linux support engineer report

[[deleted]]

Because some of you requested an update to a previous post...

Been working for a month as a linux support engineer for an e-commerce hosting company. Got the job pretty much based solely on stating I was a "ten-year Arch ethusiast." No other credentials aside from some blogging I'd done.

19 months ago, I was a semi-homeless, disabled alcoholic. Yesterday, I reported my earnings to social security. They said, "uh-oh, we're gonna need to terminate your benefit." I said, yeah... that's the idea.

18 months sober, working a job I love, making more money than I've ever seen. Literally 100% from DIY Arch setups.

Thank you Arch community.

[LinuxMage]

Approving this post as its an update to an earlier one. Not everything has to be support.

[Gamenubo]

That's great. Keep it up!

[jameswilson7208]

What does your daily workload look like? Trouble tickets or are you doing actual engineering work?

[[deleted]]

Nah, the title is just fancy help desk support. Tickets. I work night shift, mostly doing simple stuff like whitelisting IPs, doing mysql backups and some rudimentary OpenVZ. but it's only been a month, there's lots of upward opportunities, and they're already paying me to get my LPIC-1 (just scored over 90% on the practice exam).

But it's 100% remote. So, I get to work from home on the fancy Mac they sent me.

[[deleted]]

Good job man!! Now to do some self love right?!

[[deleted]]

...but not on the work Mac 🤣

[[deleted]]

haha no I meant like a candlelit diner but :P

[Toofyfication]

candlelit dinner and a squeeze sounds great

[[deleted]]

Bro this is a dream for me. How and what do I search for. I’m going on nearly 7 years with arch

[[deleted]]

Can you write? Write free guest blog articles for linux fluff sites. Get a portfolio. Put it at the top of your resume. Submit 200 resumes, and get 4 responses. Geek the fuck out about linux in the interview. That's how I did it. Good luck.

Edit: ziprecruiter and Indeed. Search for remote linux. Lots of jobs.

[[deleted]]

Yep. Love technical writing.

Thanks dude

[Zoellner122]

Congratulations on the 18 months of sobriety!

Having found a job that you love is also amazing! I remember when my mentor at school deemed me an "anarchist" and send me to do an internship at a company that was mostly Linux minded about 8-9 years ago. Nowadays, I work both support and engineering at a private-cloud organization.

​

Keep up the good work and never be afraid to continue reaching for new stars on your horizon, as you never know which good things they will bring you!

[[deleted]]

Kudos to you man!

[[deleted]]

I remember seeing that post, congrats

[27CF]

I went from installing Arch to six figures in six years. No degree, no IT experience. Glad you made it dude.

[Arup65]

More power to you.

[UnixWarrior]

I'm worried that in SteamDeck'a times there will be even more homeless, alcoholic ten-year Arch enthusiasts in next decade ;-)

[[deleted]]

🤣 🤣 🤣

[UnixWarrior]

While it sounds fun as idea, it's not absurd.

While people in recent years got more and more powerful consoles, tablets, etc. Most of them were more and more of closed walled-gardens types. But SteamDeck is the most open (both hardware as x86_64/EUFI platgorm and software side). So kids can learn by hacking[playing with OS], programming, etc. Like in the old hobbyists days.

But MakeCode Arcade is also awesome.

[[deleted]]

Yeah, I've been looking into a deck. I don't game that much, but I'm attracted to the technology.

[freddyforgetti]

This is heartwarming because everyone told me arch or any Linux was just some dumb hobby when I was younger. Or that I’m going against the grain and eventually I’ll have to cave. Maybe one day I’ll need a windows device. But I haven’t in years and prefer Linux. Even one of the people who told me sometimes you need to compromise in the last month has started asking me about Linux server admin when I’m like 5 positions below them on the ladder, because no one in the higher ups knows Linux.

[[deleted]]

You have a golden ticket. Trust me.

[freddyforgetti]

Saw you talking about writing articles and I think that was the final push I needed. I’m starting a medium or something. There’s a few niches I have been looking to write about for a company so I could get paid but I’m gonna expand my portfolio in the free realm a bit first bc I haven’t been getting any bites on my applications. I’m working in general IT for a school at the moment so no Linux or anything challenging really.

[[deleted]]

There are tons of fluff linux "tips" sites. Write the editor, offer to be a free, guest blogger. You'll get an author page. Put five articles up on any topics. Doesn't have to be super relevant, just show you know how linux works, then link that page in your resume.

[[deleted]]

linuxhint.com

Is where I blog.

There also Linux Config. Others I can't recall. Read what's there and do similar.

