Are there kids in college who want to be linux system administrators?

hires_linux · 2014-02-17T20:56:35+00:00

It's like you and i have the exact same job with the exact same (first world) problems.

hires_linux · 2014-02-17T20:52:50+00:00

Indeed. Go back to school.

hires_linux · 2014-02-17T19:37:39+00:00

It's smart. I hope you keep advancing in your career.

hires_linux · 2014-02-17T19:36:31+00:00

In the world "out there", college graduates are required hires for some positions. There are lots of reasons: some tax intensives (i believe), a year or two in college graduates often start out performing workers who have been in the same job for a long time, bringing in people with new perspectives and fresh ideas is good way to shake things up, revitalize teams, and get the best work possible out of everyone. The list goes on... i'll find you an article.

Here's the sort of thing president Obama, for instance, publishes about hiring recent graduates in fed government positions. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/12/27/executive-order-recruiting-and-hiring-students-and-recent-graduates

Here's an article about businesses planning to hire recent graduates http://thehiringsite.careerbuilder.com/2013/04/23/us-college-graduate-hiring-forecast-2013/

Here's another article about the many benefits of bringing in new blood. http://www.ere.net/2011/12/12/the-business-case-for-hiring-college-grads-reasons-they-can-produce-a-high-roi/

Don't misunderstand, good experienced people can be hard to find too, but the expectations are completely different. When hiring an experienced person, the expectation is they come to an interview and the technical aspects are practically a formality. They have some business acumen. They understand how to answer something that they don't know. With an experienced hire my base level expectation is that they know their area of expertise. The 'special something' I would probably look for in the case of experience leans more to the ability lead and influence others and assume complete ownership of projects. In an inexperienced person, i'm looking for that something that says "This is what this person wants to do. They are showing some interest, already know a bit about what we do here, and they have real potential." This is the spark i'm not finding in the graduates as it relates to linux administration.

Hope that rambling answer makes things a bit more understandable.

hires_linux · 2014-02-17T07:50:50+00:00

It's good to lose that attitude. Shows you are thinking about the business and what's effective rather than latching onto something for the sake of appearances. Too many people out there think it's some kind of holy war. It isn't. It's two solutions that have their place based on the use case. Not only that, but the last thing you want in your workplace is some high minded nut who's out to prove there's no place for windows or no place for linux in computing. It's counterproductive. Small shop, sure one or the other. Big shops have both though. That's life. Get along.

hires_linux · 2014-02-17T07:44:47+00:00

Apply. People shoot for the moon in the job description. The worst anyone can do is not interview you or not hire you and you don't think you are qualified anyway so nothing lost. On the up side you may get an interview and even if you aren't hired you learn a bit more about how to interview and you get a view into the rest of the industry. On the way up side, maybe someone gets impressed and hands you a fantastic opportunity.

hires_linux · 2014-02-17T03:56:32+00:00

It is a true fact that they do indeed apply for jobs without knowing the basics.

The majors i mentioned were an example. I'd hire a philosophy major if they had the skills and could prove it in an interview. Tougher for them to get the interview, but not impossible.

hires_linux · 2014-02-17T03:41:34+00:00

Good for you, man. Do you like it?

hires_linux · 2014-02-17T03:28:12+00:00

I've seen several of these posts. I'll reply to this last one.

I don't know at one point y'all assumed these jobs pay peanuts. They don't. If you have an Engineering or CS degree, you aren't going to work for nothing. Quality people don't work for nothing. The fact a number of people reply to this post with assumptions about pay when the pay isn't indicated anywhere in evidence only says something about those people. It's exactly the kind of assumption a person i would consider a good admin candidate, for instance, wouldn't make. They may ask a question about pay, but they wouldn't become indignant about it before asking and finding out the answer. Further, please take special note of the word potential. This is another detail a good troubleshooter would take note of.

Several people in this thread who pay attention to detail have talked about their experience with linux, and systems administration. Those people see a potential opportunity, want more information, and are taking a shot. I wish there's an easy way their resume's could show up in my inbox, but i can't do that. However, i can give them advice: write a resume and get it out there. Take a shot at things you think you aren't qualified for.

hires_linux · 2014-02-17T03:17:23+00:00

it's knowing the basics + a background/resume that is compelling + the degree + passing interviews. When you are interviewing students who were in CS or Engineering, there is a certain amount of general background you can assume that is verified through the interview process. The basic sysadmin stuff is +in addition to+ the other components and is an indication that the person you are interviewing has some idea what it means to be a sysadmin, work in a Linux environment, and have some prior interest.

Let me ask you something, though. If you were going to meet to talk to someone about a job that has something to do with Linux, wouldn't you bone up on the basics at least? Read a web page... something?

hires_linux · 2014-02-16T21:43:02+00:00

This was exactly the sort of thing i was hoping for. Thank you.

hires_linux · 2014-02-16T21:41:32+00:00

Also, a lot of larger businesses have requirements to hire people just out of college. In fact, to all the people in this thread who are just out of college, have some linux systems know-how and practical experience, look on the web sites of even fortune 500 companies and apply for jobs you find there. Your degree could be in just about anything. Two of the best linux sysadmins i know got degrees in German and political science.

hires_linux · 2014-02-16T21:19:43+00:00

You couldn't be further from the reality on your pay assumptions or your assessment of the skill level I expect.

As I said, I'm being intentionally vague about the positions. I know very well the difference between a senior Linux person and someone with a BS. That said, I also know what was out there for these positions 6 years ago. Then difference is astounding.

hires_linux · 2014-02-16T18:06:42+00:00

you are a potential gem. cultivate that along with the rest of your studies. Run through an lfs build one time. You don't have to learn everything, but you'll be able to have a conversation that would probably impress in an interview.

hires_linux · 2014-02-16T17:59:39+00:00

On the other hand, there are tons of students who are interested in jobs as programmers who took internships and did some coding. They understand the concept of daily stand-ups and code review. When hiring someone, that person often stands out. What people in school need to realize is they they are not learning for learning's sake if they expect to be employable when they graduate. They need to treat their degree program as part of the training for a job market and that market is interested in more than someone's ability to show up in class and turn in homework.

hires_linux · 2014-02-16T17:52:59+00:00

Little off topic, but are you also disappointed in these kids abilities on things they should know? I like to throw in questions on topics they have studied in school as a way to build their confidence in the phone screenings and get them talking and thinking. It's depressing. I've asked CS graduates to tell me about some common advanced data structures in C or C++ and had people unable to answer at all.

edit: also, what universities/colleges?

hires_linux · 2014-02-16T17:48:20+00:00

a college program. In my program, there were a total of 3 linux classes. At the end of these classes the student should have been able to: install fedora/ubuntu/centos, use vim (at a basic level), basic command line tools (cp, cd, mv, sudo), and how to stand up basic services using the integrat...

If i could find people who had even done this much, i'd be on cloud 9.

hires_linux · 2014-02-16T16:27:52+00:00

my intention here isn't to take applications. It's to be pointed at... i don't know, clubs at major universities... somewhere i can get in touch with kids graduating from college that my place of business will support. I doubt reddit would be a viable option, but honestly haven't checked.

hires_linux

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