LINUX+ vs LPIC vs LFCS

Hi,

I'm kickstarting my IT career, and I wish to prepare for a linux certification I currently was as a tier 1 tech support and I beleive I might get more career advance and opportunities with certifications.

I heard much about Red Hat programs, but I'm in Africa, and can't find trainning centers and certification centers to pass the exam, next I heard about CompTIA Linux+, not very popular in my region, then came LPIC started reading the course with some months ago, then I heard of Linux Foundation as being the toughest and most effective linux program in the field.

Now, having no professional experience and kick starting my career, I wish to chose between Linux+, LPIC and LFCS. Which one could probably give me the best foundations to go as far as possible.

Thanks

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Verities

Linux + and LPIC-1 are pretty much the same exams. Linux + is more well known in the US due to CompTIA being such a big player in the certification industry and is a lifetime cert. LPI isn't as well known in the US, but they cover a good amount of content in their exams and their certifications last 5 years. Both of the the exams are multiple choice. The Linux Foundation has been around for a while, but LFCS is the new kid on the block and is a practical exam. The certification lasts 2 years, which is very short in my opinion.

My suggestion is to search job boards for "Linux" in your area and look for the certification that pops up the most, then move towards that one. However, if you plan on furthering your career in Linux past the basics, I would go with LPIC-1 (later on complete LPIC-2/3) or LFCS (later on complete LFCE).

si20

This is just my personal opinion, if I was you, i'd do the Linux+, the the RHCE. Or if you want to jump in at the deep end, do the RHCE first. Before setting off on this journey, you need to know beforehand if it's worth it. I did the Linux+ but there aren't any Junior Linux Administrator roles anywhere near me - in fact, they rarely if ever show up. Most Linux jobs are advanced level and involve puppet/squid etc and some pretty intense scripting. Unless you live in an area where there is an abundance of Linux-related roles, i'd consider this quite carefully. I'm proud I passed the Linux+, but it hasn't done much for me jobwise and I don't think it will purely because of where I live.

n4pst3r

Hi guys

Thanks for your replies, si20...as I earlier mentionned, Red Hat track is not really an option, apart from south africa, nigeria and two countries in north africa, there is no way to get certified either RHCSA or RHCE.

hperezf

Try to buy the bundle of lfcs+course (online), it really worth it.

I'm rhcsa, lfcs and cla/sca; the new version of the lfcs was improved and it's well focused. A lot of tasks are like day-to-day real tasks in production environments, i work with Red-Hat everyday (versions from 3 to 7).

Also, you can use the Linuxacademy courses (labs) to complement your studies.

In this case the practicum is the challenge and you're going to earn real life skills.

Regards.

duta74

Linux+ = Lpic-1, but if they are not popular in your country, you can get LFCS Training + Exam bundle with 50% discount till 22.12.2016:
https://training.linuxfoundation.org/linux-courses/system-administration-training/essentials-of-system-administration choose "Course + Certification Bundle (Best Value)" "Register Now"
and than in checkout page use coupon code: HOLIDAY50

OctalDump

I'd go LFCS as the first option. It is a hands on, practical exam, and you can do it from home (online proxy). So it's closer to Red Hat. They also offer it for various flavours (OpenSUSE, Ubuntu and CentOS), so you can take the one most appropriate to you. Ultimately, it is the hands on skills that matter most (at least initially).

The problem I have with Linux+ (and LPIC-1 by extension) is that the exam tries to cover all of Linux, so you need quite detailed knowledge on how to do tasks on different distros. In practice, you tend to learn one distro well, and then if you need to use another, you just google or man page the exact syntax.

Also Linux+/LPIC-1 are fairly basic certifications (despite the difficulty). However, Cisco Net Acad and IBM (I think) do offer free self paced training for Linux+. Even if you don't pursue the certifications this can be useful to get your skills up, without the pressure of trying to remember all the flags for apt-get and yum.

OctalDump

gamingmaster1 wrote: »

All it matters is if you can work with Linux. If yes, good for you. If no, no matter how many certificates you have attained, they will not hire you.

