Red Hat Certification Questions

I currently work in a mixed Linux (mostly Ubuntu) and Windows environment and have decided that I really want to up my game with Linux specifically. I may also be looking for pure Linux administration/engineering role in the future (assuming things pan out). My questions are:

-- Generally speaking (in the U.S.), what's the job market look like for mid-level Linux admins or engineers? I'm an admin now and would love to move into a more engineering role eventually.

-- I know pay is dependent on region/city, but do pure Linux positions usually pay higher or lower than the average?

-- I'm considering going for the RHCSA; is that enough (along with my experience) to grab a decent gig? Or should I press on after the RHCSA and grab the RHCE; or is it better to grab the RHCE once I have more practical experience with Red Hat specifically?

-- CentOS 7 vs. RHEL 7 Desktop vs. RHEL 7 Server. What's the difference? Someone told me I should just buy a single license (yearly) for RHEL 7. The difference between Desktop and Server is quite large (server = $800; desktop = $50). Or will CentOS 7 be enough to study up and pass?

-- What other skills would you recommend to compliment the RHCSA/RHCE? I've been steadily teaching myself Python for the last few months...

Thanks in advance for any answers and advice!

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Comments

darkerosxx

Jobs everywhere, but 90% of them are contract to hire.

I would say pay is average or higher, since there are more jobs than people taking them.

Job experience is almost always going to win out on certs for Linux, but RHCSA is a good place to start. An RHCE without job experience will have a hard time on interviews answering some experience related questions.

CentOS 7 = RHEL7. Never pay for any Linux you're using to study or lab. You only pay for Linux when you want support on it aka business applications.

Good luck!

ChickenNuggetz

darkerosxx wrote: »

Jobs everywhere, but 90% of them are contract to hire.

I would say pay is average or higher, since there are more jobs than people taking them.

Job experience is almost always going to win out on certs for Linux, but RHCSA is a good place to start. An RHCE without job experience will have a hard time on interviews answering some experience related questions.

CentOS 7 = RHEL7. Never pay for any Linux you're using to study or lab. You only pay for Linux when you want support on it aka business applications.

Good luck!

Thanks for the reply! I figured CentOS 7 would be enough, just wanted to make sure. I do have some experience in Linux as about 25% of my company's systems are Ubuntu server. I do agree that I don't think I'd be quite ready to jump in on the deep end and go for RHCE right after RHCSA as the experience I do have doesn't really coincide with the RHCE exam objectives.

As a follow up question, would just having the RHCSA plus about 3 years of sysadmin experience (of which about 25-30% is Linux) be enough to land a solid Linux admin role? I guess I'm just trying to set my expectations here.

Thanks again!

darkerosxx

That's tough to tell. A junior role, for sure though.