Re: Working with Linux

Hi Mark!

Thanks for taking the time to reply. Really appreciate it!

Great advice regarding my profile. I have been considering this for some 
time, hence my LinkedIn page has been a bit static of late. My predicament 
has mainly been that I don't want to be seen as overselling myself, as I 
don't have much to offer yet in the way of technical expertise. I am a 
writer however, so that's not a very good excuse: I suppose I need to find 
a way to frame it in the context of my ambition to undertake further 
training and make a transition into a new field. I will work on that in the 
coming week. 

Your advice about making sure you don't jump on an offer just to fill a 
position is also very insightful, it's something that I may have otherwise 
overlooked. Keeping an end goal in mind could make the difference between 
finding satisfying career and just finding a job in the short term.

I have been looking into my choices for the coming year and it seems there 
quite a number of options in Cork. UCC offers several conversion courses, 
both as MAs and HDips: there's an Applied Computing Technologies HDip 
<http://www.ucc.ie/en/cko08/> that seems to cover quite a lot of bases, 
including programming (Python, I believe), web development, databases and 
applications development. There's also the Interactive Media MSc 
<http://www.ucc.ie/en/ckr05/> that's open to graduates from other 
disciplines, though I feel that degree may have less overlap with Linux 
than the HDip. I also know several people involved in the nebulous field of 
Digital Humanities, which is also represented by an MA at UCC 
<http://www.ucc.ie/en/ckr05/>, though I'm not really sure how useful it may 
be on the job-market.

I just saw that CIT also offers a CompTIA Linux+ qualification. Looking 
over the course outline, it does seem like I could probably keep up with 
most of the content considering I run Linux at home on my personal 
machines. Not entirely sure how CompTIA would hold up against *nix 
certifications from www.linuxacademy.com. I will certainly be checking 
their offerings out though, it would be brilliant to get started ASAP. 

The Cork Education and Training Board also offers some introductory ICT 
related courses, from Java Foundation training to web design and 
virtualisation. I got my Microsoft Office Specialist Master cert there 
(always though that bombastic title was pretty funny, considering you 
basically learn how to use an office suite), so that's always an option too.

I've already bought a paper copy of 'The Linux Command Line: A Complete 
Introduction' by William E. Shotts Jr. and have been working my way through 
it. I also have been following tutorials on Youtube covering basic commands 
and writing bash scripts, though embarrassingly enough the only two I have 
written are: a basic script that compliments my girlfriend if prompted 
(makes sure she doesn't get cross at me working away with Linux) and a 
script that outputs pacman warnings to a text file for file integrity 
reasons (so I can monitor if anything like file sizes or contents have 
changed without me knowing about it). Sometimes the problem with tinkering 
alone like that is to figure out what to try and build. Which explains my 
first script.


I'll be sure to pick up the Bundle, had been looking over it yesterday. 
Perhaps I'll get myself a Kindle or similar to make it easier on my eyes 
too, not sure how well I can read them on my mobile.


Once again, thanks for your help! It's given me a lot to think about.



