[Discuss] Aspiring Grumpy Unix Admin

[admin]

jkinney23--- via Discuss wrote on 2022-06-28 23:51:


>> And this LPI requires Windows or Mac for taking their tests - Linux
>> isn't even supported?!? Credibility, gone.
> 
> I'm not sure where you got that tidbit from. LPI uses prometric or 
> whatever as their testing provider same as CompTia, who LPI writes 
> the Linux+ exam for, so they have at least that much street 
> credibility. Possibly those exams are given on Windows workstations? 
> Who knows. Prometric sucks, no argument.

I may have been a bit harsh, but here's where I got the "Windows / Mac
only" from:

https://www.lpi.org/about-lpi/frequently-asked-questions

> 
> What are the technical and logistical requirements for writing an 
> OnVUE online exam?
> 
> The Pearson VUE OnVUE testing system requires a Mac or Windows OS.
> As a Linux certification body, we understand this is not ideal for
> many of our candidates, and we apologize for the inconvenience.


It just seems highly ironic.



> 
> I do hear a lot more about Redhat certs, but I temper all the hype
> by remembering that the person who first suggested it to me:
> 
> 
> ... c. was an award winning Microsoft developer (MVP) for his work
> on Powershell

Even MicroSofties know about RedHat, I guess?



> One thing that attracts me to LPI right now is their BSD 
> certification

BSD is awesome, no doubt about it.

Not sure how helpful it is in career development though? I'm not saying 
"don't learn all about it" though!


I like listening to 2.5Admins podcast by Joe Ressington with Alan Jude 
(big BSD & ZFS guy, also knows his Linux), and Jim Salter, a Linux guru 
& former ArsTechnica staffer.  They cover the topics nicely, and Alan is 
a Canadian SysAdmin / dev who works on FreeBSD and ZFS source code 
development.




> I've been circling around the requirements for LPIC certs for years 
> and I'm not worried - those are rigorous certs. But certs are also 
> BS. A degree will always trump a cert, and a cert with no experience 
> is well, paper. What I need to make up that difference is a git 
> profile.

Yeah, it's tough to show what ya know as a SysAdmin without experience.



> Having the sentence "Free and Open
> Source Software Advocate" at the top of my resume has gotten me some
> weird reactions.

Maybe put that further down in the document?



> Who can I talk to safely with my clashing belt and
> suspenders about making some space to flesh out a portfolio and
> possibly build some good references?

Have you checked out WorkBC's website / services? I can't vouch for 
them, but they've been recommended in various forums.



> So suggestions for focus and motivation in the face of gatekeepers? 

Ugh, feeling it myself.

To keep busy / motivated, I've been going through leetcode.com problems 
and solving them in JS, Python, and PHP.

i.e. https://leetcode.com/problems/two-sum/

Curated list I found: 
https://www.teamblind.com/post/New-Year-Gift---Curated-List-of-Top-75-LeetCode-Questions-to-Save-Your-Time-OaM1orEU