Should I even bother with Linux+ ?

ITcognito

Have never seen a job posting that mentioned it. Plus it's CompTIA, vendor neutral looked down upon in my locality. I looked at the exam objectives and I am already prepared for majority of it. Wouldn't it be better to just go for RedHat Certified Sytem Administrator? RHEL/CentOS/Fedora is already my favorite flavor of Linux anyways. What do you guys think?

LittleBIT

I can't really say much about Linux side of the house -- but you are right about the Linux+ cert. I've never come across a job asking for it. I've seen posts for job admin's, their requirements usually included some form of linux certification or proven knowledge. Just my two cents.

lsud00d

It was a requirement for a previous contract I was on so I have seen it in the wild. RHCSA would obviously be better to get if you have the skillset as it is a more advanced exam.

FWIW L+ was not an easy exam. It also consists of two separate tests to earn the certification.

CoolAsAFan

If you had 0 experience I would say go for L+, but since you have experience and say you already know the objectives, the RedHat path would definitely be the way to go.

And lsud00d was not joking when he said the Linux+ exams are not easy. I had 0 linux experience going in and failed lx0-102 my first time around, and fwiw, this was the only exam I have ever failed in my entire life lol(I'm ~30).

linuxlover

RHCSA is as beneficial as Linux+. I'm job hunting since last Thursday and I have yet to find someone looking for RHCSA. All Linux positions ask for RHCE, those jack-of-all-trades look for Linux+ together with MCSA/MCSE. So my advice is, if you're going the RedHat route, go for RHCE, otherwise if you're a noob you're better off with Linux+ because you won't be shooting for those positions that require RedHat certificates.

Bryzey

For me it was about learning Linux not getting a job. That was the value.

In the Linux world it's a out skills not certs from what I can tell.

lsud00d

FTR RHCSA is a precursor (and requirement prior) to RHCE. Also, the RHCSA exam is still somewhat new (came out in end of 2010) so I'm not surprised that you don't see it on many job postings.

linuxlover

That's not due to the age of the certificate, but due to different certificates serving different purposes and people not understanding that. You need to look at everything in life from the most logical point of view to make sense of it, not complicate it.

Comparing Linux+ to RHCSA is like comparing Network+ to CCNA. It cannot be compared, I've said it a million times before and people still ask these kinds of questions: "What should I go for, N+ or CCNA or L+ or RHCSA?". You don't need to be asking those questions, read the objectives and learn what the certificate is about and it will become clear in a second.

CompTIA N+ and L+ are vendor neutral, CCNA and RHCSA are vendor specific. That's it, case closed, end of discussion. If you understand that, it's very easy to make a decision. If you're a beginner trying to show employers you're cool shooting for that big break or foot in the door with a RHCSA applying for jobs where you will be working with Ubuntu at best, that doesn't make much sense to me. On the other hand, if you have years of commercial experience and are looking to crank it up a notch to get those 6 figures, you won't be studying for CompTIA I'm sure.

My general tip for every occasion is, if you ask about it go for the lower value cert until you understand what's what in this game.

ITrascal

that was very well put

DoubleNNs

ITrascal wrote: »

that was very well put

I agree.

Trashman

Price wise both are around $400 ($642 in Australia! for the Red Hat's!)
Prerequisites for Red Hat RHCSA: Combination of Red Hat System Administration I and Red Hat System Administration II courses or equivalent experience.

If you pass the Linux+ you have this "5 certifications in 1" going on if you follow the right process. I don't know how much value these have though (Linux+, LPIC-1+, Novell CLA and Novell DCTS etc.)

See CompTIA Linux+ and LPI LPIC-1 | Greg Porter's Blog

antielvis

OP: Traditionally Linux hasn't been a practice where certifications were common. This is because many of the people in the field came from a UNIX background where you either knew your stuff or you didn't. As more companies embrace Linux certifications will have more value. The other reason it's changing is that many of the old school UNIX dudes are getting old and retiring.

Remember one thing though. The Linux+ exam is actually the LPIC-1 exam. LPIC-1 considers the first level of the certification "junior system administrator". They also offer LPIC-2 and LPIC-3. Originally, CompTIA's Linux+ exam was much more basic and much easier. It was linux equivalent of A+ or Network+. In this incarnation it is not.

In my opinion, the completion of LPIC-1/Linux+ (both exams) gives you a good understanding of the basics of Linux. You'll be able to work comfortably in the CLI and do some day by day system administration.

daviddws

I am studying for the Linux+ right now. I worked with Linux in the beginning of my career, and want the cert for personal reasons. It will show however that I am well rounded in the current crop of technology certifications. This is important to me.

varelg

I got LPIC-1 back in the days before CompTIA gave up its control on their Linux+ cert in favor of LPI. If I was preparing now and it was LPIC-1 vs. Linux+, I'd go for the second. It is basically same, except the title. But still...
If however, had to choose between Linux+ and RHCSA, I'd choose the second BUT would absolutely NOT stop there and would go all the way till one notch above RHCE. In order to actually answer your dilemma, I'd have to know what are you starting with. Have you been using Linux as an admin? End- user Linux usage won't count much.
The reason why RH exams are appreciated among HR (and employers in general) is that it is a practical exam, so they give you a machine and say "I want this machine to be able to do this, this and this." and not a multiple- choice, hackable exams that you can prepare for hard, ram everything into your head and then forget everything you learned the day after the exam. You know, the "what can I say, I am a gifted test- taker" crowd.
Go for RHCSA but absolutely do not stop there. Just the other day I was looking into RHCE objectives, and you know what? RHCE may be easier exam than RHCSA.