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Linux for Developers: thoughts on certifications?

 
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Hello William and welcome to the Ranch!

I have a question as someone who has only recently picked up Linux myself. What are your thoughts on certifications (such as LPIC) as a teaching method to learning Linux?

It's something I used and it did give me a basis to work on however, I see it more as "here is the information that will be on the exam, learn this book" type syllabus as opposed to the systems admin that it conveys you can become from it. I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

L.
 
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Good question.  I've been in Linux certification for a long time.  I'm a former RHCI (Red Hat Certified Instructor) and have written a lot of content for Linux certifications, so I definitely have a feeling about this topic.

Learning Linux from a certification guide has both advantages and disadvantages.  The primary advantage is that you end up learning a broad range of topics, but the disadvantage is the the certification don't dive into a great deal of detail, so the guides don't either.  As a result, you might end up knowing a lot of general Linux topics, but not enough to really perform the tasks on a live system.

For example, a lot of certification exams will ask questions about setting up a web server (like Apache), but not get into details (like securing the web server.  So, you can set one up, but not at the level that should be performed in the real world.)

I'm pretty pro-certs and see value in learning from the study guides because you end up with a good overview understanding of a lot of topics.  I'd just suggest once you have finished, find the areas that interest you and dive in deeper!

Thank you,

-Bo
 
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