Linux+ (3-in-1) vs RHCSA

dragonsden

Hi everyone,

I'm currently exploring which path I should take for getting more Linux knowledge, and also increasing marketability.
I have a Linux Academy monthly account right now, and they have tons of options.

I already have a decent base of Linux knowledge, but I want a solid understanding to help my pentesting career forward. I know the Linux+ path is vendor neutral and by certifying, you can also get LPIC-1 and SUSE CLA. But is the RHCSA collectively worth more than those?

I know in enterprise, lots of companies are using Red Hat, so that's 1 point for going the RHCSA route. But 3 certs for 1 effort also is appealing. At the end of the day though, its a time/money question and what are you actually going to learn. C

Could someone who studies for and passes RHCSA, turn around without additional study and pass the L+ (essentially knocking out 4 certs for 1 study effort)? If I go the L+ route and pass, how much more or less studying is needed to in turn pass RHCSA.

I'm just hoping to map out the best path since my cert study time is minimal with family, Masters, work.

Appreciate the Feedback.

ITSpectre

Im in the same boat as you and I will tell you my opinion from getting advice from here and reading the boards. I feel that Linux+ is just a "filler" certification. CompTia has the Flagship trio aka A+, Net+, Sec+ that serve as the beginning of one persons career in IT. Now what CompTia has done to try to compete with other certification is offer a cheaper easier alternative to Linux, Cloud, Project Management etc... CompTia in my opinion is trying to create filler certs that try to lead up to the main certs... when in reality nobody is asking for them, and they are not a good ROI.... also I have never heard of ANYONE asking for the LPIC-1 certs here in America... now if you are planning to go across the pond... England will be all over that.

I am reading through the linux+ book myself and its good to get the 3 for 1 combo.... BUT what you have to realize is that most people do not ask for Linux+ they ask for Redhat. Also for Linux+ you have to learn 3 different OS of Linux because even though its neutral... its trying to teach you all the different ways to do the same thing... which IMO is confusing to me, and anyone else who has not played with Linux extensively. Since you already have a Linux Academy sub, then I would learn CentOS which is the free version of redhat. I would skip the "Filler" certification and get the better one which is "RedHat". I understand that people will say "Linux+ is a good intro cert to linux but its a filler cert to me.

Linux+ teaches the basics from a neutral point. You are learning 3 different OS systems of linux in one book. Save yourself the time and money and just get RedHat. I have looked at Linux jobs in my area and not 1 asked about Linux+, they wanted RCHSA. They also get you with the 3 for 1 combo. Give CompTia your money and you will get 2 free Linux Certs because the LPIC-1 and the Linux+ tests are the same. So you are essentially getting 3 pieces of paper with no ROI.

Do a Job search for Pentesting jobs in your area and see what certs the job description wants... that will tell you the right way to go.

If you get the RHCSA cert (highly reccomend) it would be of no use to you to get the L+. You have to think like "will this cert help me get to where I am trying to go? and are employers looking for people that have it? If the answer to that is no... then the certification is not worth getting... Keep in mind reading and studying books should be something you should do... but you really don't have to sit for the L+ Exam to get the basics of Linux down....

Ask yourself this question. Is it worth it to get 3 certifications that will end up just being pieces of paper with no ROI?? or is it better since you already have the basics down and have access to the academy... get the better certification that people WILL ask for and that is in demand???

dragonsden

Thanks for the reply. I think I now agree. As I am not starting my IT career, but 20 years in, L+ wouldn't give me much forward traction. I work with the DoD and I believe that they are moving in the RHEL direction anyway for server infrastructure, so starting with RHSCA would be the way to go.

I started on RedHat years ago, back when I had to compile my own drivers to get a video card to work. It was time consuming, hence I didnt stick with it as I was a young guy and had better things to do on the weekend. Now though, as a family man, I'm after certs towards a solid knowledge base and a career in pen testing.

Linux Academy does have a good platform, so glad Im not in too deep with Linux+ studying. Now RHCSA is on my radar!

OctalDump

It depends on your local job market which is more valuable, but it does appear that the RHCSA is a better option in the US generally. RHCE is much more asked for, though.

The 3 for one for Linux+ isn't hugely valuable, but it might be useful for 'showing' SUSE knowledge. LPIC might have more visibility in some markets, also.

