[geeks] RHCE advice

[Lionel Peterson]

I have no exp. with certifications, but some of my recent reading in trade magazines leads me to believe that certifications (in general at the entry to mid-level - not the high-level, coveted Cisco security and network planning certifications) are to be seriously considered. The result of numerous "certification mills" is that a great many employers have been burned and will look *unfavorably* on someone who is certified. This will, of course, vary by geographic region, but it should be taken into consideration...

>From your post, it seems like you are at an employer you hope to stay with, and that posession of this certification would in fact reflect positively on you - in that case, I would encourage you in your efforts. If you want to make yourself attractive to a new employer I'd think twice...

As for the exam, given your background (12+ years exp. working with Linux) I'd suggest sitting down with the list of topics covered and making an honest self-assessment of your abilities, and focus on any weaknesses you uncover. Once you feel comfortable in your knowledge I'd *invest* $749 and take the test, with the dual goals of either passing the test on your first try, or to learn what was missing in your education and using that as a tool to focus your next efforts to pass on your second try.

I like books (in general), but I suspect that any books you will find will miss the mark of "filling in the holes" in an experienced Admin.'s background to complete the test. My bet is you will find most books either are a "Welcome to the wonderful world of Linux" type book, or a "cram" book that simply regurgitates info in the hopes you can retain it until you take the test...

Best of luck!

Lionel

>From: Dan Duncan <dand at pcisys.net>
>Date: 2006/07/24 Mon AM 11:21:28 CDT
>To: geeks at sunhelp.org
>Subject: [geeks] RHCE advice

>For work reasons, it would be advantageous for me to get an RHCE cert.
>I've taken some practice tests and the assessment at the redhat site and
>I'm not too worried (I've been using linux for maybe 12 years) but I was
>wondering if there is a preferred study guide so I don't waste $749 by
>missing something important.  Any tips for books, sites, or on taking the
>test itself are appreciated.
>
>I've already figured out from the practice tests than I need to play with bind
>and dhcpd a bit under linux.  I've only used bind under Solaris and it's been
>several years.  I only use dhcpd under linux to netboot installations so the
>messiness about the additional config for windoze clients was new to me.
>
>-DanD
>
>-- 
>#  Dan Duncan (kd4igw)  dand at pcisys.net  http://pcisys.net/~dand
># When a man ceases to believe in God, He does not believe in nothing. He
># believes in everything.  G.K. Chesterton
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