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Where Should One Go for Unix/Linux Training?
jwitko asks: "I work for an international telecommunications company. They're pretty enormous when it comes to size/budget so their willingness to send employees to get training and to better themselves is pretty strong. I am simply a student who got lucky to become a part-time contractor with this company and I've loved every minute of it. My job primarily relies on working on Unix platforms and installing/configuring our product on laptops for sales people to go out and sell to telecommunications company's (ex: T-Mobile, Verizon, and so forth). However, before I came to this company I had barely ever even touched a Unix-based OS. This summer, I would like to travel to as many different seminars, lectures, and classes to really get experience with *nix based operating systems and learn a lot more about how to use them. Where are some good places to find ongoing seminars, lectures, etc. in Unix and Linux that you think would really help a somewhat-new guy learn a lot and become more experienced?"
I highly recommend LISA, although if you're truly novice it may be a bit above your level. It wasn't the most advanced training, but it did assume an intermediate knowledge of Unix when I attended in '04. There's a variety of seminars you can attend, learning about topics that interest you or discussing up and coming technologies that your company could/does make use of. I focused on the security track and got to learn some very interesting things that I later applied in my environment (about 150 systems at one point).
:)
It's a by-Unix-people for-Unix-people sort of thing, so not really formal training, but still very educational.
Of course, when I attended it was in Atlanta (Hotlanta?) which may have made it more enjoyable than this year's Washington DC location.
At home. Seriously. You'll learn the most by using a *nix-based system every day. You'll want to do something, then research how to do it, then you've learned. The courseware you'll find out there will be great to expanding your horizon, however, on just the possibilities on what can be done. If you come from a Windows background, it'll take you a while to realise just how flexible and endless the possibilities of a *nix system are. Get yourself a *nix system you have full control over and start tinkering.
Be relentless!
But, in everything you do, just remember: Google is your friend.
The right to offend is far more important than the right not to be offended. (Rowan Atkinson)
Check to see if your university has an extension program. I didn't know these things existed when I went to school, but I make heavy use of them now. These are where you sign up for an individual class here and there -- no commitments or programs to enroll in, no transcripts to submit, etc. Around here it's typically 1 night a week for 3-4 hours, for 6-8 weeks, around $600 a class, company pays.
Many uni's have distance learning programs, but there are so many free tutorials on the web, I like to be taught by a live person I can throw questions at, to get that kind of money's worth.
Attention zealots and haters: 00100 00100
I have learned quite a bit from my local LUG .
Fellow members give presentations on their particular interests and can provide the opportunity to ask in-person questions with other linux enthusaists who, with respects to my LUG, have a great variety of experience.
Not to mention, it is more sociable than to RTFM and use google ^_^ / a bit obvious ?! / oh wait, most of us here are not that extraverted.
I don't know where these "get a box and throw *nix on there" and "get a book" comments are coming from. You need proper training. Does your work pay for you to take college classes? You shouldn't just learn a handful commands and be done with it. If you are going to be primarily working with *nix software as you job you need real training to find out what the commands mean, how the filesystem works, and some experience in shell scripting or C. If you can only take certification type courses I'd say go for it. However, my advice would be to find out exactly what your company will be willing pay for.
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Sorry if I left your favorite UNIX/Linux or other OS off the list... it's been a long week, it's late on Friday, and I felt like being helpful. Besides, I couldn't find the training page for NCR's MP-RAS operating system.
"Adventure? Excitement? A Jedi craves not these things."
... and I'll add my own bit. Read a lot. I like http://safari.oreilly.com/ because I save a ton of money on books.
Install your own Linux network and way over engineer it. You'll learn lots by setting up DNS, NIS, Apache and other services.
When you don't know something Google is your friend. Lot's of people forget this. Got an error? Google it. Want to see how NIS works? Google it. It's pretty rare to have a question that hasn't been asked a hundred times before.
Pick a subsystem and study it. Do a "ps ax" and pick a process and learn what it does, how to configure it and whatnot. That's the beauty of Linux you can dig as deep as you want.
I also hear from a number of friends that installing Gentoo is a great way to learn. The docs are excellent and you learn a lot by the time you've got a base system up and running.
Never lose your curiosity for how things work. It's the key to learning.
The obscure we see eventually. The completely obvious, it seems, takes longer. - Edward R. Murrow
Build a Slackware box. That's how I started.
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
Two thoughts:
:-)
- In terms of summer events, the Ottawa Linux Symposium is supposed to be a great event. I haven't made it to one yet but I've wanted to for a few years. It's July 19-22 in Ottawa (Ontario, Canada).
- [Shameless Plug] This doesn't quite match your description but I thought I'd mention it anyways: I teach at Seneca College, Toronto, and we have a 10-month intensive Linux Administration graduate certificate program that I think is one of the best Linux training programs available. We've had students from all different backgrounds including current staff from large systems vendors. We also throw a great Free Software and Open Source Symposium in October; this year we have Mike Shaver and Neil Deacon (Mozilla), Nat Freidman (Ximian/Novell), Chris Blizzard (One Laptop Per Child), and a raft of others.
And I agree that there's no substitute for getting dirt under your fingernails and actually working with the technology!