[RndTbl] Certification guidance

[Mark Campbell]

Whoops, I meant Manitoba GIS User Group (MGUG)

On Mon, Apr 29, 2019 at 1:09 PM Mark Campbell <nitrodist at gmail.com> wrote:

> To stoke the flame a bit more, the goal is to get a job. In my experience
> and in my view, if you can do part-time, contract work on AWS/Linux
> systems, then prioritize that over the certifications. Work experience and
> references is what is going to make the hiring manager interview you when
> they read your resume.
>
> Work for non-profits at a discounted rate is pretty good as well, because
> then you can say truthfully that it was work experience. There are a
> million non-profits in Winnipeg with WordPress needs and all of them run on
> servers. MGIS comes to mind.
>
> I'm able to chat more about this if you want. Email, grab a coffee,
> whatever.
>
> -Mark
>
> On Fri, Apr 26, 2019 at 10:36 PM Chrinkus <seeschickrun at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Thanks, Adam! A little confirmation goes a long way when I'm trying to
>> learn new things. I have a good job already, I'm set for the next 20
>> years if I like. But its not in tech so I dream these dreams.
>>
>> I realize a cert is not the silver bullet I need to swap careers but its
>> a nice goal to shoot towards. The more I read about what I'd need to
>> know for LPIC 1, the more excited I get.
>>
>> Looking forward to discussing this more as I progress. Thanks again!
>>
>> On 2019-04-26 9:56 p.m., Adam Thompson wrote:
>> > Hi, Chris.
>> >
>> > I used to teach the LPI curriculum, and I've been a hiring manager.
>> >
>> > LPI was not based out of Canada in the past, but I see their head
>> > office has moved.  What country they're based out of has relatively
>> > little impact.
>> >
>> > LPI is not awesome, but if you're looking for something that's
>> > widely-applicable, they're the place to go.  RHCE has been around for
>> > years, of course, and is excellent if you want to hitch your horse to
>> > the Red Hat cart and no-one else's.
>> > I didn't even know the Linux Foundation had a certification program
>> > until I read your email... so that gives you an idea how
>> > widely-recognized it will be :-).
>> >
>> > The key thing here is that being an LPIC-1 will only get you in the
>> > door for an interview, maybe.  It does not have broad industry
>> > recognition.
>> > RHCE is more limiting, but has much broader recognition.
>> >
>> > Also, keep in mind that there are probably less than 100 jobs in all
>> > of Manitoba that involve UNIX all day long, every day.  If that's what
>> > you're aiming to get (a UNIX-specific job), you should move to a
>> > better market for that before you worry about what certs & training to
>> > obtain.
>> >
>> > Pluralsight is ... OK, from what I've seen.  You probably aren't
>> > wasting your time there, on average.
>> >
>> > Bottom line: yes, Linux certification will get you somewhere, but not
>> > as far as you might imagine.  It would most likely open doors to
>> > $35-$45k/yr entry-level jobs that wouldn't have otherwise looked at
>> > you.  But jobs where LPIC and/or RHCE are mandatory?  I don't believe
>> > those exist here.  Nor do jobs exist where having ANY certification,
>> > no matter how rare or esoteric, jump you straight to mid-range or
>> > top-end salary scales.
>> >
>> > So if you really want a job in IT using UNIX/Linux, and you've
>> > budgeted time/$$ for self-directed training, then, yeah, I think the
>> > LPI program is probably your best bet, and Pluralsight is definitely
>> > not the worst way you could spend your money.
>> >
>> > Hope to see you in May!
>> >
>> > -Adam
>> >
>> >
>> > On 2019-04-26 21:23, Chrinkus wrote:
>> >> Hello, I'm a newer member to MUUG, I attended my first meeting in
>> >> March. I left that meeting with a lot to think about but excited by
>> >> the talk and discussions I witnessed.
>> >>
>> >> (I keep typing out a big long story about my desire to learn more
>> >> about UNIX, and more specifically Linux, but it gets long and I delete
>> >> it. This email has been in my draft folder for a few days now, I'm
>> >> getting to the point.)
>> >>
>> >> Anyway, I'd like to work towards some level of certification. There
>> >> seem to be a few "Big Certs" out there, Red Hat's, LPI's and the Linux
>> >> Foundation's. For the moment I've decided to work towards the LPIC-1
>> >> due to the cost and apparent credibility. I have a book and am
>> >> starting my free trial on Pluralsight to kickstart my learning.
>> >>
>> >> My question is perhaps just more me seeking confirmation that I've
>> >> jumped to some decent conclusions. LPI is Canadian-based and usually
>> >> #2 on the best-lists I've found. I'm loving the book, The Linux
>> >> Command LIne, 2nd ed, but haven't used Pluralsight before. I landed on
>> >> it mostly because its ads annoy me the least out of all of the online
>> >> learning sources.
>> >>
>> >> Thank you for your time,
>> >>
>> >> Chris Schick
>> >>
>> >> * I missed the April meeting because our kids were both sick and I
>> >> didn't want to leave my wife alone with that mess. Looking forward to
>> >> May!
>> >>
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>
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