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Would being a Linux "power user" increase my chances of getting a job in IT/tech?

I’m trying to get a job in IT that will (hopefully) pay more than a usual 9 to 5. I’m been daily driving Linux exclusively for about 2 1/2 years now and I’m trying to improve my skills to the point that I could be considered a so-called “power user.” My question is this: will this increase my hiring chances significantly or marginally?

wargreymon ,

absolutely… you know servers are mostly linux right?

1984 ,
@1984@lemmy.today avatar

Depends what you mean with a job in tech. If you want to work as technical problem solver or programmer, then it’s very useful, almost required.

superkret , (edited )

Yes, because you’re already familiar with the command line. But for a job in the professional Linux world, also try out RHEL (not Fedora), and familiarize yourself with best practices in patch management. There’s a lot more to it than just dnf upgrade if you have applications depending on specific versions of packages, CVEs need to be mitigated ASAP, downtime needs to be minimized and reverting a borked upgrade (including the installed database) needs to work 100%.
Also, get familiar with containerization, SELinux, VMWare hypervisors, a version control system, the LAMP stack and Samba.

dino ,

Good advice here, although I would recommend going for debian instead, get a grasp how different package managers in linux do the same thing.

  • Containerization
  • KVM
  • webserver apache/nginx yatta (ceritifcate handling, god I hate this)
flamingo_pinyata ,

Specifically for a job of Linix sysadmin, probably yes. If you can afford it do a certification, it will help you stand among other candidates with no work experience.

For other IT jobs it’s not so relevant. Linux is technically on the servers but the infrastructure is hidden from you by multiple levels of abstraction.

Vinny_93 ,

I’m in data engineering and that market is dominated by Microsoft. Understanding an os is essential if you’re, say, a sysadmin.

I’d recommend looking into some certifications. Some businesses are very sensitive to those.

kionite231 ,

I had the same question. I have rather good understanding of Linux and command line however at my job where Ubuntu is used other people easily caught up with me. They still don’t know much about what exactly a command does but they know when to run it so IMO it doesn’t matter how much Linux you know the only knowledge matters which you could use to have your job done quickly and efficiently.

utopiah ,

Yes if

  • the environment you would work on is Linux based, obviously (which it often is when servers are involved, even with Microsoft due to Azure cloud and containers)
  • you master the command line, i.e you know a bit of e.g bash, can write your own scripts that do basic functions
  • you understand how the OS works, i.e permissions, services, package managers, etc

but not really if you are mostly clicking through buttons of the window manager and/or would work in a Microsoft environment with its own set of tools, conventions, etc.

Which brings up obvious suggestions :

  • do improve your mastery of the command line
  • apply to jobs that put Linux forward (but that might bias to a sysadmin position, which might not be what you prefer)
massive_bereavement ,

I had a job offered based on the fact that if you know bash, you can translate that to powershell, as translating knowledge is easier than learning from scratch.

utopiah ,

Makes sense to me. I would also assume that if one can program in bash they can program in pretty much anything. Yes it will take some time to adapt but a lot less than somebody who can’t program in any language in any environment.

That being said, I would advise against starting in an environment that is possibly alienating and exclusive. Microsoft does everything it can in order to lock-in users but also developers. They find bridge, like PowerShell or WSL, then IT relies on certifications specific to their ecosystem. So if OP is fine with such practices they could start there but I’d suggest to keep that only if more direct alternatives are not available.

digdilem ,

True. Learning your first programming language (or scripting language) is usually the hardest.

electricprism ,

Power User is a term invented by Microsoft but we get the idea

originalucifer ,
@originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com avatar

were takin it back .

pastermil ,

My personal experience: Absolutely!

I’ve always landed on jobs/projects that involve Linux server. Generally startups with not much expense to spare would go for this route. However, even bigger companies would opt for enterprise Linux.

I wouldn’t say that will work on every IT jobs out there, but when it does, you know you’re in for a fun ride!

digdilem ,

Put it this way - it doesn’t hurt.

Nothing fully replaces real world experience with the exact software and technologies your potential employer uses, but having demonstrable ability to use and understand linux is very transferrable. Ultimately it comes down to the interviewers and what they’re looking for, and to the more technical of those, choosing linux as a daily driver shows you’re more interested in understanding how computers work and that you have a degree of problem solving ability.

Read some adverts of the jobs you want to get, being realistic that you may need to start low to get that experience, and build ability in what’s wanted, especially the bits that are marketable.

cyberpunk007 ,

Probably not. I guess it depends what you want to do in IT. And the org. Some orgs use a lot of Linux, and Linux is a whole different ball game at the enterprise level. It’s not just knowing about Linux, but how to properly manage, secure, and patch it at scale.

It might also depend on if you have previous IT experience. If you’ve got a ton of previous experience it could help.

NeoNachtwaechter ,

the point that I could be considered a so-called “power user.”

There is no certain point. Power user is a rather vague description. It still includes “user” as opposed to admin or developer or guru etc.

If vague is good enough in your area, go for it. Otherwise look for a more formal qualification.

Good luck.

possiblylinux127 ,

What is a usual 9 to 5?

therealjcdenton ,

When looking for Linux tech jobs to apply to, a lot of them actually have Vim experience as a preferred quality. Can any experts confirm this?

slazer2au ,

Honestly, it depends on the business.

If I were the hiring manager we are a 80/20 split on win vs Linux servers. You may be top tier on 20% of our systems but we have automated about 85% of the tasks on those boxes. The other 15% is being covered by the windows people.
How do I justify hiring you to do 15% of the work of the others?

In order to be paid above average, you need to be good at something others find hard. But don’t pigeon hole yourself to one thing.

Being good at windows and Linux will make you a more attractive hire. As a Linux daily driver you should have no excuse to not know virtualisation or containers. Run up some qemu VMS or some LXC containers to expand your skillset.

delirious_owl ,
@delirious_owl@discuss.online avatar

I make it a condition of my employment that I never touch windows servers, and I get paid very, very well.

Linux experience is far more important than windows experience, IMHO. Almost every company has Linux servers. Loads of companies don’t have windows servers.

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