The Linux Foundation Offers a Self-Paced SysAdmin Course
This has been a banner week for new online technology coursework that you can flex to fit to your schedule. We've covered some new, free and on-demand Hadoop courses that you can take through MapR, and now The Linux Foundation is serving up a SysAdmin offering that is designed to respect your time.
The Linux Foundation has announced the launch of its new self-paced Essentials of System Administration course (LFS201), which comes bundled with a Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator exam. The full schedule of all 2015 Linux Foundation training courses is also now available.
The LFS201 course has actually been available previously as an instructor-led course in person or online, but will also now be offered online as a self-paced course. The Linux Foundation claims that the course provides all the knowledge and skills necessary to become certified and to succeed in a career as a Linux SysAdmin. The Linux Foundation Certified SysAdmin and Linux Foundation Certified Engineer exams were introduced just last year. For more information or to register for the self-paced Essentials of Systems Administration course, you can visit: http://training.linuxfoundation.org/linux-courses/system-administration-training/essentials-of-system-administration.
We've reported before on how valuable Linux skills are in the current job market, and cloud computing skills are also valued highly, where many new cloud deployments are taking place on top of Linux.
The Linux Jobs Report, year after year, shows demand for Linux professionals growing while hiring managers struggle to find enough talent to support open positions. According to The Linux Foundation, over the last year 300,000 students signed up for the free Introduction to Linux Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) created by The Linux Foundation and offered through the edX platform.
Last year, The Linux Foundation ran an interesting interview with Dice.com's Alice Hill, where she noted:
"Linux is firmly at the core of software development and system administration and still growing. We have seen demand in areas like mobile and cloud take off, but Linux-related jobs are a consistent leader. In fact, Linux job postings on Dice.com are up 17 percent year/year and is one of the top 10 most requested skills...It’s not a surprise to us that Linux talent is in demand, but what is surprising is the fact that 85 percent of companies report having difficulty finding qualified Linux professionals. That’s substantial. Linux is a core skill and employers understand this. Now tech professionals need to recognize the opportunity and join this community."