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Ask Slashdot: How Did You Become a Linux Professional?
First time accepted submitter ternarybit writes "By 'Linux professional,' I mean anyone in a paid IT position who uses or administers Linux systems on a daily basis. Over the past five years, I've developed an affection for Linux, and use it every day as a freelance IT consultant. I've built a breadth of somewhat intermediate skills, using several distros for everything from everyday desktop use, to building servers from scratch, to performing data recovery. I'm interested in taking my skills to the next level — and making a career out of it — but I'm not sure how best to appeal to prospective employers, or even what to specialize in (I refuse to believe the only option is 'sysadmin,' though I'm certainly not opposed to that). Specifically, I'm interested in what practical steps I can take to build meaningful skills that an employer can verify, and will find valuable. So, what do you do, and how did you get there? How did you conquer the catch-22 of needing experience to get the position that gives you the experience to get the position? Did you get certified, devour books and manpages, apprentice under an expert, some combination of the above, or something else entirely?"
I ate a penguin!
That's a bad analogy.
Being a linux professional is more like being a French Chef vs say a Windows Professional which is like a Fryolator Chef at McDonalds.
Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
Yeah, LFS is a great way to practice copy&pasting, and as a neat side effect you get a system you're guaranteed to never be able to maintain, ever.
I also did it, and literally drowned in job offers afterwards. Turned them all down though, an Xorg update came in at the same time
CLI paste? paste.pr0.tips!
That's a bad analogy.
Being a linux professional is more like being a French Chef vs say a Windows Professional which is like a Fryolator Chef at McDonalds.
No it's more like being a salesman. I became a Linux professional standing on nearest shady street corner in a trenchcoats with burnt CDs of different Linux distros in the pockets yelling "Linux Linux TWO Dollah" at passers by. The police were very confused when they arrested me and realised I wasn't selling sex and that the burnt CDs were legal.
I blame it on Mr. Linus Benedict Torvalds.
I was doing just fine with DOS and Windows
I was happy with the BSOD when Mr. Torvalds message, the one he posted on the comp.os.minix newsgroup appeared on my screen
Since then, I am hooked, addicted, and couldn't shake it off, no matter how I tried
I even had gone cold turkey, only to end up phailing miserably
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !