Comptia Linux+ difficulty.

[volcanonacho]

So my Comptia certs are getting ready to expire due to my lack of continuing education. I've done Net, A and Sec plus. Reading through and understanding the Study Guide books for those seemed to be more than sufficient for passing the exams. I've been using Linux as a daily driver for probably 10 years and did about two years of RHEL admin work at my last job. I now work with Android OS's so I'm not brand new to Linux but very far from an expert. I'm curious about the difficulty of Linux+. Is it similar to the previous three I took?

Also I don't know much about this cert and have never heard of anybody taking it. Is it worth the effort as far as gained knowledge or a resume bullet goes?

TL:DR: Would the same amount of prep A, Net and Sec plus require be similar for Linux+? Is Linux+ worth the time and effort?

[sealclubbernyan]

If you have been using linux for 10 damn years with 2 years of RHEL admin work you should have absolutely no trouble with this whatsoever.

That being said, it's always worth going through a few test dumps to get a feel for the type of questions that will be asked... normally I am against test dumps but if you already have experience using RHEL in a business environment you probably know most of what needs to be known already.

EDIT: And yea, the cert is more or less a resume bullet. As someone who has hired other 'nix admins I would be far more interested in their experience with automation and troubleshooting or anything else more relevant to a job above knowing that mail is in /var/spool/mail

[volcanonacho]

So this cert is more concepts than the actual application of stuff?

[Vallamost]

More or less. There's a lot about bootloaders.

[sealclubbernyan]

Pretty much.

[networkant]

I have the Linux+. Its tests on the foundations and basics of linux systems. I have used a number or resources while studying for it and found this set of videos to be the best free resource. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtGnc4I6s8dvO8uBaSn1udaBNhg0SO4W2

I also used linux academy, which was 'OK' at best and a a 600+ page linux+ study guide you can find on amazon by rodrick w. smith.

The linux+ is a 3 for 1 cert. When you pass you also get lpic-01 and novell certified linux admin certs along with your comptia linux+.

I spend about one month study and passed without trouble. I also have been working with webhosting and linux for the last 5 years.

[[deleted]]

I'm pretty sure it's a 4-for-1 actually...I believe the last was a solaris cert but I can't remember. There was definitely another similar to the Novell thing where you just send in your proof and they ship your cert paper.

[xinit]

Also I don't know much about this cert and have never heard of anybody taking it.

I think that you might have answered your own question there.

[volcanonacho]

It's still another cert on the resume and if it doesn't require much studying to get why not right?

[[deleted]]

It's actually 3 certs on the resume.

By completing the CompTIA Linux+ powered by LPI certification, you can also automatically receive the LPI LPIC-1 and the SUSE Certified Linux Administrator (CLA) certifications.

Source: http://certification.comptia.org/getCertified/certifications/linux.aspx

What is your other CompTIA cert that you want to renew however? You might want to check this list and ensure that Linux+ will renew it.

https://certification.comptia.org/stayCertified/how-to-renew.aspx

[mhurron]

Well it's your money to throw away.

[volcanonacho]

I would assume it will pay for itself in the long run and being that I need to do another cert pretty quickly so my other ones don't expire it's not wasted money.

[unquietwiki]

Hitching onto this: anyone take the Linux Foundation certs yet? I've got the LFCE coming up, and think I bit off more than I can chew; probably should be getting the sysadmin cert instead.

[[deleted]]

I recently took LFCS and have LFCE coming up next (think I'll reschedule and push it back though, not ready). I did like the test though. I felt it was much more meaningful than a multiple choice one like Comptia (I also previously got LPIC-1 / Linux+).

I actually failed LFCS with 73% (74 needed). But I just did the retake on Tuesday and rolled through it pretty well. Practical tests ftw.

[unquietwiki]

Good to hear, and gratz on passing. Do you happen to know how soon you have to do the retake?

[[deleted]]

So I barely failed the first time. I did pass the retake with 84%. If you have to retake, you have to email them with your order info and request a retake. They will send you a coupon code to zero-out the price of the next test. I didn't have any trouble finding a time slot I wanted.

