

Ask HN: Will a Linux certification make a difference to my career? - big_data

All the talk about getting a security certification got me wondering.  Is getting a Linux certification worth the effort?  I bet a lot of the same arguments for and against apply.  Discuss.
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tom_b
For better or worse, there are employers and fields where obtaining a
certification is an important signalling mechanism.

Carefully consider whether or not a Linux administration gig is one of those -
I personally don't know. I know in a search for a senior Linux sysadmin at my
workplace, certification has not been mentioned at all.

In other areas, particularly high-end customer support gigs in network
hardware (e.g., supporting Cisco and/or Juniper gear), certifications like the
CCIE are a de-facto requirement for many. Oracle work used to be this way,
especially for consultants, but I don't know if that is still true.

In a more general sense, self-study and the time investment in getting
certifications has intrinsic worth. Just don't think magically adding a cert
tag to your resume will result in a magic increase in professional
opportunities and pay.

Work on building your experience portfolio. If you want to use a certification
as part of that, I don't think anyone should tell you not to.

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gabeguz
I don't feel that certifications in general help much. They can be useful to
an employer that's looking for them, but in general if you know what you're
doing and you can communicate that to the people who are hiring, you will have
a bigger advantage than someone who has certificate x. Granted there are some
places that require certifications x, y, and z, but generally those places
have issues hiring great people.

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big_data
When I look at it, the whole certification process seems so flawed when used
as a repalcement for great work experience.

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caw
It depends.

A crap Linux cert will be crap. There are some good ones though, like RHCE.
You can be Linux admin for years and still not pass without heavy studying.
That's because there's a lab component to it.

Is it worth it? Maybe, if you're trying to sell your services, either in the
form of a HR bypass filter ("Look, he's certified in Linux!") or as a
consultant ("You should trust our team because we're all certified"). I know
only 2 people with certs, and they fall into the latter category.

Most of the time though, I think it's not going to be worth it. If your
current work will pay for it and you're willing to put in the work I can't see
any negative aspects to having it, but I don't necessarily see the return on
investment.

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phaus
The prerequisite for RHCE, the RHCSA is also a great certification. You still
have to complete a fairly challenging 4-hour lab, which means that those who
pass should have a decent amount of experience with Red Hat Linux.

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big_data
Thanks for the discussion! These are all great points to consider.