Not always true, unfortunately. Although if you can't do it, you will usually be found out pretty quickly.

hannism

Hi n4pst3r,

The LPIC-1 and Linux+ are the same test. If you pass the Linux+, then you also get the LPIC-1 and Suse Linux certifications. One test, you get three certs.

The Linux+/LPIC-1 training is actually pretty good. The test in my opinion is pretty bogus. In the real world, a linux admin would use man or info pages to look up the switches for a command. On the Linux+/LPIC-1 certification, there are two parts (LX-103/LX-104) to it. And there are parts where you have to fill in the blank, and type the command and the switch.

Some of the commands and switches are obscure, so again, in my opinion, kinda bogus.

To be fair, I haven't taken the LCFS exams.

Here's another thing to consider. The LCF certifications only last two years, before you have to retake or recertify.

The CompTIA Linux+, at the moment, is a lifetime cert. The LPIC-1 lasts five years. I'm not sure how long the SUSE Linux Cert is good for.

Regardless, I think either option would be good. But, go with whatever certification is more valuable in your area.

p@r0tuXus

The LPIC-1 and Linux+ are the same test. If you pass the Linux+, then you also get the LPIC-1 and Suse Linux certifications. One test, you get three certs.

I have a lot of respect for hannism and their posts, I am a follower in-fact! However, this isn't factually correct, I'm afraid. The LPIC-1 and Linux+ tests are not the same. They're offered through different vendors and in my research I found the LPIC-1 is actually a bit harder than the Linux+. Another difference is that if you get the Linux+ you can apply to receive your LPIC-1 for free as the CompTIA certification will count towards it, but they are not "backwards compatible," meaning you cannot pass the LPIC-1 and apply for the CompTIA cert (which is crazy since test-takers have said it's actually harder). Additionally, you can no longer use the Linux+ cert for qualification to apply for your OpenSuse certification. They removed it from qualification a few months ago.

OctalDump

p@r0tuXus wrote: »

However, this isn't factually correct, I'm afraid.

It was LPIC which allowed you to get SUSE CLP (and the other variations, including Novell CLA). And yes this stopped at end of August 2016, however it can still act as the prerequisite if you want to pursue SUSE Certified Linux Engineer and other higher SUSE certifications, as a replacement for SUSE Certified Administrator.

hannism

I stand corrected. I hate spreading bad info. Also, good to know about the new change with the Suse Linux certification.

p@r0tuXus

It was LPIC which allowed you to get SUSE CLP (and the other variations, including Novell CLA).

I had wondered about this, but I thought since I could get the Linux+ and still get the LPIC cert, then I'd go that route as opposed to the LPIC & SUSE pairing which might look better still. Thanks for the info!

n4pst3r

Thanks guys...

Definitely, in my area LFCS is not yet popular and it just last 2 years, mean while LPIC-1 spans through 5 years and is tougher than Linux+. I beleive i'll just go for it !

Thanks to everyone

Cheers

Verities

Good luck n4pst3r! I highly recommend after you pursue the LPIC-1, that you continue your studies with the LPIC-2 objectives and eventually the LPIC-3 objectives, since LPI does a great job covering practical Linux knowledge.

egyasia.com

You can just go for Linux+ and u will automatically get LPIC-1 if u pass Linux+

duta74

egyasia.com wrote: »

You can just go for Linux+ and u will automatically get LPIC-1 if u pass Linux+

+1

You can start with this book:
CompTIA Linux+ / LPIC-1 Cert Guide Premium Edition and Practice Test | Pearson IT Certification
You can buy it with 30% discount using code: LINUX45
It isn't best of best, but buying Premium version, you received Pearson IT Certification Practice Test software with 4 practice exam for each Linux+ exam. Also received 30 day unlimited access to safaribooksonline:
https://www.safaribooksonline.com/
From there I recommended this course:
https://www.safaribooksonline.com/library/view/comptia-linux/9780134426365/

Good luck!

p1d0f

so Linux+ is very recomended for it