RHCSA and CCNA

I knocked out Network+ and Security+ last year. Currently preparing to take the second test for Linux+ and then move on to a prep course with Linux Academy for RHCSA. I am also considering studying and buying a home lab for the CCNA. Does this make sense to do this, or are these tracks too divergent?

Thanks for the feedback

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Comments

DoubleNNs

Linux and Networking are a great combo. Any systems person should have some networking knowledge. Alternatively, automation skills and/or knowledge of the server endpoints on the network are invaluable for networking person.

Beyond the certs, what are your career goals?

UnixGuy

Excellent goals. Finish them and aim for RHCE/CCNP after, you can't go wrong with this path. You will learn a lot. Make sure you LAB LAB LAB

noswaith

I just recently moved into IT. Currently doing desktop support, but looking to advance to either a sysadmin position for RH or into a network position.

Levithan

Im looking to do this as well and have already set up a lab with RHEL 6 and 7, but the going is slow because work has taxed my free time. Any ideas on what sort of jobs you could expect with that combo? At my pevious job our management servers were on linux , as well as monitoring. Perhaps somewith with IaaS?

varelg

I wonder what made you go for RHCSA since you mentioned you are getting Linux+. The combination of Linux+ and CCNA should be a great one, already.

thatguy67

Those are two very legit entry-level certs. And Linux and networking are not too divergent, especially with the prospect of Cumulus Linux.

Muhammed H

Sorry for going off the topic; does having RHCSA level knowledge really gonna help someone to find a job as Linux admin? Because so far I have seen, even for junior Linux admin level jobs, employers look for people with couple of years of Linux experience. Not only that, they want candidates to know Nagios, chef/puppet/ansible , SQL etc etc.

JustFred

Yeah the demands are crazy, but if you know about 3 things on their list, i think you'd do fine.

9bits

I think if you're just starting in IT, it's good to have entry level certs in three core areas: administration, networking, and security. So for example, RHCSA, CCNA, and Security+ would be good entry level certs to go after. But once you've kind of got a path figured out and you've got a company willing to pay for certs, it's best to pick a single direction in line with your job and go that way.

danny069

I'm always for the hands on/physical aspect, but for the CCNA I don't think it is necessary. All you need is packet tracer. But, if you can afford it, then I say go for it. Get the appropriate cables and you can ssh to the console port via hyper terminal or putty.

noswaith

My employer values RHCSA over Linux+, so if I want to score a SA job that is what I will have to do.

_root

It makes plenty of sense..to me..because I'm doing this.
Well, I just passed RHCSA today, so gotta get started for CCNA (..and RHCE)

Verities

Congrats on the pass for RHCSA. Networking is a super important building block, so you can't go wrong with those types of certifications. As you get into higher levels of SA in the Linux field its more about experience than certifications. So if you want to continue moving upwards, learn as much as possible, spread out into the network services (i.e. DNS, DHCP, Apache, SQL) and keep on top of new open source technologies. There are so many marvelous tools that are free and they can help you immensely moving forward (i.e. Zabbix, Ansible) as a SA. Your ability to succeed in the Linux field depends on how much you want to invest in learning new things that can save your company money and allow you to do your job more efficiently.