Re: Certifications and Volunteer work

On 6/1/05, roland ibbetson <[email protected]> wrote:
> I'm new to Melbourne and Australia, I've just put in my Permanent Residency
> Visa Application and have some time on my hands.  I'm thinking of doing some
> linux certifications and volunteer IT work.  I have some questions on how
> things work here and would like your feedback. 
>   
> First certifications: 
> In the US, certifications are looked at with mixed feelings some are really
> into them(usually microsoft shops) and some are anti certfications.  What is
> the feeling like here in Australia?  Do employers like to see certifications
> for linux shops?  What certifications would you suggest?  I am currently
> looking at CompTIA Linux+.  Is it worthwhile or are there others that are
> better? 
>   


No idea.... A lot of the Linux  Cert's don't have enough recognition
behind them to be worth while, however it may help.

> Second Volunteer work: 
> I am also thinking of doing volunteer work in a linux shop preferably as an
> assistant sys admin.  I have a little experience and some knowledge of
> system administration.  I have a wide range of IT experience but would like
> to move into the linux/unix system administration.  I would prefer working
> in an environment that would let me get a lot of experience with linux sys
> admin work.  Does anyone know of a linux shop that needs this kind of help? 
> I can't get paid because of my visa status right now but could move into a
> paid position in a few months.  I can send my resume offline to anyone who
> needs it. 
>   

Try Computer Bank Victoria - there are some people on this list who
would know more about volunteering, but they may appreciate help.

> Third Job Market: 
> What is the job market like here in melbourne and are there enough linux
> jobs to make it worthwhile to spend my time and money on a certification? 
> What jobs are in the most demand? 
>   

There are quite a few jobs in melbourne - I was browsing one of the
online job agencies (seek.com.au) and saw about 13 adds looking for
someone with more than 2 years "Linux/Unix" experiance - some were
development positions, others were sysadmins etc.

You really have to decide, but at this stage, I think it is more
"experiance" than "certification" based. (nb: I gather by "Experiance"
they want someone who has worked with networks of some magnitude).

> Thanks in advance for your time and consideration of this matter.  It will
> really help me out! 
>   
> Roland Mark Ibbetson (Ibby) (--)
> 
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