Hi mates,

I'm a software engineering student from Turkey and I'm trying to lead my career as best I could.

A software engineer should have knowledge of any technology, C, C++, Java, C#, Linux, Windows etc. But a human can't be a real professional at all of them. They are technology oceans continuously grow...

For a software engineering student who wants to work firstly in Australia or Canada, after if they can't happen Usa or Europe why would you suggest, trying to be a professional on open source solutions like Linux, Java, MySQL etc rather than Microsoft solutions like C#, .NET, Silverlight, SQL Server etc.

For example in Turkey C# is more widely used than Java. Except the electronic companies like TV or washing machine companies, they don't even use C/C++. Corporates prefer Microsoft solutions.

What would I choose to be a professional on Linux? What are the benefits than Microsoft technologies?

I know the benefits but Microsoft has benefits too. I just want to hear from you to clear my head.

ps: I'm dealing with PHP for 7 years, for Linux servers about 3-4 years. I've a basic knowledge of both Linux and Microsoft worlds, but I'm in a place to choose a main path.
Also the answer "learn both" is not what I'm looking for, yes I'll learn both but there are more than 4.000 classes and 13.000 public methods in .NET. Java is wider if you include mobile and other systems. They are really oceans and I need to choose one of them at least for a start but for years as a main path.

I suggest that you consider the following:
1) There is a very large, well established, base of professionals working with Microsoft systems. There is a comparatively small set of Linux professional at present. Therefore, competing for positions above the entry level will be quite stiff with Microsoft systems and much less so with Linux systems.
2) One of your tasks as a systems engineer will be to write code to augment applications in use by the company, school system, government, etc. that you work for. Getting the source code from a proprietary software vendor will be difficult if that access is not part of a contract with the vendor. With Linux systems, access to the source code is a given.
3) Opportunities for rapid advancement are greater with Linux systems because of the relatively small body of professionals at present (see 1 above).
4) Whichever path you choose, you will be working along that path for years, perhaps all of your working life. Which operating system gives you the most satisfaction to work with? Do you want to spend your working life working with an operating system that doesn't give you any pleasure, any felling of satisfaction, or less satisfaction than another system gives you? Choose the one that satisfies you the most, and concentrate on that one. Then concentrate on developing your knowledge and skills so that you can compete successfully for positions as they become available.

Well both of the technologies are quite amazing.

For example I'd like to handle a linux server more than windows servers. it's easier than windows for me and enjoyable.

But than I like to use Windows on my desktop because I've got bugs on Linux. Linux has its lackings as a desktop computer. For example wireless signal power is lower in Linux. I can't connect to internet sometimes with Linux where if I boot with Windows I can. So I like to use windows but it doesn't mean I don't like to work with Linux. Working and using different for me.

You were totally right for your first explanation. That was really one of the biggest problems I've thought of. I sometimes doesn't feel like an engineer when using Microsoft technologies. They are all prepared and ready. I question that why a high school boy can't use .NET and other Microsoft technologies if he has license of that product.

But then the problem is a lot of people are using Windows so using Microsoft based technologies is a better solution at that point. I don't know how can I be a choice for a software company if I'm a Linux/OpenSource expert while customers are using Windows..?

But then again, how can I be a choice for a software company while being a Microsoft solutions professional requires smaller engineering skills and also while there are lots of Microsoft professionals out there...

The right technology will not make your career. Be the best in all tasks you are doing now. That will boost your career later.

You may write in your letter of application to be familiar with all Java classes or all .NET services. That's nothing. But if you write "I have developed IrfanView or OpenOffice or Facebook", the companies will know and hire you.

I think it is easier for you, to enter the developers lists of notable open source projects than to get a name in the Microsoft closed source world.

If you think about it Linux has no where to go but up. As governments go broke or are teetering on the verge of it, they won't be able to afford Microsoft as much as they use to. Or be able to upgrade hardware (Windows 7 and Vista have much higher hardware requirements than Xp). The same will be true for businesses.

People are going to get wise to open source. For example Open Office instead of paying God knows how much to upgrade Office every 3 years or so.

BTW if you are willing to move you may want to consider China more so than America.

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If you plan to stay in Turkey then your knowledge of that area may be better than what we would suggest. In most of Europe I might suggest you stay with MS. MS has many products that simply are not available in Linux and are so because people get paid to write them and they are sold to companies with support.

While some areas of companies and governments may be able to use open source components others simply may not. We still have to pay for all special software no matter if it is on linux or MS or vxworks or openvms or qnx or what not.

Personally I think that open source is would be digging my own grave if I were a software writer. If I was in support I would love it. One more thing to break.

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Thats not a problem with linux, thats going to be a problem with your particulat wireless driver/hardware. I have an atheros card thats the opposite, better signal/more stable connetcion in linux than windows.

In large enterprise there is some linux server jobs where some are going away from sun/solaris to linux.
Infosec there are a lot more tools running under linux/unix than there are windows.

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