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Old 05-08-2011, 03:42 PM   #1
infinite_scale
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What are the job prospects for freshers, with regard to Linux?


Hi,

We all know that career in Linux is very promising and has a lot of scope. But I hear that jobs for freshers are minimal, specially here in India.. Read on prominent forums that many freshers that pursued RHCE are jobless and get something like 2-3 calls in an year...Is that so??

They say companies like to hire experienced people. But let me ask a basic question--

Everyone has to start somewhere. And those experienced guys too must have been freshers at some point in the past. So why don't companies consider this simple logic and hire freshers.

You see, I'm about to complete my graduation and was thinking of going for Sys Admin. It's getting difficult for me to decide what to do. For the same reason I am even considering of starting a career in Networking or DBA (Oracle etc)..At least jobs for these domains seem to be more abundant than Linux. For those people who say, "Follow your heart and just dive in" I'd like to ask, what do they do in such a situation when they need job so much but they carry the "curse" of being a fresher...In such situations it is indeed difficult to have patience and keep cool.. getting such discouraging info about jobs for freshers is really getting to me.. After all, I cannot keep "kissing" Linux and keep looking for the rare jobs month after month.. There is something we call "pride".. After all, we need to make money..can't sit at home after completing our education..

Please help me what to do.. I'm really distressed about this.
 
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Old 05-08-2011, 04:02 PM   #2
TB0ne
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Quote:
Originally Posted by infinite_scale View Post
Hi,
We all know that career in Linux is very promising and has a lot of scope. But I hear that jobs for freshers are minimal, specially here in India.. Read on prominent forums that many freshers that pursued RHCE are jobless and get something like 2-3 calls in an year...Is that so??
Well, since you don't say what "prominent forums" you're quoting, and where THEY got their information, how can we answer that??
Quote:
They say companies like to hire experienced people. But let me ask a basic question-- Everyone has to start somewhere. And those experienced guys too must have been freshers at some point in the past. So why don't companies consider this simple logic and hire freshers.
Many do...many don't. You don't know until you apply for the job.
Quote:
You see, I'm about to complete my graduation and was thinking of going for Sys Admin. It's getting difficult for me to decide what to do. For the same reason I am even considering of starting a career in Networking or DBA (Oracle etc)..[/B][B]At least jobs for these domains seem to be more abundant than Linux. For those people who say, "Follow your heart and just dive in" I'd like to ask, what do they do in such a situation when they need job so much but they carry the "curse" of being a fresher...In such situations it is indeed difficult to have patience and keep cool.. getting such discouraging info about jobs for freshers is really getting to me.. After all, I cannot keep "kissing" Linux and keep looking for the rare jobs month after month.. There is something we call "pride".. After all, we need to make money..can't sit at home after completing our education..
Please help me what to do.. I'm really distressed about this.
Not sure about where you are, but a degree and/or certification doesn't mean a whole lot here. If you can honestly say on your resume that you have the skills, then you'll get in the door. From there, you have to interview well, and give the company confidence in you. Terms like "fresher" don't help...being 'distressed' doesn't help. If you're that nervous during an interview, it's over for me....I move on to the next candidate. Why? Being ad admin (of ANY type..DBA, network, Linux, Windows...whatever), is a stressful job. If you get 'distressed' over sitting in a chair, answering questions that you should already know the answers to, you'll definitely NOT be able to handle the real, genuine stress of a job.

Want some advice from someone with many years in the game?
  • Bathe and groom yourself well. You'd be surprised how many don't.
  • Dress well. Coming in a suit two sizes too big (or small)/wrinkled/with stains, doesn't help. Appearances count, at least for the first few minutes.
  • Speak clearly. Do NOT use slang terms, laugh nervously, use "Hmm", or "uhhh", etc.
  • Don't fidget in your chair
  • Answer questions directly, and to the best of your ability. If you don't know, ADMIT you don't. Honesty and the willingness to learn is more important than a huge ego, who thinks they have nothing to learn.
  • Make eye contact. Don't look at the floor, or stare around the room.
  • Research the company and position before going. If you're there for a mail administrator position, make sure your skills are current. Ask yourself what troubleshooting steps you can take if mail DOESN'T work...because you'll likely be asked. Again, you don't have to know it ALL, but if you display a good core competency, you'll get further. Knowing the basics = being able to learn the advanced stuff.
Will that get you a job? No, it won't. Welcome to real life. You will have to face a good, long time of bad jobs, low pay, and long hours, before you move up the ladder. You are NOT going to walk in anywhere, and take them by storm, with your amazing skills...because everyone in your position has about the SAME skills. You are going to have to demonstrate that you can learn, and be part of a TEAM, and work together.
 
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Old 05-09-2011, 02:25 AM   #3
Aquarius_Girl
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Quote:
Originally Posted by infinite_scale View Post
Read on prominent forums that many freshers that pursued RHCE are jobless and get something like 2-3 calls in an year...Is that so??
Ever heard of something called http://www.monsterindia.com/?
Instead of reading on "prominent forums", I suggest, search that link with the keywords "linux administrator" and put 0 in the second text box there, leave the location and salary blank (for the time being), and see the results for yourself.
 
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Old 05-09-2011, 02:36 AM   #4
EricTRA
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Hi,

I agree 110% with TB0ne, chance favors the prepared (heard it in some movie), so be prepared for everything, questions, failure, success, life, ... Feel confident in what you know and what you want to obtain. Good luck!

Kind regards,

Eric
 
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Old 05-09-2011, 10:00 AM   #5
SL00b
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Just some random tips on starting out a new sysadmin career:

- Look for jobs for a JUNIOR systems admin position. A lot of companies are looking specifically for newbies to add to their staff, because they already have established people and policies, and a newbie is cheaper.

- Apply for jobs that require experience even though you're apparently unqualified, because depending on the labor market, you might be the top candidate who replies. Worst-case scenario, your resume goes in the trash, nothing lost, nothing gained.

- Be open to relocating. This opens up the field of opportunities tremendously. Your local market may be saturated by competition, but there might be a severe lack somewhere else.

- Don't lock your sights on the perfect job. Many times, the path to the right job requires working your way up. Look for foot-in-the-door opportunities at entry-level positions like helpdesk or systems operator positions within solid companies that have positions in the kind of job you want to land in eventually. When you show you're more than equal to the entry-level position and apply for new openings above, companies often give priority to internal applicants.

For what it's worth, that last bit is how I got started. I took a systems operator job on the graveyard shift. I was promoted to day shift in six months, lead operator a couple months after that, and started doing systems admin on a trial basis roughly ten months after that.
 
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