We’ve stirred up a controversy around the issue of whether Linux system admins have a future or not.
My opinion is the long-term opportunities are limited, so only the best will find positions. Others have pointed out that cloud services may reduce the need for systems people as companies move their operations out of their on-site data centers. Most of the U.S. is still struggling with high unemployment, the looming uncertainty of new taxes, ever-increasing gas prices, and as-yet-undetermined regulatory actions. Oddly, San Francisco and Silicon Valley seem to be doing just fine. I’m kind of scratching my head over that.
A few weeks ago, a survey by the Linux Foundation and Dice reported that demand for Linux talent is rising and experienced Linux professionals are being aggressively recruited. Also, system admins, developers, and dev ops folks are rock stars.
Well Gomer, that’s interesting.
Instead of spending your valuable time arguing about who’s right, it might be more constructive to find out what’s behind those survey results. Better yet, maybe we can find out what you should do to benefit from this demand.
So, I’d like to hear from you.
Share your Linux success story with me so I can use it in an upcoming article. Just drop me a note at robreilly@earthlink.net, and we’ll get the conversation started. Regular employees, programmers, developers, consultants, contractors, managers, business owners and executives are all welcome. To break the ice, here are a few things we could talk about:
- How did you find your most recent Linux job?
- Is your salary what you expected?
- What questions were you asked in your interview?
- How many system admins are at your company, and what level of experience do they have?
- What were the challenges you faced in finding your job?
- Any Linux horror stories you’d like to share?
- What recommendations do you have for people looking for a Linux job?
Now, of course, I have a couple of requests.
- Don’t tell me anything that you don’t want printed.
- Provide constructive tips and techniques that other readers can use.
- Tell me about any unusual situations or quirky people you’ve met during your search, or what got you motivated.
So, there you go. Your opportunity has arrived to share your story, and possibly become semi-famous.
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Either no-one landed a good linux job or no one wants to share their tips
Wow, no one’s commented. I was looking forward to reading some of the comments, experiences, and advice since I’m looking to become a Linux systems admin in the future. Since there’s no comments here to get a feel of what to expect, I’ll keep doing what I’ve been doing, studying and practicing.
I landed my fourth Linux position last year since I started working in Linuxland fulltime in 2005. I specialize in RedHat, but have also needed Suse and Ubuntu in these positions. It can be done, but you need a deep understanding of the subject, not just “well I installed it on a home server”. I started using RedHat in 1998 and stuck with it. I put myself through RedHat RH133 course in 2005, and got my first fulltime Linux job right after that. I have been in the Sys Admin role since the 90′s but I learned even a janitor can get an MCSE if they study for it or buy the answers. There is no faking it under RedHat, you either know it or you don’t. I won’t give a dollar amount for my salary, but I will say with benefits and everything included it is at or over six figures.
I get calls / emails almost daily on RHEL System Admin positions. There are many positions out there and I would say finding the right candidate is difficult. I helped in the search for Junior Linux candidates at my current company, and I can tell you in all the resumes I looked at, I didn’t see one that I thought was good. So we had to settle, which I didn’t like, but we really didn’t have a choice, we needed the help.
I am not a college graduate, although I do have enough hours for an Associates degree. I put my focus on learning the RedHat way of doing things and keep learning. I am by no means a master of Linux, but I have many years of experience plus VMWare and storage experience, and that combination has helped me. I am not staying in this position, I will leave to find my next RedHat role somewhere else.
Thanks for the comment Jon, I’m glad you shared your experience.
I’m a network admin and do mostly Cisco, windows and vmware but I’ve been wanting to jump to the linux side for over 3 years now but have been unable to find the right position. The reason is that as I’m shifting more and more towards networking rather than sys admin I’m finding that I’m using linux more and more and would love to finally having nothing to do with windows servers. They are just very high maintenance. Now about the MCSE, I don’t totally agree as it’s not as simple as you present it BUT there’s just not denying that there is a LOT of microsoft talent out there. This is a simple side effect of the number of the ms shops that exist out there…
I agree that there’s not as much linux talent and in my experience the reason is that there are not many mid level positions. Most positions are very basic junior level linux sys admins or sr. roles for people that have been using AIX/Unix/Linux for over a decade if not more. I understand that it’s not as simple as installing a home server but you gotta start from somewhere and committing to linux full time when at home in your free time is a good start. Also in my opinion another reason why there aren’t as many linux sys admins is due to usual disconnect between programming and sys admin. With MS you don’t really need any programming skills and even powershell is not that hard to use with basic understanding. With linux apart from very basic stuff you will for sure need some kind of pearl/python/bash skills.
ANESTIS,
On what I said about the MCSE. I am saying that the MCSE test can be defeated by anyone who can memorize the answers to the test. Or buy the answers through websites that sell the answers to most current tests, i.e., cheating. Have taken a RedHat exam, and I know that you either know the subject or you don’t. There is very little chance a person could fake their way through a RedHat exam. That is why the RHCSA or RHCE is so important to hold. You have proved your ability to pass a tough exam.
