Linux Experience?

Anyone have any suggestions for how I can show some linux experience? Every job I have find in NY requires you to have a 2-5 year background in an enterprise environment with linux, yet I can't provide that if I can't get hired. I know that certifications is a good way but I'm not ready for the RHCE yet, and I'm working on LPIC.

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RouteThisWay

Get a Linux cert. You already have a wide array of certs. And apply. Regardless if it says 2-5 yrs experience.

I think a lot of people miss job opportunities because they see the job req's, feel they don't qualify, so don't apply. I didn't have the req'd time to apply for my job, I did anyway. And got it.

The reason employers ask for x years of experience? They want someone knowledgeable. Demonstrate you have that knowledge. In the interview, come across as knowledgeable and well versed in the position you are applying for. And show that you have the potential to learn the job.

Doing self study and getting certified on your own before getting a job shows that you want to do the work and have sacrificed your own time outside of work to get there. Just be able to translate your learning while getting certified, orally in an interview.

NightShade03

Yeah I'm working on the LPIC, just have alot going on at the moment. I have been applying anyway (I always do) even if I don't meet the requirements. The problem like I said was the emails that I am getting back saying I'm not qualified enough. I guess that without the exp I will need to rely solely on certs to get me in the door.

Bl8ckr0uter

NightShade03 wrote: »

Yeah I'm working on the LPIC, just have alot going on at the moment. I have been applying anyway (I always do) even if I don't meet the requirements. The problem like I said was the emails that I am getting back saying I'm not qualified enough. I guess that without the exp I will need to rely solely on certs to get me in the door.

How much exp do you have with linux? I read your blog and you seem very knowledgeable. If I were you, I would play up your Linux knowledge and you future linux certification and see where that leads you.

NightShade03

I am no guru but I can def hold my own. I run some mail servers/web servers. I mange a LAMP stack @ work and a good amount of time is invested in application development on the LAMP stack. I also manage a few linux servers @ work and @ home. My day to day use is on a MAC and linux boxes so I'm pretty comfortable.

I still need some more experience on the nitty gritty (compiling a kernel, performance tuning, ldap).

MentholMoose

NightShade03 wrote: »

Anyone have any suggestions for how I can show some linux experience?

There are many services that can run well on a Linux box, so find a use for it at your current employer and implement it.

Bl8ckr0uter

NightShade03 wrote: »

I am no guru but I can def hold my own. I run some mail servers/web servers. I mange a LAMP stack @ work and a good amount of time is invested in application development on the LAMP stack. I also manage a few linux servers @ work and @ home. My day to day use is on a MAC and linux boxes so I'm pretty comfortable.

I still need some more experience on the nitty gritty (compiling a kernel, performance tuning, ldap).

1 word: LAB. You may not be able to "make experience" but I think that putting some of you lab exp (if done tastefully) could at least get an employers second glance. Knowing MS+*nix very well would make you very valuable to any company.

NightShade03

knwminus wrote: »

1 word: LAB. You may not be able to "make experience" but I think that putting some of you lab exp (if done tastefully) could at least get an employers second glance. Knowing MS+*nix very well would make you very valuable to any company.

Yeah I have an extensive lab going, just a matter of making the time to use it lol

RouteThisWay

knwminus wrote: »

1 word: LAB. You may not be able to "make experience" but I think that putting some of you lab exp (if done tastefully) could at least get an employers second glance. Knowing MS+*nix very well would make you very valuable to any company.

Absolutely.

Paul Boz made a great post in one of my threads about how he drew up a network diagram of his home lab, and he found out later down the road that was a winning factor in getting his job.

Don't discount your lab time as a waste and no experience. Translate that into learning. I also read your blog and you seem very do seem knowledgeable

Good luck!

dynamik

RouteThisWay wrote: »

Paul Boz made a great post in one of my threads about how he drew up a network diagram of his home lab, and he found out later down the road that was a winning factor in getting his job.

Paul Boz also adamantly contends that Linux is free because it sucks so bad, and people would clearly pay for it if was halfway decent

While I seriously hear him say that 2-3 times per week, his portfolio idea is solid, and I think that's great advice. There will certainly be people who couldn't care less about that, but having something like that will never hurt you.

UnixGuy

NightShade03 wrote: »

I am no guru but I can def hold my own. I run some mail servers/web servers. I mange a LAMP stack @ work and a good amount of time is invested in application development on the LAMP stack. I also manage a few linux servers @ work and @ home. My day to day use is on a MAC and linux boxes so I'm pretty comfortable.

I still need some more experience on the nitty gritty (compiling a kernel, performance tuning, ldap).

That experience alone, should land you some jobs IMHO. Keep applying.

RouteThisWay

dynamik wrote: »

Paul Boz also adamantly contends that Linux is free because it sucks so bad, and people would clearly pay for it if was halfway decent

Forsaken_GA

If you have a few boxes setup at home, mock up an enterprise environment.

For example, at home, I have 3 servers. One of them is my database server. One of them is my web server. One of them is my storage server.

