Subject: Re: Linux,PHP Certification
From: Andy (lug@firman.us)
Date: Wed Apr 23 2003 - 11:02:09 AKDT
> Can anyone recommend a Linux and/or PHP certification outfit here in Alaska
> or online that's robust but kind to my pocketbook?
I don't think you will find anything that fits all of your requirements.
But I can comment on my own experience which may help you.
A few months ago I decided to look into Linux certs and I decided to
start with CompTIA. I got the Linux+ cert. which I thought was quite easy.
My next step is getting an LPI (Linux Professional Institute) Certification.
http://www.lpi.org
I am choosing these two because they are vendor neutral which is
very important to me. And I highly recommend this book:
LPI Linux Certification In A Nutshell by O'REILLY press.
Get it on Amazon for $10 used here: http://tinyurl.com/a5tz
This is an awesome book that will give you sound fundamentals
in Linux administration. I use it for reference all the time as well.
Actually I remember posting a message to the debian-user list a couple
months ago and I just found it. You may find my comments useful:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are my thoughts....
I am a small time consultant (one man show) and recently took the tests
for CompTIA A+, Network+, and Linux+. Passed them all very easily.
I did it mostly for a personal challenge, and for confidence, and a little for
marketing my small consulting business. Makes me look good to clients :-)
I like CompTIA because it is vendor neutral. I will not be chasing down
any MS/Novell certs anytime soon. It does not make sense to me at this time.
Linux is gaining momentum and that is why I wanted to get a Linux cert.
I did alot of reading on the Linux certs. This is what I learned in a
nutshell. CompTIA Linux+ is rather easy.
It is a test designed for evaluating basic Linux admin skills. Someone with
about 6 months admin experience. I have about a year with Linux.
http://www.comptia.org/certification/linux/default.asp
LPI is a neat organization. http://www.lpi.org Non-profit and they depend
alot on volunteer workers. If I had the time I would donate my time to this
and to the Debian project. (just sent $100 to the SPI Debian project as I am
able to give money but I do not have any time to donate right now)
LPI is vendor neutral which is a bonus. It is also rather difficult and the
pass/fail ratio is about 50% to 60%. (I could be wrong about that).
You need to take 2 $100 tests to get Level 1 certified. Level 2 is now
available but Level 3 has not been fully developed yet. (I think)
I might go for this LPI Cert this year as it seems quite challenging.
By the way, the O'Reilly book Linux LPI Certification in a Nutshell is a
great book for learning all of the necessary fundamentals of Linux.
It is not a book to just pass a test. It obviously sticks to the actual
LPI objectives which focuses on true fundamentals of Linux.
That is what I want to learn first and want to learn NOW.
RHCE is very nice. It is not vendor neutral though. Everyone seems to know
about this one so I won't go into detail. But it does look prestigious.
I read a great article on Tech Republic about Linux certs. It says about what
I mentioned above but the author made a great point that small business, the
kind that I service, would not know the difference between RHCE, LPI, and/or
Linux+. In the end he recommended Linux+ because it was fairly basic, easy,
and the best value at only $100. So I took his advice. I am glad because I
am slowly getting over my inferiority complex with Linux. The certification
helps me with confidence. It feels good now that I am starting to get a clue
with Linux.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So get the book for $10 and get Linux+ for $200 +/- (not sure as I joined
as a company and took the test for $149)
Hope this helps you.
--Thanks,
Andy Firman CompTIA Network+, A+, & Linux+ Certified http://www.firmanconsulting.com/
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2a23 : Wed Apr 23 2003 - 11:02:18 AKDT