As far as the home server, yes, you have to start somewhere, and installing it at home and practicing is very important. But if I was hiring someone, I would want to see some knowledge and experience. How do you get your foot in the door for that? For me, it was paying my own way for the RHCT, which is now the RHCSA. I learned a lot and got more confidence to apply for a Linux position. After I left that position, I took what I learned and moved on.
Yes, there is some scripting involved, but in the positions I have held, that was a minor part. Mainly what I’ve had to do is best practices, and solving issues. Google –not Bing– is your friend. You are part detective, solving problems, looking for answers. Bash is very important, so is Vi, but so is self confidence and knowledge.
Anestis,
Good to see you’re back and contributing your great insight into working as an admin. Interesting that you say that you are more of a network guy and integrating Linux into your work. Linux certainly provides the network tools and programming capability, that you’d need to keep all those systems humming along. Keep up the good work. Feel free to invite any of your other network pals to share their tales of working with Linux.
Also, Jon and I have been carrying on a conversation over the last week about the skills needed to be a Linux admin. He has a lot of great experience and worked his way up to a sweet gig with good money.
Thanks Jon, for your input.
Here’s a few other questions I have on my mind.
How many hours a day are you on Linux?
During the day, what areas require the most focus?
What is your biggest challenge, as a Linux (or network) admin?
Anybody want to comment?
I have been doing Linux/UNIX (but mostly RedHat) for the past 4/5 years and I believe that the future is still very bright or at least where I’m located. Here in NYC there are many jobs for Linux Admins and Engineers. Well paying as well. I once heard of a former employer paying from 90k for a Jr. Linux Admin and 130k for a Sr. Linux Admin.
There are many financial firms that simply cannot move to a cloud infrastructure due to security policies of their clients sensitive data. Someone once told me that Linux could end up becoming obsolete like mainframes did. Those mainframe guys probably felt like Gods in their day, but for me Linux is different and will be around for a good while.
On LinkedIn I am contacted several times a week by recruiters telling me they are looking for a Linux person. I am now on my third Linux role and the market has always been great for me. Salary has always gone up and the recession did not impact me. As someone mentioned above, I too had to interview people for a Linux position and it was just way too hard to find someone out there that was decent. So that could be another reason. Also I am not a hardcore linux guy that knows absolutely everything. I have met a few guys that have been using linux since they were 14 and they just blow me away. Currently I do not know any high level programming languages but will start soon with Python. Have always just done bash shell scripting.
No matter how much I like Linux, my personal decision is to take the route of management in a few years. As you get older, its hard to compete with the younger generation that comes in and i dont think it would be easy to be a Linux Engineer when I’m 50 years old.
Anyway I hope this helps to move the discussion along although I am not participating in the real question at hand from Rob Reilly. Just wanted to share a little of my experiences.
Hello Felipe!
I have completed My PG Diploma in International Business Management and would like to get into Linux software development field. I have no IT background but I have a cousin who is a Linux Software developer and he suggested me to try Linux. I am from Canada and the market here is dry. My question is: is it possible for non-IT person to get into Linux? and If yes, will there be any complication in future? Is the future bright in this field?
Please reply..!
Regards
Farooq
Farooq,
I really wish I had an answer for you in regards to the Linux software development field. In regards to a non-IT person getting into Linux its really hard to say. Depends on a lot of factors… From personal experience working with these Linux genius’ (for me anyway), most of them did not even have a College Degree but as mentioned they had been using Linux since they were really young. In that time they learned the OS and the kernel, multiple programming languages, they knew about databases, web servers, the TCP/IP stack, etc. So they had a very good overall understanding when they started looking for jobs.
So there are some basic concepts and knowledge needed to understand Linux I guess. And typically the way to get yourself in the door and learn more Linux will be in a smaller organization. In large corporations your role will be predetermined and you will most likely not have the ability to use technologies outside of your scope, so it will also take longer to grow.
Felipe,
Well, what do you know…another Red Hat guy.
It’s great to hear that you’ve found opportunities with Linux. It’s also nice to note that the recession has not really affected your situation too much. Congratulations. That information should be inspiring to Dice readers.
Your comment about finding decent talent is right on point. Companies want to hire people who know what they’re doing. Linux System Admins are far enough along technically, that you just can’t be one with a week or two of study or courses. It takes time and hands-on experience to get good enough to hire. That’s why Linux sysadmins typically command good rates. I also think the learning curve is high enough to limit the number who can get in the club. Putting it bluntly, only the committed will be hired.
Lot’s of good takeaway points in your post.
Thanks for commenting and keep up the good work.
Rob Reilly
Dice Linux and Mobile Development Community Guide