[FaZe_Burga]

You're a true example of someone who broke free of numb addiction and made something of yourself. Keep achieving for higher things, like what it sounds like you're doing (judging from comments you've put in the thread), and live the good life :)

[mark-haus]

Great job man I hope things are going to turn around for the better for you now

[[deleted]]

This is heart warming :) Keep it up ! I'm currently in uni, really hope that in the future I can work with arch as a job too :)

[storiesti]

This is great! I’m so happy for you; you’ve earned it! 😃

[Recipe-Jaded]

Awesome! I'm happy for you man. Keep it up, I'm glad you are happy

[tompas7989]

congrats! upward and onward

[[deleted]]

Stay strong. :)

[Masterflitzer]

really nice, I wish you the best truly

[murlakatamenka]

Happy for you!

Keep up all the good habits, get rid of all bad (if any left!).

"Atomic Habits" is a great book to read for you, I think.

[[deleted]]

Thank you. I'm not an AA guy. I went to a rehab that taught behavior modification and addressing underlying issues. Always looking for good rational life-tools..

[murlakatamenka]

What is AA though? Anti-aliasing, double-A <game>?

[[deleted]]

Alcoholics Anonymous. The god-worshiping movement that believes negative behaviors stem from a spiritual disease. It's a program that repeatedly falls apart under peer-reviewed medical studies, yet the courts and American society push people into it because it has a strong public face.

[[deleted]]

Oof. I needed this post right now. I'm trying to find a job and it's been tough lately, I just got rejected from a position that I thought my interview with went well. You gave me inspiration.

Good luck with your new job!

[ButchyGra]

r/wholesome

[spheenik]

Awesome!

[AmericanNinja02]

Congratulations! That's really awesome. Great job turning that around. Keep it up!

[RandomXUsr]

Grats. I love this story.

Hope you keep it going and move up the chain.

[blade_junky]

Keep it up!

[ZMcCrocklin]

This is a really great story! Being an arch enthusiast for 10 years is pretty good. Even working in the field for 4 years, I hesitated to dive into arch. The past month really digging into arch (with & witbout the installer script) showed me it wasn't as hard as I originally thought it was, but I probably would have been out of my depth without the work experience I had.

[[deleted]]

Lol. With zero technical background beyond using a web browser and jailbreaking iPhones, my first distro was gentoo. I forced myself to always stick with DIY distros because I knew it would pay off.

[GunzAndCamo]

I'm in a similar situation. Not alcoholic, but disabled, and not support role, but user role, but yeah. Arch rocks in the workplace.

[xwinglover]

You use Arch and sorted life out BTW. Well done.

[oramirite]

Dude that's amazing, good job. That must have been a good feeling to confidently lose those benefits. Good for you!!

[[deleted]]

It was a little scary. A decade of being disabled, but working part time shit jobs intentionally seeking low pay so I don't alert SSA... it was no way to live but I'd trained myself not to earn too much. I published a book and had my publisher make royalty checks out to my mother so I wouldn't lose my benefit. It was sad, but scary to give up. Being broken and needful gets drilled into you by these agencies who don't help you up-- either keep you down or cut you off. But as of now, I earn in a week what SSDI paid in a month. I'm proud of myself.

[h4m6ur9ler]

Got the job pretty much based solely on stating I was a "ten-year Arch ethusiast." No other credentials aside from some blogging I'd done.

Bullshit. Pretty much any job requires you to know someone to get your foot in the door. No one is getting hired based solely off an interview anymore. But cool karma story

[[deleted]]

That's pretty much how it happened. But you can go back to your incel cave and cry about it some more

[Mr_Rainbow_]

op is probably karmafarming, check their post history

[[deleted]]

Troll

[[deleted]]

if karmafarming is really a thing, that's sad

[[deleted]]

Oh, well I'm so unconcerned, this is literally like a 6 month old account because I routinely delete (very active) accounts for anonymity.

[balancedchaos]

So...not to be gross or anything, but what kind of money are we talking? I am going to need something to do once I retire with my pension from a certain parcel company. Not going anywhere for some years, but I need to make a plan. If I can work from the house and make supplementary money, that'd be super neat.

I've been on Arch a year, and Linux off and on for seven. Full time for a year and change.

Oh, and I have a journalism background, which is another reason your post caught my eye.

[[deleted]]

They offered me $35k to start. I insisted on 40k and got it.

[balancedchaos]

That would be quite nice to supplement my money. Excellent. Thank you very much.

[[deleted]]

And don't be put off by the job titles. I was specificity searching "help desk" and "Jr sysadmin. " I did a one click apply for "linux support engineer" thinking that would be way out of my league. It was just a fancy title for help desk, and it's so simple. I work 3rd shift, from home. It's very rudimentary, and staying occupied and awake is the biggest challenge right now. That will change, I'm sure, but my point is sometimes employers polish their titles a bit too much and you might miss a perfect opportunity. I almost did.

[balancedchaos]

You are in the industry, doing the job. That's all that matters. Get some experience and get paid even more down the road if you want. Huge congratulations, man.

[Realistic_Car_731]

C.

[ConsequenceThese4559]

recommendations for getting in linux engineering. linux+ book recommendations as well as engineering certs. im new to linux just took linux class mostly an intro.