I am pondering the same question lately.
I have a B.S. and I have 10+ years experience. My salary is ~10-15% above the norm for a senior level Linux engineer in the area where I work.
What I have found is that many companies use a table to calculate what your salary/hourly rate should be. In my case, because I don't have a Master's, I have maybe 10-15% more room for salary increases before I reach a proverbial "cap" on how much I "should" make, according to the table.
My options are simple:
1 - get a Master's and "qualify" for higher salary
2 - branch out on my own and go into full-time consulting
3 - accept my fate and wallow in mediocrity
I am leaning towards option 2 above, but I have done some casual inquiries with regards to number one recently. Number 3 is out of the question.
In conclusion, if I were you, I would get 3-5 years experience and make a plan NOW for going back in that time. Stick to the plan and by the time you have the Master's, you will have some experience to back up what your resume says you know.
Hope this helps.
Not to be a total jerk, but would you be willing to take a salary cut to pay for the higher bandwidth? I doubt it.
Maybe it's time you branch out and offer competition for your employer. I sounds like the guy is tight and just looking to stretch his hardware and bandwidth likely until it fails or he starts losing customers.
Get a plan together, get some funds and start your own service. Set reasonable ToS/bandwidth limits that you can comfortably provide.
In answer to "which Linux certification is the best?", I would answer, it depends on the position you desire. Some shops standardize on a particular distro, others use the flavor of the month or whatever the previous/current SA uses.
In response to "Which one is the easiest/cheapest to obtain?", I would say Linux+. I have it and obtained it with minimal study, but much hands-on experience. Is it too easy, no, I am just saying that if you are a regular power user, you should be able to peruse the objectives and take the test. A note of caution: Linux+ is not and end, it is a beginning. After obtaining it, I went to RHCT (Red Hat Certified Technician) then RHCE (both significantly more challenging, but not impossible with a lot of hands-on experience).
In response to "Which is the mostly highly regarded in the industry?", it depends on your industry. Red Hat and LPI are both highly "recognized" along with Novell's Certified Linux Professional and Certified Linux Engineer (http://www.novell.com/training/certinfo/#cert/).
To sum, it depends is lame, agreed, but when I began down this path, I earned Linux+, obtained an entry level Linux SA position, then went to training (paid for by employer) and now sit in a mid to senior level SA position.
I believe the path I took was worth it, but the important thing is to take the plunge, do somethinhg and then move around.
Slashdot Mirror
I am pondering the same question lately. I have a B.S. and I have 10+ years experience. My salary is ~10-15% above the norm for a senior level Linux engineer in the area where I work. What I have found is that many companies use a table to calculate what your salary/hourly rate should be. In my case, because I don't have a Master's, I have maybe 10-15% more room for salary increases before I reach a proverbial "cap" on how much I "should" make, according to the table. My options are simple: 1 - get a Master's and "qualify" for higher salary 2 - branch out on my own and go into full-time consulting 3 - accept my fate and wallow in mediocrity I am leaning towards option 2 above, but I have done some casual inquiries with regards to number one recently. Number 3 is out of the question. In conclusion, if I were you, I would get 3-5 years experience and make a plan NOW for going back in that time. Stick to the plan and by the time you have the Master's, you will have some experience to back up what your resume says you know. Hope this helps.
Not to be a total jerk, but would you be willing to take a salary cut to pay for the higher bandwidth? I doubt it. Maybe it's time you branch out and offer competition for your employer. I sounds like the guy is tight and just looking to stretch his hardware and bandwidth likely until it fails or he starts losing customers. Get a plan together, get some funds and start your own service. Set reasonable ToS/bandwidth limits that you can comfortably provide.
In response to "Which one is the easiest/cheapest to obtain?", I would say Linux+. I have it and obtained it with minimal study, but much hands-on experience. Is it too easy, no, I am just saying that if you are a regular power user, you should be able to peruse the objectives and take the test. A note of caution: Linux+ is not and end, it is a beginning. After obtaining it, I went to RHCT (Red Hat Certified Technician) then RHCE (both significantly more challenging, but not impossible with a lot of hands-on experience).
In response to "Which is the mostly highly regarded in the industry?", it depends on your industry. Red Hat and LPI are both highly "recognized" along with Novell's Certified Linux Professional and Certified Linux Engineer (http://www.novell.com/training/certinfo/#cert/).
To sum, it depends is lame, agreed, but when I began down this path, I earned Linux+, obtained an entry level Linux SA position, then went to training (paid for by employer) and now sit in a mid to senior level SA position.
I believe the path I took was worth it, but the important thing is to take the plunge, do somethinhg and then move around.