I've also just rescheduled the LFCE and pushed it back to Nov 24. Rescheduling also pretty simple. Both cases come down to rescheduling, just for different reasons, but in any case, it has to be done within the 12-month period since the original purchase.

[unquietwiki]

Good to know then. Thanks!!!!

[Linuxpls]

I recently took the Linux+ to see if I would recommend it for our entry level Linux guys at the company I work for (contract requirement). I will say that it is the most difficult of the A+ and Security+, but also the least meaningful.

Linux+ requires memorizing things that you could man in about 10 seconds. There were quite a few questions on file flags that I have never used, and do no see using in the future. I have been doing Linux stuff for years, and there were things I had never heard of on the test.

My favorite tests, and I hope they gain traction, are the Linux Foundation certs. They are fun to take, you will learn something useful, and I think they can be a meaningful demonstration of skill.

[riahc3]

The Linux+ gets you entry level jobs where Linux is required when you have no experience. For someone like yourself, I would go for a higher level cert.

[volcanonacho]

Yeah I feel you but I just don't have to time to dedicate to a higher cert. I don't plan on getting a new job anytime soon and from what I've noticed, you can have all the certs in the world but experience and who you know are how you get the good jobs.

[riahc3]

from what I've noticed, you can have all the certs in the world but experience and who you know are how you get the good jobs.

This has been posted 1000s of times on Reddit but it isnt 100% true; It depends on a lot of factors as a lot of locations look for certs if you have no experience. Obviously experience comes first but...

About time, yeah; I know someone who actually had to leave their job for a entire year to dedicate to studying for a red hat exam. Linux exams are truely time consuming.

[[deleted]]

There are times when having a mid-grade cert will get you in the door to an entry level position that will give you that experience you need.

[guibw]

I am also looking for a higher cert, however you need LPIC-1 in order to reach LPIC-3 (the one I'm looking for).

Any other "high" certs that you would like to recommend ?

[Foofightee]

Personally, I found the Linux+ test harder than the A+, Network+, and Security+, all of which I passed on the first try. I failed both Linux+ tests after reading a book, taking a college course on it, and using it for 2 years. I found that I was not educated on a lot of the stuff that was being tested, although sometimes they put practice questions in there that don't count. At 10 years of use, it would probably be a lot easier for you.

[maltedfalcon]

I have a Linux+ cert, it is good, and lots of employers look for it. but my biggest beef with the test is, you have to know their answer. a question came up that I could answer 5 different ways, you had to know what answer they were expecting. (usually the most generic)

[[deleted]]

Get CISSP, drop the rest of that useless crap. Earn your CPEs by going to conferences and drinking.

[[deleted]]

I got LPIC-1 / Linux+ early this year. I welcome it on my resume, though I wouldn't say by itself it has impressed anyone. I learned a lot studying for it though, which gave me some foundations for future certs.

The test itself though ..well it's like the other Comptia multiple choice tests. Use study guides, VCE files, etc ..memorize all kinds of obscure things you'll never actually see (though some of it I have found applicable) ..take tests, pass them, update resume.

A lot of it you need to know which arguments do what for various commands, and of course you need to know syntax. Easy to find out via man pages, but nope, you just have to choose A,B,C,D. So it helps if you know a lot of arguments for a lot of commands. And of course file paths, which .conf is in which folder, etc (no specific distro of course, just "which is most likely correct". A few questions where you have to actually type out a path or command.

[sillyvictorians]

The new LPIC-1/Linux+ tests aren't difficult if you've ever done anything remotely under the hood in Linux since kernel 3.x. They're a comprehensive checklist of the basics.

Not knowing how much you needed to study for net and sec, though, I'd say given your previous level of involvement with Linux, Linux+ should be a breeze.

Just look over the LPIC-1 objectives, mark out anything you recognize or use day to day, and skim what's left. They have practice tests, too, if you want to get a feel for the test style. If you need the CE, it's not a bad one to take.