[SLL] Greetings Open Sauce People

[Rob Blomquist]

Derek Simkowiak wrote:
> /I take it that you are saying that the Linux+ test gets no respect on 
> the street?/
>
>     If you're looking for street cred in the Linux world, I recommend 
> contributing to some Open Source projects.  Get your name in the 
> CREDITS file, or at least the mailing list archives.
>
>     You don't need to be a developer to contribute.  At the sysadmin 
> level, you can write docs, build packages, compile binaries, test new 
> features, answer n00b questions on the mailing list, etc.  And the 
> work you put into these projects will only increase your skill level.
>
>     If you apply for a Linux/OSS/Unix-ish job, the tech folk there 
> will probably Google your name to see what comes up.  If they see some 
> quality mailing list archives, forum postings, or wiki entries, you'll 
> be miles ahead of the guy who got the expensive certification but no 
> real-world experience (or sample work to exhibit).
>
>     Another possible path is to specialize.  There are special markets 
> for Asterisk, firewalls (Shorewall/IP Tables), VPNs, etc.  Learn a few 
> Open Source "products" and then sell them...
>
>     Unfortunately, many corporate job have (arbitrary, imho) 
> requirements about certs or degrees.  My solution to that problem 
> (since I don't have a degree or cert) was to become a self-employed 
> consultant.  :)
Well, I will have no trouble proving that I am either a total idiot or 
wizard with Linux, as my flipping name and email only get about 5,000 
hits each due to my use of linux over the years. I am not sure what I 
would think about that if I were a hiring manager, but my name is out there.