I’m going on garden leave soon (due to being affected by a big tech layoff). I thought of maybe doing a Linux certification of some sort while I’ve got the free time. Are there any that are actually worthwhile?
I’ve daily droven Linux for ~3 years and learned a lot, but I’d like to formalize it and hopefully have that help with my job hunt.
As a tech manager I’d value any certificate from LPI or Red Hat. Linux + also works if you’re just trying to prove basic competency. What kind of role do you think you’d be looking for?
I was thinking of maybe a Linux SysAdmin role but I’m flexible at the moment. I was working as a project manager in big tech but I’m trying to get out of that due to lots of instability with layoffs.
There are the Linux Foundation certs, some of which (e.g. Certified Sysadmin) are well respected, relatively hard to get, and also very expensive. There are some cheap and some free ones as well, but I don’t know if recruiters care about them at all. They are just a formal way of showing ‘I know <thing>’ instead of you just saying it after all.
Depending on your domestic laws you may be able to deduct them from tax, or even get some kind of government subsidy for doing them. I would look into that if you wanna go after the really expensive ones.
There is also Red Hat, I don’t know if those are worth it thought. Probably not the worst to have either.
I think it will depend on your location. In the Midwestern US it seems that CompTIA certifications are more sought after. I’m not sure about other countries or regions.
Look at job listings and see what they ask for. Red Hat is probably the most common. Comptia certs too, though not usually Linux+.