Best regards,

-Wolfgang



On Saturday, 26 November 2016 08:40:34 UTC, Mark Kenny wrote:
>
> Hi Wolfgang,
>
> First thing to do is get your LinkedIn updated. Within the summary section 
> you should project your passion and interest for working with linux. 
> Recruiters searching linkedin are doing so with keywords so try and ram as 
> much in there as possible. Just be careful that when you do get approached 
> about a job that you're not getting sold a dud as recruiters are simply 
> looking to fill a position, whilst you're looking to follow a passion. 
>
> The biggest challenge you face is persuading a company to take a chance on 
> you as opposed to somebody with relevant 
> certifications/degree/masters/experience. Springboard courses are good and 
> I know people who have come through them to get employment, though they 
> were not looking to work with linux. A quick search on the springboard site 
> for linux returns no matching courses. A blank search of the IT conversion 
> does show up some courses for "cloud computing" (Cork IT has two Fetac 
> level 8 courses) and these could be a good gateway to working with linux.
>
> There's a Humble Bundle on sale at the moment which should provide a lot 
> of valuable knowledge if you manage to work your way through them: 
> https://www.humblebundle.com/books/unix-book-bundle Some stuff is 
> possibly dated but there will be a good grounding on a lot of *nix areas.
>
> What Padraig says about certification is true, they can become irrelevant 
> after a while. As you're coming from zero IT background though, they could 
> be an option if a 2 year conversion course is too much of a time 
> investment. They'll show an employer that you have an interest and aptitude 
> in a certain area. I've done various certifications (Cisco, Juniper, Linux, 
> AWS - I've let some expire as they're not relevant to my current 
> interests/job) and while they won't make your career, they will certainly 
> help you along the way. I'd recommend www.linuxacademy.com if you're 
> interested in *nix certification or other areas of cloud computing like 
> AWS/Azure, they've a free trial which is worth exploring.
>
> Best of luck and if you've any questions, just shout.
>
> On Sat, Nov 26, 2016 at 2:03 AM, Pádraig Brady <[email protected] 
> <javascript:>> wrote:
>
>> On 25/11/16 18:33, [email protected] <javascript:> wrote:
>> > Hey lads,
>> >
>> >
>> > Not sure if this kind of thing is allowed in the ILUG, but I'm a recent 
>> enough convert to GNU/Linux - currently running a community spin of Manjaro 
>> on two machines and Tahrpup on a netbook. I also have a Pi3 running 
>> Raspbian.
>> > I spend a lot of my free time tinkering with my installs or messing 
>> about on the terminal and so far I've really enjoyed the experience. Though 
>> there's way more to learn, I know more about my Linux system and my 
>> hardware now than I ever did as a Windows user. Not to go full Stallman; 
>> but it has felt liberating.
>> >
>> > I've been thinking of transitioning into IT for some time, possibly by 
>> returning to college to do a conversion course, BA or a Springboard course.
>> >
>> >
>> > I understand that for many of you, Linux is part of the every day at 
>> this stage, so I can also understand if you find yourself scoffing at my 
>> new-found infatuation with all things Linux: but I'm wondering if perhaps 
>> the 'grey-beards' of the group (not discriminating against the beardless) 
>> can offer me some advice or insight into working with Linux as a 
>> professional - as a systems admin or otherwise.
>> >
>> > One question I have is probably the most frequently asked one: how 
>> important is certification? Would being Linux certified give me a head 
>> start over somebody with a general CS/IT qualification? Or is a combination 
>> of both the best bet?
>> >
>> > How common are entry-level positions or internships in the Linux world? 
>> I haven't seen too many on the various job sites.
>> >
>> > What other IT related fields would you get to involve yourself in 
>> Linux, besides working as a sys admin? I'm thinking web design or 
>> applications development might have some overlap.
>> >
>> >
>> > How big of a barrier is it not coming from a tech background?
>> >
>> > Some context context on my work/education history: I have a MA in 
>> Writing and have worked for several years as a freelance writer, 
>> specifically writing about the arts and doing PR for various cultural 
>> institutions. I also have some teaching experience and more or less 
>> bilingual. Not sure how much of my experience would count as 'transferable' 
>> or if there's a niche in the IT world that somebody like myself would fit 
>> in better than others. Another obstacle is that besides having taken 
>> courses in Python and Java Script through websites like Code Academy, I am 
>> not well versed in any programming language - hence me wanting to return to 
>> education.
>> >
>> >
>> > And if I can ask a personal question, for those of you that started off 
>> dabbling in Linux as a hobby and later transitioned to working with Linux 
>> as professionals, how has your experience affected how you feel about 
>> Linux? Do you feel 'burnt out' at all, or have you been able to maintain 
>> some level of enthusiasm?
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > I've done solo research into the topic, so I don't want the ILUG to 
>> feel like I'm using you instead of Google. It's just that it all still 
>> feels fairly vague to me and I think personal insights would help resolve 
>> that.
>> >
>> > Many online resources are also quite US centric. I will be Cork based 
>> for the next few years, so if anybody has an specific advice about working 
>> in IT in Cork, that would be brilliant.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Thanks for your time and patience,
>> >
>> > -Wolfgang
>>
>> Hey Wolfgang,
>>
>> Thanks for documenting your enthusiasm.
>> It's great to see, and the secret sauce to success IMHO.
>> If you're enthusiastic about this field you'll do well.
>> It's just a matter of which route is the fastest.
>>
>> It's quite subjective how one best learns.
>> Some prefer study, while others are more practical.
>> Personally I don't have, nor was ever inclined to get,
>> any certifications, as I feel they go out of relevance
>> quite quickly, and can be too specific and commercial.
>> Some prefer formal education, while others getting
>> their hands dirty, like on some open source project for e.g.
>> I was lucky in that I had a technical degree before
>> I got interested in open source, but a conversion course
>> to an IT degree would both ease your progress in the field,
>> and also provide some broader info before you specialize.
>>
>> Specialization is necessary really for navigating this
>> now vast field. Having a particular area of expertise,
>> be it a language, or service, or whatever, will both
>> give better satisfaction that you're working at a level
>> that is really beneficial, and is a good focus point
>> in a CV or interview.
>>
>> An often overlooked aspect in a technical career is effective
>> communication, both personal and especially written.
>> Having an MA in writing is a huge advantage over the
>> common or garden software engineer, and combined with
>> enthusiasm in a particular technical area (which most
>> do not have), you can't go wrong.
>>
>> Good luck.
>> Pádraig.
>>
>> --
>> Irish Linux Users Group
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>>
>
>

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