primary motivation is to learn about Linux, not the cert?

Then you don't have to decide right now whether the cert is worth it for you.

For now, I would simply use Linux+ study material to learn about Linux. Use it as a study framework and to give you an idea which areas you're strong/weak in.

When you're done you will know exactly what level of knowledge Linux+ represents, and at this point it should be much easier to decide whether you want the certification or not. Then you can still go for the certification if you want to, and if you don't, you will have gained the knowledge but saved the money.

This is what I did about one year ago, and it worked out quite well. I got the knowledge I needed, skipped the Linux+ exams and spent the money on a certification I really wanted.

Slightly off topic here, but I would like to recommend the "The Linux Command Line" book to you. I think it would be quite useful as a rust remover, without being too verbose regarding the basics. It can be downloaded as a PDF at http://linuxcommand.org/tlcl.php

LeisureSuitLarry

Liindolade wrote: »

I would like to recommend the "The Linux Command Line" book to you. I think it would be quite useful as a rust remover, without being too verbose regarding the basics. It can be downloaded as a PDF at The Linux Command Line by William E. Shotts, Jr.

Thanks much, I'll give this a look. And good points on studying Linux+ with the tests being optional.

The_Expert

In my opinion, yes... It's good to have an OS Certification in your "bag of tricks." And Linux stands out a lot more than just any plain-old Windows cert.

From the CompTIA Certs - Sec+ and Linux+ are the only ones I would consider renewing (Linux+ currently does not expire).

Chinook

I know Comptia certifications are often maligned on this forum, but Linux+ = LPIC 1. I have the cert and it gives you a solid foundation in all things Linux. It's $400.00 well spent if you want to get into the world of Linux.

There are lots of Linux guys who don't have certifications. This is because they're the old guard types who grew up on it & certs were meaningless. This was compounded by the MCSE 4.0 which became a literal joke in the eyes of the technology industry back in the late 90s. But times change & recruiting changes so certs are beneficial.

You get the best value out of LPIC -2 which goes deep into Apache. Depends if you want to be a LAMP guy or a Enterprise RH guy.

LeisureSuitLarry

Chinook wrote: »

You get the best value out of LPIC -2 which goes deep into Apache. Depends if you want to be a LAMP guy or a Enterprise RH guy.

At this point, most any job would do, but given the choice, I think I'd rather be an enterprise redhat guy. Unfortunately, the redhat exams are too expensive in both price and the statistical likelihood that I'd have to take it more than once.

Swift6

Linux+ is a great cert to have with the added value of having LPIC-1 and SUSE CLA.
From a personal point of view, it is a fantastic learning experience to brush off your rust. From an recruiter point of view, it demonstrates willingness to learn and advance.
All in all, money well spent.

fuz1on

Chinook wrote: »

Depends if you want to be a LAMP guy or a Enterprise RH guy.

Or a MEAN guy!

Justin-

Would you guys say that if I was to start on a Linux cert that I should go for Linux+ or RHCSA? I've been reading around and RHCSA seems to have a lot more value in the industry because a lot of companies use the RH environment. Thanks.

DoubleNNs

@Justin- : if you're trying to get hired because of a certification and want to focus solely on Linux - definitely go for the RHCSA. It's both recognized and well regarded in the industry and also has you build out the skills needed to excel at any entry-to-mid level Linux position.

However, if you plan on building up other skills, such as automation, virtualization, security, etc and plan to having Linux only be a single facet (and not the sole portion) of your role, then honestly, I don't think either would really matter. At that point, you're working more on your skills and how they interact and less on the OS itself, so you're most likely getting hired on your ability to apply multiple disciplines to the business rather than the depth of knowledge or credentials on the Linux OS itself.

Not saying that the Linux+ doesn't teach you a lot - it sure as hell does. But it's not a cert that impresses as much to get you that first Linux-centric role.

I used the Linux+ to get my first Sys Admin job. But I think I got hired more so for the wide breadth of tech I've touch in a relatively short amount of time (I joined TechExams while I was still trying to break into IT, for a reference point), basic scripting skills, interest in DevOps tools (config mgmt, containers, cloud, etc), and my thirst for knowledge. I was NOT hired for my extensive experience or intricate Linux skill - tho I was able to answer a lot of the technical questions only because of studying for the Linux+.

blargoe

I see this certification (Linux+/LPIC-1) as one of many incremental investments. Is it worth $400? By itself with no further progression/investment, probably not. For myself, I recognized the need to demonstrate at least entry/junior level Linux ops skills to supplement a broader set of skills in the datacenter, some of which for me have more depth. Going through a structured, standardized set of criteria and certifying competency in my case is worth the money, IMO.

OctalDump

@$400 it only needs to make a very small difference to your earnings to be worth it (about $3/week). RHCE definitely is worth it, but is about 4x the price.

If you don't want to spend money on the Linux+ exams, you could use the study material to brush up and then jump into the RHCSA/RHCE path. Assuming that you want to be a Linux admin, of course.

The key to passing RHCSA/RHCE is to lab over and over, so that you can do it without looking anything up. The exams aren't too hard if you are well rehearsed.

Mike-Mike

i think it is worth it. Every interview I have ever had for a tech job has asked if I knew Linux. when I say "a little bit" that doesn't mean anything.

If I could say, "I'm not an expert by any means, but I have Linux+" that would probably be helpful

Dakinggamer87

I think it's worth it as others have mentioned above especially if you want to venture into a Linux Administrator/Engineer role. It was a great refresher for me during my time at WGU. It definitely added some knowledge outside of the cert itself on my resume.

I would say doing the Linux+ before the RHCSA/RHCE would be most beneficial.


Good luck in your studies

OctalDump

Mike-Mike wrote: »

i think it is worth it. Every interview I have ever had for a tech job has asked if I knew Linux. when I say "a little bit" that doesn't mean anything.

If I could say, "I'm not an expert by any means, but I have Linux+" that would probably be helpful

Yeah, this is kind of the benefit of having a certification. It's like shorthand for I know all these things, my skills are at about this level.

The alternative is to start talking about what you can do, to clarify with them what they actually want (and it often turns out that they aren't that sure themselves), and spend 5 or 10 minutes discussing it.

JockVSJock

No, its not worth it. CompTIA has no value in today's IT Marketplace.

Best advice that I've seen given on this forum is look at job posting in your area and see what certs and skills they are looking for, and work towards those. We need to look at ROI as in time and effort you put into a cert Vs what you get back from it.

I got my Linux+ back in 2009 and no one ever contacted me for positions on it. No one. It was a complete fluke that I landed a Linux System Admin position with it in 2014. I was in the right place at the right time...

You can spend the same $400 and apply it towards a Red Hat Certified System Admin. That cert is all hands on, where you learn real knowledge and gain real skills.