Between the three of them, I have essentially every single thing a modern enterprise would need. Mail, dns, everything is single authenticated through LDAP. I run monitoring software (nagios) to keep track of the status of my servers and network. I run a suite that polls my devices via SNMP (cacti) so i can graph my network and servers trends (ie, showing a history of my storage servers disk usage is just as important as showing a history of my networks bandwidth usage). I run MediaWiki to function as my knowledge base, I run a ticketing system that functions as my to-do list, I have Network UPS tools setup to monitor the status of my two UPS's, and so on and so forth.

I also have everything fully documented and diagramed, and the next time I go to a job interview, it will be following me so I have something to show off when we discuss what I'm experienced with, so I can show actual tangible results instead of just talking generalized about stuff that I do at my real job (since NDA's tend to interfere with you being able to get too specific). I'll also have a guest login setup so that if they want to verify functionality by taking my mockup for a spin, they can do so.

Run your home network and server farm like you would a production one, and it can do nothing but good for your career.

NightShade03

technique wrote: »

I would recommend you to get started with the RHCT cert. This would also be a base for your RHCE if you want to enhance further. You rightly said that it would be very difficult to get your foot in the door without any certs.

Actually I'm working on the LPIC series exams. I know they don't hold as much weight as the RHCT/RHCE however they are cheaper and I have a better shot at passing those currently.

The red hat exams are on my to do list before the year is out though.

NightShade03

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

I also have everything fully documented and diagramed, and the next time I go to a job interview, it will be following me so I have something to show off when we discuss what I'm experienced with, so I can show actual tangible results instead of just talking generalized about stuff that I do at my real job (since NDA's tend to interfere with you being able to get too specific). I'll also have a guest login setup so that if they want to verify functionality by taking my mockup for a spin, they can do so.

Run your home network and server farm like you would a production one, and it can do nothing but good for your career.

You really think that you can apply this as actual experience? I mean don't get me wrong if you can that'd be awesome. I have quiet a few servers now although they are ubuntu (not redhat) and aren't really in a "production" setup...more like a few services here a few services there type deal.

mikedisd2

NightShade03 wrote: »

Anyone have any suggestions for how I can show some linux experience? Every job I have find in NY requires you to have a 2-5 year background in an enterprise environment with linux, yet I can't provide that if I can't get hired. I know that certifications is a good way but I'm not ready for the RHCE yet, and I'm working on LPIC.

I noticed in another thread you run a few unix web servers at your work. Isn't that enough to tweak your resume with "x years experience in maintaining unix servers"?

NightShade03

Yes, however I've only been @ my current job for 5 months...so no "x" years yet. I have def changed my resume up to emphasize the amount of linux experience I currently have though.

Forsaken_GA

NightShade03 wrote: »

You really think that you can apply this as actual experience? I mean don't get me wrong if you can that'd be awesome. I have quiet a few servers now although they are ubuntu (not redhat) and aren't really in a "production" setup...more like a few services here a few services there type deal.

It's all about how you sell yourself. If I'm an interviewer and some kid comes in and tells me he knows all about Unix because he runs a couple servers at home, I'm going to laugh at him and he probably won't get a second interview.

If someone comes in with a full diagram and documentation on their own mockups, that shows me that they have organizational skills, communication skills, and actual implementation skills (and trust me, most organizations are horrible at keeping their documentation and diagrams up to date... it'll make an impression).

Artists (whether it be animators, musicians, painters, etc) are expected to show their work to be taken seriously, no reason it can't work in the favor of an IT professional as well. It's a good way to set yourself apart from the crowd. Especially in the Unix world. Most long time Unix guys don't respect certs, the only thing they care about is whether or not you have the chops to hang with them. If you can demonstrate that up front, you've got a much better chance of getting a call back, whether it's for an offer or second interview.

NightShade03

What do you use for documenting you network/servers (if you don't mind my asking)? I know that you said you use media wiki, but you can't really take that with you. I usually use Visio and hand written notes when documenting things...is there an open source <something> that I can use too?

dynamik

NightShade03 wrote: »

What do you use for documenting you network/servers (if you don't mind my asking)? I know that you said you use media wiki, but you can't really take that with you.

I use MediaWiki running from XAMPP within a TrueCrypt container on my thumb drive for a lot of things...

Forsaken_GA

NightShade03 wrote: »

What do you use for documenting you network/servers (if you don't mind my asking)? I know that you said you use media wiki, but you can't really take that with you. I usually use Visio and hand written notes when documenting things...is there an open source <something> that I can use too?

I do indeed use MediaWiki for my documenting, but I format them nicely so they lend themselves to printing. For diagraming, I use OmniGraffle Pro (Mac person), it lets me get away with NOT using Visio, but it'll also export in Visio XML format, so it can be shared with Visio users. As far as open source diagramming software goes, Dia is pretty good if you don't need to actually share the binary file with others (aka, with Visio users) and just want to put something together to print out