The two exams are quite different. RHCSA is performance based where the methods don't matter as much as the end result. Linux+ is traditional multiple guess, fill in the blank type stuff. RHCSA is about getting stuff done on Red Hat. Linux+ is about understanding the basics of multiple flavours of Linux.
If you did RHCSA first, you would need to circle back and learn how many things work on Debian like systems, and some of the other 'old' ways of doing things.

In some ways the RHCSA before Linux+ can be useful for getting the hands on, which Linux+ doesn't do as well. Once you are reasonably confident with Linux, then studying for Linux+ should be easier.

doctorlexus

Would you say Linux+ has more memorization than RHCSA?

OctalDump

doctorlexus wrote: »

Would you say Linux+ has more memorization than RHCSA?

I would say that memorisation as a strategy would work better for Linux+ than RHCSA. They are quite different exams. The Linux+ is fairly typical multiple guess and fill in the blanks kind of thing. The RHCSA, you are actually in front of virtual computers configuring things as you might do in the real world.

For RHCSA, you can install whatever RedHat tools are available to achieve a task. If you prefer GUI, then you get a GUI up and do it that way. If you prefer particular commands, you install and use those. You still have to remember stuff, but you can remember your way.

But Linux+ will ask you fairly specific stuff like what does this command do when run with these flags. I think there are also things like what is the path to this config file or command. So there's stuff that you could try to just memorise instead of learn. And some of it is stuff that Linux admins would know because they've done it 24,000 times, which I guess sort of counts as memorisation.

lodis86

This cert was actually really tough.

Verities

dragonsden wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I'm currently exploring which path I should take for getting more Linux knowledge, and also increasing marketability.
I have a Linux Academy monthly account right now, and they have tons of options.

I already have a decent base of Linux knowledge, but I want a solid understanding to help my pentesting career forward. I know the Linux+ path is vendor neutral and by certifying, you can also get LPIC-1 and SUSE CLA. But is the RHCSA collectively worth more than those?

I know in enterprise, lots of companies are using Red Hat, so that's 1 point for going the RHCSA route. But 3 certs for 1 effort also is appealing. At the end of the day though, its a time/money question and what are you actually going to learn. C

Could someone who studies for and passes RHCSA, turn around without additional study and pass the L+ (essentially knocking out 4 certs for 1 study effort)? If I go the L+ route and pass, how much more or less studying is needed to in turn pass RHCSA.

I'm just hoping to map out the best path since my cert study time is minimal with family, Masters, work.

Appreciate the Feedback.

I would go with the Linux + route since you just need general knowledge for the career path you are wanting to pursue. The ROI is really what you make of it in terms of effort, just like any other certification or a college degree. If you are going the security field route, you most likely won't be needing to specialize in Red Hat, which is what the Red Hat certifications are for. However, I just don't see RHCSA being of value to you for what you want to do.

If you really want to pursue the RHCSA after Linux +, you'll need to do a lot more studying and labbing. Hands on exams are a lot different than multiple choice exams, so you need to either be able to accomplish all the objectives outlined for the EX200 exam or be able to find examples of how to accomplish a task in the man pages and --help.

Just my two cents as I work in the Linux field, have both certifications, and have seen an ROI on both.

Chinook

First question: Are you looking to learn Linux for pen-testing to run the tools in Linux or because you hope to be doing penetration testing against Linux (ie web orientated pen testing). Keep in mind this

Red Hat: typically used in the Enterprise (it costs money)
Ubuntu/Debian: Common in web environments because of cost.

LPIC-1: Multiple choice exam. Upon completion you'll have a solid understanding of basic Linux fundamentals. Do employers ask for it? Not frequently because the truth is a lot of Linux employers don't put much faith in certifications. Work in the industry and you'll meet grizzled old masters of Linux who don't even have A+

Red Hat Cert: Exam is hands on/practical. It's more difficult because of that. Teaches you the basics of administrating Red Hat/Cent OS geared toward an Enterprise environment. Optically the certificate has more value than LPIC-1 but if you know Linux you know it. The technical interview guy will weed you out in minutes.

My own personal feeling on LPIC is that it's "the best" entry level certification there is in Linux. You'll walk away and be able to walk the walk & talk the talk. If you move on up to LPIC-2, you'll go deep into Apache.

Honestly, the key to Linux commands are repetition. I first learned the ls command back in the 90's. Of all commands on all computer platforms it's the one I'm least likely to ever forget. Repetition drills it in your head & those commands rarely every change.

PS. Linux+ = much cheaper than the Red Hat exam too.